Kaari Utrio’s oeuvre is one of a kind. Her historical novels and non-fiction have shed light particularly on the history of women, children and everyday life—themes which had received little historical attention before her.

In her profile on Kirjasampo, a Finnish literary website, it is stated that “Utrio’s influence on the way Finnish women think is perhaps greater than that of any other individual.”

Utrio’s father was a publisher and her mother was a journalist, so it was only natural that the confident young woman with a love of stories would take up writing.

“My circumstances have been much more favourable than those of many other aspiring writers. I was born into a literary world, I received a comprehensive literary education at a very young age, I am highly educated, and my works have proved popular. I have been financially independent with no need to rely on grants, and I am in a strong position in relation to my publisher,” Utrio writes on her website.

What is surprising is that Utrio did not have any literary ambitions. At the end of her university studies she simply found herself writing.

When she began her career at the age of 26, there was very little research being done on the middle ages in Finland.

“My early novels were written based on Swedish source materials, which I projected onto Finland.”

Studying history has been an excellent foundation for her career as a writer. Utrio credits her studies for teaching her how to immerse herself in subject matters that at first may not have seemed to be of any great interest.

“Writing my undergraduate dissertation on independent Finland’s first diplomatic corps proved to be a valuable lesson. The topic was not unpleasant as such, even if it was not what I wanted to end up doing.”

Studying source criticism and a variety of methodological approaches at the University of Helsinki has also been of use to her.

Utrio has gone through different phases as a writer. At times she has alternated between writing lengthy historical novels and minor works with a more narrow focus, at others she has concentrated on non-fiction. At the moment she is once again engaged in writing novels set in a particular historical period.

“I’m done with non-fiction,” Utrio says. “I have said all that I have to say.”

She is also finished with the Middle Ages.  This happened around the year 2000 when Utrio was writing her novel Yksisarvinen (‘The unicorn’).

“Even as I was writing it I knew it would be my last book with a mediaeval setting.”

Utrio’s 33th novel will be published in August, 2015. It deals with the early years of Finland as an autonomous part of Russia. The relationship between Finland and Russia is a source of endless fascination for her. More than half her life has been spent under the shadow of the Cold War. And suddenly it all changed: the Soviet Union and the Berlin Wall came crumbling down.

“Finland was a part of Russia for a century. The conquests of Finland and Chechnya took place within a ten-year period. Why did things turn out so well for Finland and so poorly for Chechnya?”

One answer is that the Russian emperors had a favourable attitude towards Finland.

“Finns were extremely fortunate that Alexander I came to power and that his inner circle was composed of liberals.”

When Utrio turned 60 in 2002, she decided to reduce the rate of her literary output. She now publishes a book every other year.

“I no longer want to be a beast of literary burden,” she says. “I only do things that I enjoy, like having a glass of champagne. It doesn’t hurt anyone when you indulge yourself. When you’re reading you can forget about your troubles for a while.”