Kirsti Paltto was born in the Tana Valley in Finland and taught as a qualified teacher for four years before she became a full-time author. She was chair of the Sami association of writers from 1979 to 1987 and became a county artist in Lapland County in 1989.
Before her debut short story collection Soagnu was published in 1971, she wrote for the paper Sápmelas. She has written children’s stories, poetry collections, novels, and short stories, and her plays have been performed on the radio and the stage. In 1986 the Finnish translation of the novel Guhtoset dearvan min bohccot was nominated for the Finlandia Prize. The novel is the first volume of a trilogy, the second volume of which was published in 1991, and is entitled Gurzo luottat.
Further Reading
Elina Helander and Kaarina Kailo (ed.): No beginning no end: the Sami speak up, 1998
