One of the most widely translated authors in Finland, Märta Tikkanen began to write from a young age and knew the importance of finding the time and space to devote to this activity. As a girl she suspected that her mother, Margit Cavonius, also wished to write; Margit and Solveig von Schoultz, one of the finest modern Fenno-Swedish poets, were friends, and Schoultz influenced Tikkanen greatly as an adult. As a mother of three as well as a teacher and a wife, however, Margit had neither the space nor the time to pursue her hidden passion. Tikkanen based a poignant scene in her novel Rödluvan (Red Riding Hood, 1986) on her mother's predicament. The furniture is finally rearranged to provide Margit with the desk space she needs for teaching preparation and for writing; yet, because her husband--a highly placed employee of the Swedish-language school system--cannot...