Charlotta Falkman

Charlotta Falkman (1795 – 1882), was a Swedish-Finnish novelist author.

Falkman was born to the Swedish Lieuntenant Isaac Otto Falkman (1761-1817) and Maria Elisabeth Govenia. She never married and had no children.

She was born in Sweden, but settled in Helsinki with her mother at a young age, and are thus considered a Swedish-Finn. Falkman spent her life among Finland's Swedish-speaking upper classes. Her family was not wealthy, but she was given a good education and was described as refined, accomplished and with a polished manner, and it was noted that she spoke French (at that time a mark of status). As an adult, she worked as a governess until a progressingly weakened hearing caused her to first take up sewing and finnally writing. She never became wealthy, but lived as a lodger in wealthy families in Helsinki. She spent her last years in a hospital.

Her novels were published both in Finnish magazines and in book form. While her novels were not published in the Finnish language (but Swedish, which was the language of the contemporary Finnish elite), she belongs to the pioneer novelists as well as female novelists in Finland. Her novels, which were considered to be of high quality, described the contemporary lives for women in the Swedish-Finnish elite as well the hardships of the laboring classes.

Works

• En prestgård i N-d, af en finsk medborgarinna. Johanna Cederwaller & Son, Wiborg 1847
• Nyårsafton. Original af U-a. A. F. Cederwallers förlag, Wiborg 1848
• Leonna, en skildring ur lifvet. J. W. Lillja, Åbo 1854
• Frimurarens Fosterson : en tidsbild från 18:e seklet. G. W. Edlund, Helsingfors 1864