Marita Lindquist

Marita Elisabeth Lindquist (née Gustafson; 10 November 1918 – 7 June 2016) was a Finnish author of many children's books. Born in Helsinki, she was of the Swedish-speaking population of Finland. In addition, she had written song lyrics, illustrated books, and worked as a translator, materials writer, producer, editor, and journalist.

Lindquist graduated from high school in 1937 and then studied languages. She was the author of hundreds of song texts and poems. Her repertoire included about forty children's books (usually the characters are fictional but for instance in Santtu Ellinoora series they were inspired by her grandchildren).

At the time of her death, Lindquist was already a widow and had two daughters – Marika and Anki, a folk singer (1945–2007). She has received many awards (see Awards section), including National Literature Prize (1973, 1975) and Topelius Award (1982). Her books have been translated into many foreign languages.