Merete Mazzarella

Merete Mazzarella (1945) is a Finnish Swedish author and liter- ary scholar. In 2008, her book Fredrika Charlotta född Tengström: en nationalskalds hustru (Fredrika Charlotta née Tengström: the Wife of A National Poet) won the award for the best academic work of the year. It talks about the wife of Finnish national poet J. L. Runeberg, Fredrika Runeberg, who is one of the founders of the Finnish historical novel. In addition to studying Finnish Swedish culture and literature, Mazzarella has also written several biographical works. Her 1992 book Hem från festen (Home from the Party) is a confession about the end of the life of the author’s mother; from her cancer diagnosis until her death. När vi spelade Afrikas stjärna: en bok om barnbarn (On Grandmothers and grandchildren: Tonight We Play…, 2008) describes Mazzarella’s experiences as a grandmother whose grandchildren live on another continent, so in addition to generational gaps and ageing, the focus is also on cultural differences and the effect of great distances and isolation. Mazzarella’s works have a certain contemplative, essay-like and balanced tone. Merete Mazzarella will talk to translator Kadi-Riin Haasma.