A Nail Merchant at Nightfall

Born in Helsinki, Waltari went to Paris after receiving a university education. He published his first volume of poetry at 17. At the age of 20, his second novel, The Great Illusion (1928), brought him general recognition. Waltari returned to Helsinki from Paris in 1929 and continued to write poems, plays, novels, and fairy tales, a total of 80 show more texts during the next 20 years. The Egyptian (1945), a worldwide success, brought Waltari into prominence in other countries. His three-volume historical novel From Father to Son (1942) won the national Literary Prize and was filmed and translated into 14 languages. Unfortunately, 11 English translations of Waltari's work are out of print. (Bowker Author Biography) show less