Kaari Utrio

The majority of Utrio's novels are historicals, set in a vast array of periods from Antiquity to the early 19th century; however, her specialty has always been the medieval period and it is for her medieval novels that she is mostly known. The main character is typically a woman, often somehow connected to Finland or Finnish history, although in the novel Vaskilintu (The Brass Bird) the other main character is a man, Eirik Väkevä. The setting is usually medieval Finland or its neighbouring countries, but faraway places like Constantinople and Calabria also feature.

Utrio has been active in several organisations. She has been the chairman of the Minna Canth Society from 1999. Utrio is a member of Amnesty International and has been on the board of the Finnish Association of Writers for several years. She has also been active in municipal politics as a non-committed member of the Social Democratic group of the Somero municipal government from 1980 to 1988, and the chair of municipal library committee. She has also given many lectures in many events all around Finland.

Utrio was appointed an artistic professor for the years 1995 to 2000, which was a recognition for her work. Utrio has been an academic in the Väinö Tanner Foundation since 2000. She was awarded the Finnish State Publication Prize in 2002 for her life's work, and Pro Finlandia medal in 1993.

Utrio has three children: Karri Virkajärvi (born 1969), Antti Virkajärvi (born 1971) and Lauri Linnilä (born 1976). In 1974 Utrio married Kai Linnilä. The next year, they moved to Somerniemi in Somero. At first, the couple tried their hand at self-sufficient agriculture, but gave it up after a couple of years. Instead, in 1982, Utrio and Linnilä founded a publishing company called Oy Amanita Ltd. Amanita became a family corporation, because Meri Utrio worked there, and later also Lauri Linnilä and his wife joined the staff.

Her career as a widely published author has lasted more than forty years; ever since her first novel came out in 1968, she has been one of Finland's most-read authors and strives to publish a new novel each year. It has been said on the Kirjasampo website (the representative of public libraries in Finland), that she has been the single most influential author to have shaped Finnish women's thinking.

Kaari Utrio matriculated in 1962 from Helsingin tyttölukio, a girls-only college. After that, she studied history at the University of Helsinki and graduated as a Master of Arts in 1967, History of Finland and Scandinavia as her major subject and General history as minor. The following year, Utrio published her first novel Kartanonherra ja kaunis Kirstin (The Lord of the Manor and the Beautiful Kirstin), which was published by Tammi. The title was given by the publisher, and Utrio did not like it herself. The book was, however, a start for Utrio's numerous other historical novels, which have so far been published at a steady pace, usually one per year. Utrio has also published many non-fiction books about history.

Kaari Marjatta Utrio (born 28 July 1942, official surname Utrio-Linnilä) is a Finnish writer. She has written over 35 historical novels and 13 non-fiction books on historical topics. She is a historian, holding the degree of Master of Arts from the University of Helsinki, and has returned from the position of Professor in service of the Finnish State Commission of Fine Arts.