A novel by Finnish writer Frans Sillanpaa, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1939, The Maid Silja portrays the simple story of a young girl and her growth to womanhood. Sillanpaa captures the imagery of Finland's natural setting and the overwhelming romantic emotions of an innocent young woman during a turbulent period in Finland's history. It is reminiscent of another Scandanavian book, Kristin Lavransdatter,which similarly has central to its story the deep-seated feelings daughters have for their fathers, and the tumultuous changes this relationship undergoes as they mature.