Mika Toimi Waltari (19 September 1908 - 26 August 1979) was one of the most prominent Finnish writers. His works, many translated into more than 40 languages, include 29 novels, 15 novellas, 6 collections of stories or fairy-tales, 6 collections of poetry and 26 plays, as well as screenplays, radio plays, non-fiction, translations, and hundreds of reviews and articles. He became a member of the Finnish Academy in 1957 and received an honorary doctorate at the University of Turku in 1970. He died in 1979 at the age of 70.