She made her literary debut in 1952 with the poetry collection Dåp under sju stjerner. Among her other collections are Merke etter liv from 1962, Brød og tran from 1969, and Falle og reise seg att from 1980. She was awarded the Swedish Academy’s Dobloug Prize in 1983, and the Nynorsk Literature Prize in 1997.
She was the mother of Magnus Takvam.
In 1977 Marie Takvam played the main character in Vibeke Løkkeberg"s film Åpenbaringen. One of the film scenes shows Takvam"s bare bottom.
The critics were shocked, and described her body as repulsive and old.