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Rytisalo’s Mrs C. wins Book of the Year in Bonnier’s competition for Grand Journalism Prize

Minna Rytisalo’s bestselling novel Mrs C. won Book of the Year in Bonnier’s competition for Grand Journalism Prize. The jury stated:

“Mrs Canth, a teacher’s wife, lives through a marriage which grows to be happy and in which the wife and the husband work together for the things that matter to them. The support of her encouraging soul mate carries Mrs C. even when she needs to continue the work on her own. Being a pioneer and putting herself at stake doesn’t take much but everything.  The awe-inspiring novel opens a window to the private life of a historical figure.”

The novel, indeed a bestseller in Finland, has also been nominated for the Torch-bearer Prize, given to the novel with most potential to succeed abroad, and the Lapland Literature Prize. Read more about the book here.

Rytisalo’s debut Lempi, also a huge success, has won numerous awards and been successful also in Germany, published there by Hanser. More about Lempi here.

Congratulations to the author!

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Eva Frantz’s Eighth Maiden is the best crime novel of the year

The Eighth Maiden (2018)

Eva Frantz’s novel The Eight Maiden is the winner Clew of the Year Award, given to the best crime novel of the year.

Eva Frantz’s second book in the crime series about police detective Anna Glad, The Eighth Maiden (2018) was awarded with Clue of the year by The Finnish Whodunnit Society. The yearly award has been given to the best crime novel now 34 times, but never before to a Finland Swedish author.

The board stated that The Eighth Maiden describes the milieu of a small Finland Swedish town with skill. The tension builds little by little and without excessive violence. The novel got special recognition for the way it describes young people, as did Frantz’s ability to dive into their world with subtlety. The board emphasized that even with such a harsh theme as sexual abuse the novel has a tender and unmoralizing tone.

The Eighth Maiden is also nominated for the Torch-bearer Prize, given to the Finnish book with most potential in foreign markets. (The news is here.)

The first novel of the series is The Blue Villa (2017). Before these Frantz has written a stand-alone crime novel Summer Isle (2016).

Eva Frantz was last awarded in February for her middle grade horror novel Raspberry Hill (2018) with Runeberg Junior Prize (news here).

You can read more about Eva Frantz here.

 

 

 

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Savonlahti’s debut sold to Norstedts

Sisko Savonlahti (photo: Marek Sabogal)

Sisko Savonlahti’s autofictional debut novel Maybe This Summer Everything Will Change has been sold to Norstedts in Sweden.

The bestselling novel, described as “the novel of this generation”, tells the story of a young city dweller, a woman with a looming fear of failure, need to achieve – and find happiness. Nominated for the best debut novel of the year prize and praised by readers and critics alike, it is at the same time light and heavy, humorous and self-ironic.

Read more about the book here and about the author here.

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Three HLA titles nominated for the Torch-bearer Prize

Minna Rytisalo’s novel Mrs. C, Eva Frantz’s crime novel The Eighth Maiden and Anssi Hurme & Maija Hurme’s children’s book Shadowed have been nominated for the Torch-bearer Prize 2019.

 

Each writer’s work has already gained much praise:

Rytisalo’s Mrs. C is also nominated for the Book of the Year Award in Bonnier’s competition for Grand Journalism Prize. Also, her debut novel Lempi (2016) became wildly successful in Finland: it gathered a number of nominations and was awarded with the Botnia Prize, Thank You for the Book Prize and Blogistania Finlandia Prize.  Read more about Mrs. C here.

Eva Frantz’s horror novel for middle-grade readers Raspberry Hill won the Runeberg Junior Prize for 2019. The author was also awarded the Society of Swedish Authors in Finland Literature Prize for a Debut Novel in 2017. Read more about The Eighth Maiden here.

Anssi & Maija Hurmes’ Shadowed was nominated for Finlandia Junior Prize in 2018 – the most prestigious Finnish literary award given for children’s and young adults’ literature. In February 2019, it was awarded the Society of Swedish Literature in Finland prize of 5,000 euros. Read more about Shadowed here.

The Torch-bearer Prize is a literature award given yearly for a title with most potential to succeed outside Finland. The prize is worth 10,000 euros, and the winner will be announced on March 23rd.

Congratulations to all for the nomination! Onnea! Grattis!

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Rytisalo’s Mrs C. nominated Book of the Year in Bonnier’s competition for Grand Journalism Prize

Minna Rytisalo. (Photo: Marek Sabogal)

Minna Rytisalo’s bestselling novel Mrs C. is one of the three nominees for Book of the Year in Bonnier’s competition for Grand Journalism Prize. The jury stated:

“Mrs Canth, a teacher’s wife, lives through a marriage which grows to be happy and in which the wife and the husband work together for the things that matter to them. The support of her encouraging soul mate carries Mrs C even when she needs to continue the work on her own. Being a pioneer and putting herself at stake doesn’t take much but everything.  The awe-inspiring novel opens a window to the private life of a historical figure.”

The novel, indeed a bestseller in Finland, has been nominated also for the Torch-bearer Prize, given to the the novel with most potential abroad, and the Lappi Literature Prize. Read more about it here.

Rytisalo’s debut Lempi, also a huge success, has won numerous awards and been successful also in Germany, published there by Hanser. More about Lempi here.