Likeness by Leena Krohn is travelling to Hungary, where it will be published by Polar.
Happy news from our list: Likeness by Leena Krohn is travelling to Hungary, where it will be published by Polar.
In her newest novel Likeness, legendary author Leena Krohn ponders what gaze is and what does it actually mean to see someone.
A quiet, unassuming, and not very talented painter who goes by the name of Horkka works in a small art studio, mentored by a much more famous artist, Lysander. The latter is constantly busy or away, so Horkka gets tasked with taking over some of his less-important jobs: portraits commissioned by various people. Followed by Horkka’s sensitive gaze, a colourful array of characters settle down to pose. Horkka patiently listens to each of them until the portrait is done or – more often than not – the session gets interrupted. Will the portraits please their owners? Will they reflect the likeness?
Leena Krohn’s (b. 1947) writing forms an impressive body of work. She has developed her ideas from the visible and the invisible, from consciousness and self, death and life, reality and illusion, good and evil. Her sly humor and lucid language speak of our existence in very strange realms with courage and intelligence. One of the greatest visionaries in Finnish literature, Krohn’s works have been translated to over 20 languages.
Polar is a Hungarian publisher house whose list boasts a broad selection of Finnish literature. They are the Hungarian home of, among others, Beasts of the Sea by Iida Turpeinen, Suliko by Pirkko Saisio, and He Who Saw The Deep by Selja Ahava.
Congratulations to the author and the publisher!