A Giraffe’s Heart Is Unbelievably Large, original edition
IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People) publishes every other year a list over remarkable children’s and YA literature. The IBBY Honour List gathers book from all over the world, since IBBY is active in 78 countries.
IBBY Finland has nominated 5 works, among which is A Giraffe’s Heart Is Unbelievably Large, running in the category of translation into Finnish, since the work is originally written in Swedish. The translator into Finnish is Outi Menna.
A Giraffe’s Heart is Unbelievably Large by Sofia & Amanda Chanfreau is a multi-awarded international best-seller for children: it won the Finlandia Prize in 2022, and was nominated for the Runeberg Prize the same year. After great success with both the Finnish and Swedish audience here in Finland, it has so far been acquired in 14 countries.
Warm congratulations to the authors (and the translator!) and don’t miss out on this title!
Ilja Karsikas was nominated for his book The Unicorn, a stunning narration of family life touching on the topic of alcoholism. The jury have motivated their choice as follows: “Despite the heavy subject matter, the book’s illustrations breathe and bring gentle comfort to the reader. The character of the unicorn is an impressive and memorable illustration.”
Sanna Mander was nominated for her book My Teeny-Tiny Witch, an amusing and visually bubbly work that offers a more forgiving view on difficult feelings we all experience, like anger and disappointment. The jury have motivated their choice as follows: “An apt portrayal of today’s family life after divorce. The character of the mother is wonderfully contemporary in her visual aesthetics.”
Warm congratulations to the authors, and don’t miss out on these titles!
The hot Finnish book of the autumn, Beasts of the Sea by Iida Turpeinen,has been awarded as the best debut of the year.
Beasts of the Sea by Iida Turpeinen has become the literary phenomenon of the autumn not only internationally with sales to 16 areas and offers on the table for 4 more, but also on its home turf, with nominations for Finland’s biggest literary award, the Finlandia Prize, and also the Torch-bearer Prize. The novel, published in September, has sold in Finland so far 10,000 copies in all formats.
Iida Turpeinen at the Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize award ceremony 16th November 2023. (Photo: Urpu Strellman)
Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize is an award worth 15,000 euros given to best debut of the year in all fiction genres. The jury motivated the choice as follows:
“The Steller’s sea cow, which became extinct in 1768, soon after its discovery, […] binds together [in the novel] a group of people from three different centuries. Turpeinen whittles a base of vast background information from the history of science into precision strikes depicting her characters’ most telling moments. At the same time, the novel brings the ecological ruptures and freefall of the entire world to the reader’s skin. The result will move you and have you holding your breath.
Beasts of the Sea (Elolliset, 2023)
As the title states [the Finnish title translates as ‘living creatures’], mankind needs to be seen as a part of Animalia, no better than other species. We know more than other living creatures, but still don’t often act according to that knowledge. From the perspective of natural history, no more than the blink of an eye has passed from the era of the sea cows, and now we ourselves are sowing destruction which in the next blink of an eye may put us next to the vanished species preserved in a museum.
Beasts of the Sea, which so beautifully portrays the vulnerability of its characters, does not leave us without hope. We see that life goes on, always slightly different. The past cannot be brought back, but museums and books will keep it alive. And at its best, a book sweeps its readers to live the past themselves, Turpeinen’s world-class novel does.”
Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize is given out by Finland’s largest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat. The jury consists of literary critics, journalists and the previous winner of the award: this year, Susanna Hast, who brought home the award in 2022 with her autotheoretical novel Body of Evidence.
The most recent foreign rights news of Beasts of the Sea are here.
Antti Hurskainen’s A Wooden Prayer will be travelling to Hungary, where it will be published by Polar.
A Wooden Prayer (Suntio, 2023)
A Wooden Prayer is the third novel by Antti Hurskainen, published this autumn to rave reviews. Just last week, it was nominated is for the Finlandia Prize, the largest and most prestigious literary award in Finland, and it is also a nominee for the Torch-bearer Prize, given to a work with most international potential.
The Hungarian publishing house Polar has become known for its quality list of Nordic fiction. From Finland, it has acquired several awarded works, including Pirkko Saisio’s Helsinki trilogy, Mikko Rimminen’s Red Nose Dayand If It Looks Like It, Anni Kytömäki’s Margarita, Selja Ahava‘s The Woman Who Loved Insects, Kari Hotakainen’s Storyand Lifeline, Minna Rytisalo’s Lempiand Iida Turpeinen’s Beasts of the Sea, and has thus become the stronghold of Finnish literary fiction in Hungary.
A Wooden Prayer is a story of faith, love and the consequences of your actions. Helsingin Sanomat newspaper has reviewed it as “a harsh novel that has little regard for curling into an armchair.”
A Wooden Prayer is Antti Hurskainen’s third novel. Hurskainen’s works often deal with the intersection between literature, popular culture, and religion.
Warm congratulations to the author, and don’t miss out on this title!
More amazing news for our children’s list: The Princess Who Did a Runner by Saara Kekäläinen and illustrated by Netta Lehtola, is travelling to Latvia, where it will be published by Latvijas Mediji. This marks the 5th deal for this witty, adorable title.
The Princess Who Did a Runner, original edition
The book follows Leona, a young princess who does a runner when she learns of the fate that awaits her: she must marry a prince in order to save her kingdom.
Leona jumps from one princess fairytale to the next in order to save herself from the age-old burdens of princesses that lurk around every corner – marriage and household chores. Along the way she meets many characters including a melancholic mirror, the species-changing Swanhilda, and princes with a penchant for glass shoes, menacing pouts, and rescue mission obsessions – not to mention seven adult men who are short of stature and don’t want to learn to clean and cook for themselves. The kind-hearted Leona helps everyone, but on her own terms. This princess refuses to be gentle, humble, and kind, just because that’s what’s expected of a fairytale princess!
The Princess Who Did A Runner is a picture book full of sharp humour that will even offer big children and adults plenty of food for thought. It was nominated for the Arvid Lydecken Award 2023.
