Author: Anastasia

Juhani Karila, the author of the wildest title on HLA’s autumn list Fishing for the Little Pike, received Kalevi Jäntti’s literary prize along with two other Finnish writers.

The jury stated:
“Karila’s magnificent novel is magic realism with a Lappish twist. The soul of this book lies in its language […] enchanting the reader. The story’s eco-philosophical view of life digs deep into the [nordic] landscape, and its description is Finnish prose at its best.“

Kalevi Jäntti’s prize is a literary prize given yearly to one or several young Finnish authors to encourage and promote Finnish literary fiction. The prize is worth 18,000 euros.

Fishing for the Little Pike was published in September 2019 and immediately gained an overwhelming attention from foreign publishers. World French rights were sold to La Peuplade even before the publication in Finland.

Congratulations to the author!

While waiting for the winners of the most important literary award of the year to be announced, we are thrilled to share that A Dog Called Cat Meets a Cat written by Tomi Kontio and illustrated by Elina Warsta has been chosen by the public as their favourite among all the nominees in the Finlandia Junior category.

In their comments, the readers have praised, among others, the importance of the topic and “a very touching storytelling”.

It is the fourth time that the Finnish Book Foundation organized public voting for readers’ favourite Finlandia nominee. 

We remind you that A Dog Called Cat Meets a Cat was nominated in the children’s and YA category for the most prestigious literary award, Finlandia Prize. The winner will be announced on the 27th of November.

Congratulations to the authors!

The Italian rights of Marcus Rosenlund’s State Award for Information Publication-winning The Weather that Changed the World have been sold to Garzanti in an auction. 

Garzanti, the publisher of such bestselling authors as Pier Paolo Pasolini, Truman Capote, Tim Marshall, Peter Wohlleben, Michelle Obama and others, will publish Rosenlund’s non-fiction as their Spring 2021 lead title. 

Garzanti stated the book will be a complementing their list that already has a strong focus on history, nature and climate, and that it will continue to draw focus of the public debate to important current issues linked with our history in a similar way as Tim Marshall has done in his works.

In addition to the Italian deal, The Weather that Changed the World has previously been sold to 4 more territories.

Congratulations to the author!

(Photo of the author by Cata Portin.)

We are continuing our creative literary interviews series with HLA’s writers! Mikko Rimminen, whose novel If It Looks Like It has just been nominated for the most prestigious literary award of the year, Finlandia Prize, talks about his most complicated yet equally lovable characters and the pleasures of an awarded writer. And of course, the entertaining questionnaire! Read the interview here.

(Photo: Stefan Bremer)