News

Edith Södergran’s biography The Starcatcher by Agneta Rahikainen is out in Danish with Turbine, and is being welcomed with warm praise.

The Weekendavisen newspaper has reviewed the book commenting:

“What stands out the most about Rahikainen’s biography is that she makes Södergran more of a person than a myth. By weaving her into a historical context consisting of wars, political unrest, and closing of national borders, and more concretely placing her in a half claustrophobic everyday life in increasingly smaller houses, that slowly are emptied of furniture and possessions because of poverty, she slowly comes to life for us.”

In this biography by Agneta Rahikainen, we follow a fascinating narration of Södergran’s life story, from her upbringing in St Petersburg, to her passion for photography and her debut as an author, and then the time in sanatoria and eventually the in Raivola, Carelia, leading up to her death. Edith Södergran’s life was exceedingly short, but eventful and marked by the unruly times she lived in: the last days of Tsarist Russia, the war, and the outbreak of tuberculosis of the early 1900s. Her poetry enjoyed worldwide appreciation, and was translated into 27 languages.

Agneta Rahikainen (1963) is a literary scholar and non-fiction author, who has written two more books about Södergran and, among others, a book about syphilis (Smittans rike: Om syfilis i konst, kultur och kropp) published by the Swedish publisher Natur&Kultur.

Turbine is a publishing house based in Aarhus, founded in 2004. With an impressive over 400 titles a year, they have quickly earned a spot among the leading publishing houses in Denmark, and they have previously published Edith Södergran’s poems in Danish.

Amazing news for non-fiction readers: Hurst has pre-empted the World English rights to professor Henrik Meinander‘s newest book Helsinki. Story of A City.

The title focuses on the history of Helsinki throughout the centuries, painting an interesting and detailed portrait of the Finnish capital and its evolution from a humble village to a Nordic metropolis.

Henrik Meinander (b. 1960) is professor of history at the University of Helsinki and the author of many acclaimed books on Finnish and Nordic history. He was formerly curator of the Mannerheim Museum in Helsinki and head of the Finnish Institute in Stockholm.

His literary production consists of high-quality historical non-fiction, with a special focus on Finland in the international scene. In Finland, his works are published by Schildts & Söderströms.

Hurst is a London-based publishing house with a focus on high-quality, ground-breaking non-fiction. They have previously published A History of Finland and Mannerheim Marshal of Finland: Life In Geopolitics.

Warm congratulations to the author and the publisher!

The Night Porter’s Rounds by Matias Riikonen is travelling to Germany, where it will be published by Karl Rauch.

Karl Rauch Verlag has acquired the German rights to The Night Porter’s Rounds (Iltavahtimestarin kierrokset) by Matias Riikonen, marking the first foreign deal for this title. Karl Rauch is already the German home of Matara, Riikonen’s award-winning fourth novel.

The Night Porter’s Rounds is based off of Riikonen’s own experience of walking by night in Helsinki along the same route for a couple of years. He is met with darkness, light, people from all walks of life, and the silent presence of the night sky.

Matias Riikonen (b. 1989) debuted with the novel The Gull with Four Wings (2012), which was a nominee for the Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize. His second novel Grand Fugue and prose notebook Orbit (2017) were Toisinkoinen award nominees and awarded the Kalevi Jäntti Prize. The Night Porter’s Rounds (2019) was a nominee for the Jarkko Laine Prize. Matara (2021) won the Jarkko Laine Prize, and has been sold to four language territories.

Karl Rauch Verlag is a literary house that prouds itself for publishing classics such as Don Quijote and The Little Prince in German, as well as modern fiction of high literary quality.

Congratulations to the author and the publisher!

Ellen Strömberg has been awarded the Grandberg-Sumelius Prize for No Beginning No End by the Society of Swedish Literature in Finland.

More happy news: author Ellen Strömberg has been awarded the Grandberg-Sumelius Prize by the Society of Swedish Literature in Finland for her latest novel, No Beginning No End. The jury have motivated their choice so:
“In the borderland between reality and the paranormal Strömberg puts together an elegant dramatic arc about boyhood, friendship, and the excitement of first love. Thematic depth of otherness, body shame, and grief are created with narrative lightness. The summer adventure in the archipelago stimulates the desire to read for both young and adult readers”.

In No Beginning No End Benjamin is fourteen and he’s been dragged along on his father’s work trip to the coast, where a team of archeologists is digging up local artefacts. It is their first summer after Benjamin’s mother’s death, and Benjamin is sad and lonely, until he meets Tristan Sandvik, a local and mysterious boy.

The two quickly develop a strong bond, but soon more mysteries pop up: what was the real purpose of the stone-lined labyrinths found on the island where Dad is researching? Why do the townspeople dislike Tristan and his family so much? And why does a portrait strikingly resembling Tristan date back to the 1800s?

Strömberg’s novel is a strong return to YA literature after the success of We’ll Just Ride Past, which won the August Prize in 2022 and has already travelled to six territories. This time, the author explores the themes of first love, self-acceptance, and loss in a humorous style and on the atmospheric background of a Nordic summer with touches of fantasy. In Finland Ellen Strömberg’s works are published by Schildts & Söderströms.

Warm congratulations to the author!

The English edition of Secret Gardeners by Lina Laurent & Maja Hurme (ill.), out with Pajama Press, has been turning heads and collecting enthusiastic reviews. This lovely title, which follows a group of children who start a no-dig garden in the city and solve a mystery on the side, has been featured in reviews on literature blogs and literature-related youth services from the English-speaking world.

The Massachussets-based Youth Services Book Review has reviewed the book stating: “With lovely illustrations and a magical blend of nonfiction and fictional mystery, this book is a winner!”
The US-based YA & Kids Books Central, considered one of the largest independent professional book recommendation sites, has commented: “Secret Gardeners is a multi-layered story about three children who help form and protect a community garden. […] The warm colored pencil-crayon illustrations are gorgeous. There is so much diversity shown on the pages, kids will have a fun time pointing things out.”
The prestigious US-based literary magazine Kirkus Reviews has called the book ” a nimble combination of mystery, activism, and gardening instruction.“
The Canada-based Storytime with Stephanie literature blog, specialised in quality literature for youth has enthusiastically reviewed Secret Gardeners as “part fiction, part non-fiction and the perfect story for readers who want to heal the Earth.”
The US-based literature magazine School Library Journal called the book “A solid introduction to gardening told through story and extremely well-presented facts. Highly recommended.”

With Secret Gardeners children learn about seeds, microbes, compost and bokashi, carbon sequestration in soil, harvesting and beekeeping – and about no-dig gardening. The book is designed for information-hungry children between 6 to 10 years of age, to be read with an adult who also is keen to take up city gardening. Written by journalist and beekeeper Lina Laurent, and illustrated by award-winning illustrator Maija Hurme, Secret Gardeners follows three friends – Luna, Bianca and Billy – who have discovered a secret garden hidden behind a rickety fence and an abandoned house. There, the children become urban farmers, with the help of Amy who seems to be planting seeds everywhere. Bringing the garden back to life, also the secret of the house starts to unravel.

The foreign rights have already been sold for English, Czech, Estonian, and Romanian.

Congratulations to the authors, and don’t miss out on this title!