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!