Iida Turpeinen and Antti Hurskainen are among the nominees for the title most likely to succeed outside Finland.
Iida Turpeinen‘s exceptional debut Beasts of the Sea has been nominated for the Torch-bearer prize.
The prize jury said about the book:
The history of an animal species that became mythical shortly after its discovery is told through extraordinary human destinies, and the melville-esque sea adventure is combined with a cautionary ecological tale and women’s academic history. Castaways and social circles are as fascinating oddities at the edge of the world as the animals they are looking for. The cosmopolitan protagonists of the debut novel, unique in its content, speak across boundaries of species and language.
Antti Hurskainen‘s stunning novel about faith, guilt and mercy, A Wooden Prayer is one of the six nominees of this prestigious prize.
The jury stated:
Hurskainen’s darkly beautiful book makes one wonder if anyone has the right or the ability to judge one another. The reader ends up examining their own values and choices through embarrassing moral considerations. The book raises questions about the justification of human action, the essence of grace and the order of importance of things. Contemplation of the fundamental quality of humanity and the necessity of reflection are universal.
The Torch-bearer Prize is a literature award given yearly for a title with most potential to succeed internationally. The winner will be announced on December 2nd at the Tampere Book Festival. Earlier winners on HLA’s list are Merja Mäki, Matias Riikonen, Marisha Rasi-Koskinen , Minna Rytisalo and Anni Kytömäki.