Suliko by Pirkko Saisio has been nominated for the Runeberg Prize, the second largest and most prestigious award in Finland.
Pirkko Saisio‘s newest novel Suliko has been nominated for the Runeberg Prize.
Saisio, the author of the globally successful Helsinki Trilogy, has returned to the literary scene with Suliko, a lyrical and intense novel where a disillusioned dictator reflects on his life on a cold New Year’s Eve. The only thing that seems to bring him comfort is Suliko, a song from his youth that has become a leitmotif throughout his entire life. The novel slips into flashbacks, describing how his idealism turned into something completely different, and the events flash him by until he can hardly recognize himself.
Suliko is a raw, poetic portrayal of a dictator and a political era, and a show of strength from a world-famous author.
The Runeberg Prize is a a prestigious literary prize named after the Finnish national poet, Johan Ludvig Runeberg. It is one of the most important literary awards in Finland, second only to Finlandia Prize. The prize, worth 20,000 euros, is given out in two categories: fiction and children’s books. Previous winners included our very own Marja Kyllönen with The Undeparted, and before that to Marisha Rasi-Koskinen with REC and for children’s fiction to Karin Erlandsson with The Night Express.
Warm congratulations to the authors, and fingers crossed!