The Finnish Cultural Foundation has awarded Pirkko Saisio for her artistic career. The Foundation presents three awards on a yearly basis in the fields of science, research, art and culture.
This year’s winners are soprano Iris Candelaria, professor Petri Toiviainen, and author Pirkko Saisio. Each of the awards is worth 40 000 euros. The Foundation have motivated their choice as follows:
“Author and director Pirkko Saisio (b. 1949) is a favourite among readers and critics of many generations. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of Saisio’s debut novel, Elämänmeno (English translation Lowest Common Denominator published in 2024). […] perhaps the most fundamental part of Saisio’s art is the theme that runs through her work, describing a person’s endless loneliness and feeling of being different in their family, their country, their culture and in the history of the world as a whole. As well as being a writer, Pirkko Saisio is an active spokesperson for cultural issues. She was an LGBTQ activist long before homosexuality was talked about in the public sphere, or even depicted in art to any significant degree.“
Pirkko Saisio (b.1949) is an author in a league of her own on the Finnish literary scene: with a production ranging from plays to novellas, to historical novels, and autofiction. Saisio has now reached a stage in her career where she has established herself as a modern classic in a way that is unique in the Finnish literary scene: her early works are enjoying global success, and her more recent works continue to speak to several generations, making her production timeless. Saisio’s Helsinki Trilogy is now a part of world literature and made Saisio the first contemporary Finnish author whose production will be included in the Penguin Modern Classics. In Finland, her works are published by Siltala.
Warmest congratulations to Saisio!