Translator Sébastien Cagnoli has been awarded the Finnish State Award for Foreign Translators for his translations of quality Finnish literature into French. The Ministry of Education and Culture awards the Finnish State Award for Foreign Translators annually on the proposal of the Finnish Literature Exchange (FILI). The prize has been awarded since 1975 and is considered the highest recognition awarded to translators in Finland.
Minister of Science and Culture Mari-Leena Talvitie, who presented the award, has stated: “The Finnish State Award for Foreign Translators is a unique way to highlight translators who make Finnish literature known in different countries. I am particularly delighted that Sébastien Cagnoli has also translated a lot of Finnish poetry into French. Translating poetry is a skill in itself, and I greatly appreciate the fact that Finnish poetry is gaining more readers around the world.”
Cagnoli has translated into French, among other titles, Ann-Christin Antell‘s Cotton Mill Trilogy, Niillas Holmberg‘s Halla Helle, Antti Rönkä‘s Off The Ground, Pirkko Saisio‘s Helsinki Trilogy, and Iida Turpeinen‘s Beasts of the Sea.
Warmest congratulations!