A grand novel about life and death by an award-winning storyteller.
Author: Anni Kytömäki
Finnish original: Mirabilis
Publisher: Gummerus, 2024
Number of pages: 688 pp.
Reading material: Finnish original, English sample, English synopsis
Rights sold: Danish, People’s; French, Rue de l’echiquier (optioned); Italian, Marsilio; Swedish, Norstedts
Set at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Mirabilis describes the transformation of the worldview when natural science shows that man is not, after all, the crown of creation. This powerful literary adventure takes us from the years of the Finnish famine, by sea to the mountains and wild forests of Amurland, and back to the ridge landscapes of Finland.
In Mirabilis, the fates of humans and animals intertwine with a thriller-like intensity. Through the stories of outsider mother and daughter the relationship between nature and man is explored in terms of domination, assimilation, corporeality and transformation through Kytömäki’s particular storytelling skills.
Kytömäki’s inimitable way of portraying people, animals, and their fates, is captivating. The result is world-class literature, where the magic of narration sinks into the depths of the mind and makes you look at the fragility and power of nature with new eyes.
“A magnificent grand novel that you won’t want to leave”
– Helsingin Sanomat newspaper
Also available:
Goldheart (2014)
Stone Weaver (2017)
Margarita (2020)
About the author:
Anni Kytömäki