Author: Chiara Stanziani

Penelope and the Curious Clothing Commotion by Saara Kekäläinen & Reetta Niemensivu has been awarded the Limmi Literature Prize.

Little Penelope and her adventures continue to charm readers and critics: Penelope and the Curious Clothing Commotion (Penelope #3) has been awarded the Limmi Literature Prize.

The Limmi Literature Prize is being awarded for the first time in 2025: founded in connection with the Limmi Literature Festival in Liminka, the prize is awarded on a yearly basis to a Finnish illustrated children’s books. A jury of adults picks a selection of books from which a winner is picked by children themselves.

In Penelope and the Curious Clothing Commotion Penelope is learning to get dressed by herself, but she has a sneaking suspicion that the clothes have it in for her. What if Penelope gets lost inside her clothes and pops out of a sleeve and into the wrong story? Or accidentally puts on Dad’s shirt and has to shave and go to work every morning?

Penelope is a little girl with a penchant for finding adventure in ordinary tasks. Before learning to get dressed, she had to make her peace with a dangerous-looking morning porridge in Penelope and the Perilous Porridge, and learnt what happens to children’s teeth when they start shaking in Penelope and the Big Baby Tooth Ballyhoo.

Saara Kekäläinen is an author known of her witty and anarchistic themes handled with abundant humor.
Reetta Niemensivu is an illustrator known as the pencil and colour behind many well-loved and successful Finnish books for children.

Congratulations to the authors!

The Czech edition of Passion by Pirkko Saisio, in translation by Michal Švec and published by Host, is running for the Magnesia Litera Award, the most important prize on the Czech literary scene.

More fantastic news for Pirkko Saisio: her novel Passion, in translation by Michal Švec and published by Host, is running for the Magnesia Litera Award, the most important prize on the Czech literary scene.

The jury have stated: “A novel about life, passion, suffering, search and redemption, covering almost five hundred years of European history from the Renaissance to the 1950s. It presents a colourful kaleidoscope of cultures, religions and human stories that are often filled with violence and despair, but the overall tone of the work is not bleak. Even in the darkest of circumstances, there is often a glimmer of hope. The story’s vehicle is a fateful gold jewel with precious stones, which constantly changes form and owner on its journey through Europe. But nothing lasts, not faith, not success, not gold, not power.
The translator handles the multi-layered, opulent language of the original and the wide range of characters of different nationalities, creeds and occupations with an ease and simplicity that engages the reader. Historical eras and locations alternate, but the translation is just as surely set in a mirror workshop on the Italian island of Murano, a Polish Catholic monastery near Krakow, or a Soviet gulag, and skillfully reflects the language of that particular religious and professional group.“

Passion opens on the dawn of the 16th century. Dominican friar Girolamo Savonarola has been hanged and burned at the stake at the Piazza della Signoria. The fanatical ascetic nightmare has ended, Florence has been resurrected, and Princess Vasari can once again dress according to her rank and adorn herself in the extravagant necklace her husband has given her. There is more to the jewel than whats meets the eye, and it is the red thread that ties together the fates of different people across Europe, and across 500 years. The result is a color-saturated, Tarkovskian chronicle of Europe centered on life’s purpose and the search for meaning, circling around the necklace. The novel was nominated for Finland’s biggest literary award, the Finlandia Prize, upon its release and it sold almost 30.000 copies in less than six months. Passion was also recently included in the Readers’ and Critics’ Selections of the 100 Best Books from Finland.

Pirkko Saisio is the author of  the globally successful Helsinki Trilogy, and the great dame of Finnish literature, with a production ranging from novels, to librettos, plays, and autofiction.

Congratulations to the author, the translator, and the publisher – and fingers crossed!

Fischer Sauerländer has acquired the German rights to The Skeleton by Malin Klingenberg & Maria Sann (ill.)

The Skeleton by Malin Klingenberg & Maria Sann (ill.) continues to charm international publishers: Fischer Sauerländer has acquired the German rights, marking the fourth foreign deal for this title.

The Skeleton tells the story of Teo, a young boy who is very afraid of skeletons and runs into one at a Halloween party. As a result, he runs in the opposite direction and falls, only to end up in hospital with a broken bone and the horrible news that there is a skeleton inside of him too. It is the premise of a witty, funny story about overcoming fears, growing up, and recovering from injuries.

Malin Klingenberg is an established Swedish-speaking Finnish authors, whose work has travelled to several territories. Illustrator Maria Sann made her debut in 2019 and has been receiving glowing reviews for her work since. This is their second collaboration.

The Skeleton has also been sold for Latvian, Korean and World Dutch, and it is published in Finland by Schildts & Söderströms.

Congratulations to the authors and the publisher!

Hayat Publishing has acquired the Arabic rights to Nostalgia by Antto Vihma.

Readers of Arabic are in for a treat: Nostalgia by Antto Vihma will be published in Arabic by Hayat Publishing, marking the first foreign language territory for this title.

In Nostalgia Vihma, research professor and columnist, explores why hundreds of millions of people in Western countries believe life was better fifty years ago, and national politics increasingly look to a recent or distant past that never existed. He calls this phenomenon a “global nostalgia epidemic” and dives into why nostalgia has become not only a core sentiment in our societies but also an unpredictable political force. Nostalgia received the State Award for Public Information, one of the most important accolades for nonfiction in Finland, in 2022. In Finland Nostalgia is published by Teos.

Antto Vihma (b. 1978) works as a research professor at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. He is widely published in international scientific journals, including International Affairs, Geopolitics, and Contributions to the History of Concepts. Vihma co-authored the highly praised nonfiction piece Post-Truth: Media Survival Strategies in the Age of Bullshit and Algorithms (2018). He is also a columnist for the weekly magazine Suomen Kuvalehti.

Hayat Publishing is an independent publisher based in Jeddah specialising in translated literature, anthropology, social sciences, and psychology.

Warm congratulations to the author and the publisher!

HarperCollins has pre-empted the World French rights to the Maja from Stormskär series by Anni Blomqvist. This is the second foreign deal for this title.

Amazing news: HarperCollins has pre-empted the World French rights to the Maja from Stormskär series by Anni Blomqvist, in a five-book deal, marking the second foreign language territory for this series.

The Maja from Stormskär series follows Maja, a young girl from Åland Island, for over 50 years. Her life is forever changed when Janne, a fisherman’s son, asks for her hand in marriage despite barely knowing her. Young Maja is set to start a new life on the remote Stormskerry and grows into a strong woman capable of dealing with both the good and the bad that life throws at her. A coming-of-age story, a portrayal of wild nature and hard work, and a love story beautifully weaved together, the series consists of five volumes.

The Maja from Stormskär series, originally published between 1968 and 1973, is an established Swedish-language modern classic. It rose to new fame in 2024, when it was adapted into a spectacularly successful movie with the same name which became the most watched movie of the year in the Nordics. The new edition, out with Schildts & Söderströms, was a hit and sold almost 10.000 copies in less than a year.

Anni Blomqvist (1909–1990) was born on Vårdö, northeast of the Isle of Åland, where she lived her entire life. She debuted in 1966 and after the success with the books about Maja from Stormskär (1968-1973) Blomqvist wrote several critically acclaimed novels and an autobiographical work about life in the archipelago, past and present.

HarperCollins Publishers is the second largest book publisher in the world with operations in 17 countries. HarperCollins France was founded in 2016 and is made up of several imprints across all genres.

The acquiring editor Marine Alata stated: “Maja [from Stormskär] is more than just a novel; it’s a deeply human story about love, grief and survival. The protagonist’s journey, shaped by both the wild elements and the weight of personal loss, resonates in a way that feels both timeless and universal. I believe Maja would find a devoted readership in the French market. There’s a growing appreciation for intimate, atmospheric novels that explore the inner lives of women with such emotional depth.

The Maja from Stormskär series will be included in the “Au gré du monde” collection, launched a couple of years ago including the works of Anne Jacobs, Katarina Widholm, and Abi Daré, a collection of foreign fiction that publishes family sagas, historical and book club women’s fiction with strong, powerful heroines who struggle against the traditions and the obligations imposed on women in their times. The collection offers the readers a chance to escape across borders and eras.

Warmest congratulations to the publisher!