Author: Chiara Stanziani

The Cotton Mill Trilogy by Ann-Christin Antell continues to steal hearts: this wildly popular series has now sold 200.000 copies in Finland.

The Cotton Mill Trilogy is the perfect mix of history, entertainment, social justice, and romance. The trilogy starts in the late 1800s in Turku with The Shadow of the Cotton Mill, following young widow Jenny Malmström. Jenny is kind, strong-headed, and determined to do whatever she can to improve the workers’ conditions at the local cotton mill. Until one day she meets Fredrik, the cotton mill owner’s son, and things become infinitely more complicated as the two are drawn to each other: should Jenny follow her head, or her heart?

In Heir to the Cotton Mill, Martta, Jenny’s foster daughter, returns to Turku after studying in Stockholm for years. She finds the city profoundly changed, and so is she: born to a working class family who lived in poverty, Martta has now become part of a wealthy and powerful family, and she struggles to find her place in the world and her social identity. To make matters even more complicated, she meets her childhood friend Juho after many years, and is drawn to him. At the same time she is also introduced to the dandy Robert, who welcomes her into the Turku social circles, and is attracted to him, too. Troubles lie ahead but thankfully a happy ending is in the cards.

The trilogy peaks in Rival to the Cotton Mill, in which readers follow Paula, Martta’s daughter. It is the Roaring Twenties, and Paula is a modern woman: she drives a car, attends parties, and has an important role in the family business. One day news come that a rival business owner is planning on buying the cotton mill, effectively acquiring everything Paula’s family has built in generations. Paula is furious, but when she meets the young Rikhard Falke she finds herself irresistibly drawn to him, and it seems history is repeating itself.

The rights to the The Cotton Mill Trilogy, published in Finland by Gummerus, have already been sold for Danish, Dutch, French, Icelandic, and Swedish.

Ann-Christin Antell (b. 1973) studied history and archaeology and worked as a librarian before embarking on her career as an author. Her debut novel The Shadow of the Cotton Mill (2021) climbed to the top of the Finnish bestseller lists, as did its sequel, Heir to the Cotton Mill (2022). The final installment in the Cotton Mill series, A Rival for the Cotton Mill, is scheduled for 2023.

Congratulations to the author and the publisher!

The Silver Locket by Eppu Nuotio, the second instalment in the Raakel Oksa Sets It Right series, is travelling to Latvia, where it will be published by Zvaigzne.

The Silver Locket (Raakel Oksa Sets It Right #2) by Eppu Nuotio is travelling to Latvia, where it will be published by Zvaigzne.

In The Silver Locket, Raakel Oksa, a self-employed carpenter with a sharp eye for people’s life stories, is hired to renovate the apartment of a lonely lady recently deceased, Kaarina, who had been hoarding all sorts of stuff in her apartment. Little by little it is revealed that Karina’s life had taken a dramatic turn in the summer of 1975, when she was involved in a complex relationship triangle with a tragic outcome.

The Raakel Oksa Sets It Right series is a balanced mix of cozy crime and feel-good: Raakel’s work takes her on the trail of mysteries that are never too violent or bloody, while still leaving the reader eagerly waiting for the final resolution. Raakel’s own private and love life are often mirrored in the cases she investigates, and acts as backdrop. The series began with The Buttercup Dress, followed by The Silver Locket, and by Longplay.

Eppu Nuotio is a well-known Finnish author, actor, teacher, translator, director, and playwright. Nuotio’s extensive body of work includes novels, children’s books, radio plays, plays, and television scripts.

Zvaigzne is a Latvian publishing house with a broad list consisting of children’s books, fiction, and non-fiction. They are the Latvian publisher of, among others, Camilla Läckberg, Stephen King, and Nino Haratischwili.

Congratulations to the author and the publisher!

Anni Kytömäki’s Finlandia Prize-winning title Margarita is travelling to France, where it will be published by Rue de l’echiquier.

Anni Kytömäki‘s works continue their journey out into the world: Rue de l’echiquier in France has acquired Margarita.

Margarita won the Finlandia Prize in 2020, and is an acclaimed readers’ favourite, having sold over 90.000 copies in Finland. Anni Kytömäki‘s production is in the spotlight as her new novel, Mirabilis, has established itself as a literary sensation in Finland and on the foreign literary scene: the book sold 5.000 copies in just two weeks, and was pre-empted by Norstedts in Sweden and People’s in Denmark.

Margarita follows Senni, a young woman working as a physiotherapist in a spa facility in post-war Finland. Her father died during the war, and she dreams of fjords and adventures, but a rainy night changes everything.

Margarita also follows Mikko, a soldier returning to the front after a time in hospital. He will never return from the war, but his fate is more complicated than one might think. Antti is in turn examining woods in Karelia, deciding which will be razed and which will be saved. The fates of the three characters intertwine in unexpected ways, and the novel reflects on the relationship between humans and nature.

Anni Kytömäki is one of Finland’s best-loved authors. Her works are characterised by a strong natural element, unconventional female characters, and an enchanting prose. Her latest novel Mirabilis is a wonderful success, and her previous works Goldheart and Stone Weaver have been received with warm praise. Her works are published in Finland by Gummerus.

Rue de l’echiquier is an independent publisher based in Paris. Their list has a special focus on nature and the environment, and they have previously published Kytömäki’s Goldheart with a very warm reception, and are invested in continuing with the author’s production.

Congratulations to the author and the publisher!

12.12. 10:00 EET | Siltala Publishing

Publishing company Siltala has launched a new imprint called Orava Books, which will focus on high-quality children’s titles. Minna Castrén, a publishing professional with many years of experience in the industry, has been appointed as Publisher.

The newcomer to the Finnish literature scene will publish books for readers aged 0–12, including fiction and non-fiction, illustrated children’s novels, picture books and children’s poems. The list will consist of approximately 10–12 domestic and translated new titles per year. First titles are due to be released in Autumn 2025. 

“Orava Books publishes works that bring joy, the richness of language, and imagination to children’s lives. Children’s books are the future of literature and reading. We will invest in building it in cooperation with writers, illustrators and other partners. I can’t imagine a more meaningful and important mission”, says publisher Minna Castrén.

Castrén has previously worked as the Publishing Director of General Publishing and the Editorial Director of Children’s Literature among other roles at the Otava Publishing Company. She also has numerous board positions in the field of literature and culture, including FILI – Finnish Literary Exchange and Finnish PEN.

The logo and visual look of Orava (Squirrel) Books is created by award-winning graphic designer, illustrator and cartoonist Ville Tietäväinen.

Siltala Publishing, founded in 2008, is an independent Finnish publisher of literary fiction and non-fiction. In the spring 2024, it acquired Teos Publishers, one of the leading Finnish publishers specializing in quality literary fiction and non-fiction. The addition of Orava Books imprint will naturally expand the partnership, helping Siltala Publishing to become an even more important player in the Finnish literary landscape.

For more info and contact:

Minna Castrén, Publisher, Orava Books, +358 50 5286718 minna.castren@oravakirjat.fi

Siltala Publishing, Teos and now Orava Books are partners at the Helsinki Literary Agency. The agency represents a wide range of prominent, award-winning authors writing both in Finnish and Swedish.

The German rights to One Thousand and One by Kari Hukkila have been acquired by Droschl, marking the second foreign deal for this philosophical title.

One Thousand and One by Kari Hukkila is travelling to the German-speaking world, where it will be published by Droschl.

One Thousand and One is a philosophical novel about telling stories, and how they intertwine: a writer is distracted from his manuscript by a tree falling on his cabin, and decides to accept a friend’s invitation to visit him in Rome. From there, different stories unravel: Scheherazade’s survival by continuing to tell stories is reimagined as survival by continuing to think. Kari Hukkila’s musical, meandering, thought-provoking prose is full of savage, ironic, and luminous humor, remaining uncompromisingly alive until the final sentence.

Kari Hukkila is an author, dramaturg and essayist, and won the Helmet Prize with One Thousand and One, his debut novel, published in Finland by Teos. One Thousand and One is out in English with Contra Mundum Press.

Droschl is an Austrian publishing house specialized in philosophy and contemporary literature. They are the Austrian home of, among others, Lydia Davis and László Garaczi.

Congratulations to the author and the publisher!