Author: Anastasia

Piia Leino’s dystopian novel HEAVEN set in year 2058 has won the European Union Literary Prize. The novel was published by Kustantamo S&S in 2018.

The board describes HEAVEN as a timely, strong vision about the short-sighted choices made in consumer societies. Leino has knit the oppressive future world together with finesse and credibility.

The novel takes place in Helsinki, a city state, former capital of Finland, in 2058. Society has collapsed after a civil war, and an authoritarian nationalist movement called Light has seized the power. Political dissidents have fled to the North. All borders are closed and contact with the outside world is non-existent.

Read more about the novel and the author here. Congratulations to the author!

(Photo: Mikko Rasila)

We are continuing our creative literary interviews series with HLA’s writers! This time it’s the queen of crime Eva Frantz – the winner of The Best Crime Novel of the year 2018 and the Runeberg Junior Award 2019.

Find out here how the unconventional police detective Anna Glad was born, what are children’s reactions to a horror and crime novel for the middle-graders, and what is the best time in the day to think murders and mystery! And of course, the cherry on the cake – the entertaining questionnaire!

We at HLA have decided to celebrate our wonderful writers and their books with creative literary interviews. Short, interesting and entertaining – a perfect match to your morning coffee or a metro ride home. We will publish 1–2 interviews a month. The series is opened by the sophisticated Niina Miettinen: find out here how the characters of her novel Wild Rosemary were born, what book is the hardest to write, and what is Niina’s favourite curse word.

Minna Rytisalo’s bestselling novel Mrs C. won the Torch-Bearer Prize 2019. The chairman of the jury, popular children’s and youth literature author Timo Parvela, stated: 

“Mrs. C. is a story about a strong, exceptional woman, and it remains as powerful even when the reader is not aware of Minna Canth as a historical person. Canth is not famous world-wide, and she does not have to be; the novel is a portrayal of a very special marriage and person, beautifully written as it is. I strongly believe the feeling can be conveyed through translation, too.”  

The Torch-Bearer Prize is given yearly to a title with most potential to succeed outside Finland. Mrs. C., indeed a bestseller in Finland, has recently also won the Book of the Year in Bonnier’s competition for Grand Journalism Prize, and was nominated for the Lapland Literature Prize. Read more about the book here.  

Rytisalo’s debut Lempi, also a huge success, has won numerous awards and has been recently shortlisted as the favourite book by the German-speaking booksellers in Switzerland! The book is translated by Elina Kritzokat and published by Hanser. More about Lempi here. 

Congratulations to the author!

(Photo: Eriika Ahopelto, Aamulehti)

Minna Rytisalo’s bestselling novel Mrs C. won Book of the Year in Bonnier’s competition for Grand Journalism Prize. The jury stated:

“Mrs Canth, a teacher’s wife, lives through a marriage which grows to be happy and in which the wife and the husband work together for the things that matter to them. The support of her encouraging soul mate carries Mrs C. even when she needs to continue the work on her own. Being a pioneer and putting herself at stake doesn’t take much but everything.  The awe-inspiring novel opens a window to the private life of a historical figure.”

The novel, indeed a bestseller in Finland, has also been nominated for the Torch-bearer Prize, given to the novel with most potential to succeed abroad, and the Lapland Literature Prize. Read more about the book here.

Rytisalo’s debut Lempi, also a huge success, has won numerous awards and been successful also in Germany, published there by Hanser. More about Lempi here.

Congratulations to the author!