News

Host has acquired the Czech rights to A Dangerous Dream by Miila Westin, thus continuing The Mythicals series.

The Mythicals series is continuing for Czech readers: Host has acquired the rights to A Dangerous Dream (The Mythicals #2) by Miila Westin. The Mythicals series is a graphic novel series that beautifully blends together Finnish mythology, adventure, and stunning illustrations. In Finland the series is published by Kustantamo S&S.

In A Dangerous Dream (Mythicals #2) Eevi is lonely: after their successful adventure, none of her friends has been in touch, and no one believed her when she explained what happened. Then, one night Otso comes knocking at her window and asking for her help. His sister is sick, and Eevi’s necklace could be the key to saving her, so she goes along. But why does Eevi keep having scary dreams? And are they really just dreams?

Host is the Czech home of many Finnish titles, including our very own A Giraffe’s Heart Is Unbelievably Large for the children’s list and Pirkko Saisio’s Helsinki Trilogy and Juhani Karila’s Fishing For the Little Pike for adults’ fiction.

Warm congratulations to the author and the publisher!

Runeberg winner Suliko by Pirkko Saisio is travelling to Estonia, where it will be published by Postimees.

Suliko by Pirkko Saisio, the winner of this year’s prestigious Runeberg Prize, is continuing its journey out into the world and is now travelling to Estonia, where it will be published by Postimees. This is the third foreign deal for this title.

Suliko is a lyrical and intense novel where a disillusioned dictator reflects on his life on a cold New Year’s Eve. The only thing that seems to bring him comfort is Suliko, a song from his youth that has become a leitmotif throughout his entire life. The novel slips into flashbacks, describing how his idealism turned into something completely different, and the events flash him by until he can hardly recognize himself. In Finland Suliko is published by Siltala.

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 plays. Her The Red Book of Farewells (Helsinki Trilogy #3) and Passion have recently been included in the Readers’ and Critics’ Selections of the 100 Best Books from Finland.

Postimees is one of Estonia’s leading publishing houses, with a list ranging from non-fiction to literary and commercial fiction, and children’s literature. They are the Estonian publisher of, among others, Julia Quinn, Anthony Gottlieb, Douglas Stuart, and John Irving.

Congratulations to the author and the publisher!

Author Niillas Holmberg has been nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize for the Sami language area.

Author Niillas Holmberg is running for the Nordic Council Literature Prize with his novel Goatnelle, representing the Sami language area. The Nordic Council Literature Prize is a prestigious yearly award founded in 1962 and aiming at fostering interest in the literature and the language of Nordic countries. This is the third nomination for Holmberg.

The novel follows the figure of Halla Helle, a Sami artist who is also at the centre of Holmberg’s novel Halla Helle (Gummerus 2021).

Niillas Holmberg (b. 1990) is a Sámi poet, musician, actor, and cultural and environmental activist living in his native Utsjoki in Lapland. He combines spoken word with singing and joik, traditional chanting, and performs his work with various bands. His poetry collection Lest the Weird Become Weirder (Amas amas amasmuvvat, 2014) was awarded the Saami Council’s Prize for Literature and was shortlisted for the Nordic Council Literature Prize. Also his latest collection Underfoot (Juolgevuod¯d¯u, 2019) was nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize and has travelled to Estonia and Germany.

Congratulations to the author!

The Day The Whale Swam Through London by Selja Ahava is travelling to Poland, where it will be published by

Selja Ahava‘s debut The Day The Whale Swam Through London is continuing its journey out into the world and is now travelling to Poland, where it will be published by Relacja.

The Day The Whale Swam Through London tells the story of Anna, and of her memory disorders, using magical realism, fantasy and even gentle comedy. To Anna, however, losing her memories is a daily tragedy. Bravely and with determination she still tries to reach her own essence and humanity, the ability to live with others. Anna looks with wonder at the countless pieces of which her life consists, taking them in one at a time.

Selja Ahava has established herself as a prominent literary voice in the Finnish scene: her Things That Fall From The Sky won the EU Literature Prize and was sold to 17 territories, and her production is read with enthusiasm in Finland, where her work are published by Gummerus.

Relacja is an established Polish publisher whose list includes Joan Didion, Marta Dzido, Sabina Jakubowska, and Jessica McDiarmid.

Congratulations to the author and the publisher!

The Finnish Cultural Foundation has awarded Pirkko Saisio for her artistic career. The Foundation presents three awards on a yearly basis in the fields of science, research, art and culture.

This year’s winners are soprano Iris Candelaria, professor Petri Toiviainen, and author Pirkko Saisio. Each of the awards is worth 40 000 euros. The Foundation have motivated their choice as follows:
“Author and director Pirkko Saisio (b. 1949) is a favourite among readers and critics of many generations. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of Saisio’s debut novel, Elämänmeno (English translation Lowest Common Denominator published in 2024). […] perhaps the most fundamental part of Saisio’s art is the theme that runs through her work, describing a person’s endless loneliness and feeling of being different in their family, their country, their culture and in the history of the world as a whole.  As well as being a writer, Pirkko Saisio is an active spokesperson for cultural issues. She was an LGBTQ activist long before homosexuality was talked about in the public sphere, or even depicted in art to any significant degree.“

Pirkko Saisio (b.1949) is an author in a league of her own on the Finnish literary scene: with a production ranging from plays to novellas, to historical novels, and autofiction. Saisio has now reached a stage in her career where she has established herself as a modern classic in a way that is unique in the Finnish literary scene: her early works are enjoying global success, and her more recent works continue to speak to several generations, making her production timeless. Saisio’s Helsinki Trilogy is now a part of world literature and made Saisio the first contemporary Finnish author whose production will be included in the Penguin Modern Classics. In Finland, her works are published by Siltala.

Warmest congratulations to Saisio!