News

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!

The Penelope series by Saara Kekäläinen & Reetta Niemensivu (ill.) continues in Latvia, as Latvijas Medij has acquired the rights to Penelope and the Curious Clothing Commotion (Penelope #3).

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. If she does not watch out, the knotted tights will bunch her in as well. Is there a gnome living in their house, one who nibbles a tissue sample off every sock and eats a sock from each pair? 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 humour.

Reetta Niemensivu is an illustrator known as the pencil and colour behind many well-loved and successful Finnish books for children.

Latvijas Medij is a Latvian publishing house with a broad selection of titles of all genres. They are the Latvian home of the Penelope series and of The Princess Who Did a Runner.

Congratulations to the authors and the publisher!