A philosophical, essayistic trip to the borders of times and ideas
Author: Kari Hukkila
Finnish original: Tuhat ja yksi
Publisher: Teos, 2016
Genre: literary fiction
Number of pages: 212 pp
Reading material: Finnish original, full English translation, English synopsis
Rights sold: English, Contra Mundum Press; German, Droschl
A large birch tree falls on a cabin near the Russian border in eastern Finland. This throws the owner of the cabin, an author, off his tracks. Concentrating on the book he is writing becomes impossible, and he takes up an invitation to travel to see his old friend in Rome. There he soon finds himself entangled in other stories.
In One Thousand & One, Scheherazade’s survival by continuing to tell stories is reimagined as survival by continuing to think: this is an attempt to respond to catastrophes, both natural and man-made. Throughout the novel, it is shown by a cornucopia of microhistories, digressions, and a broad gallery of characters ranging from the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein to an Ethiopian refugee in Rome. Kari Hukkila’s musical, meandering, thought-provoking prose is full of savage, ironic, and luminous humour, remaining uncompromisingly alive until the final sentence.
“One Thousand & One is one of the best novels of recent years for many reasons. It deals with topical questions such as homeless ness, refugees, and internationality; it is philosophically engaging, ranging from Georg Henrik von Wright to Wittgenstein, and it is written in taut, lucid prose […]. All in all, One Thousand & One is an excellent novel.”–Helmet Literature Prize statement
“One Thousand & One is at once a deep dive into the internal maelstrom of the mind and out into the world, to Europe. […] A fascinating read.” – Turun Sanomat Newspaper
About the author:
Kari Hukkila