Loukko by 
Last week author Emmi Itäranta attended the prestigious annual Arthur C. Clarke Awards recognizing the year’s best science fiction novel published in the UK. One of six authors shortlisted for the prize, Itäranta was nominated for her speculative fiction debut, Memory of Water (Teos 2012), published by Harper Voyager.
The ceremony was held in the Foyles flagship store in London. It was attended by authors, publishers, academics and readers. Emily St. John Mandel was named the winner for her novel, Station Eleven.
In his speech, award director Tom Hunter said:
“It’s important to remember that prizes like the Clarke Award are first and foremost celebrations. We celebrate new books and new writers, but most of all we celebrate alongside all the readers and lovers of stories who are given a unique invitation to encounter something new, something strange and something wonderful whenever a new shortlist is announced. The love of books and the sharing of stories is the true legacy we should aim to create.”
Chair of the judges Andrew M. Butler said of Itäranta:
“Emmi Itäranta’s Memory of Water takes us to several generations after some kind of disaster, where water has become scarce, and the protagonist’s father is a tea master, gifted with extra water, but under the constant suspicious eyes of an occupying force. Noria Kaitio looks likely to succeed her father, despite being a woman, but secrets, both of her parents and the half-forgotten pre-apocalypse put her at risk. The judges praised the “Beautiful writing” and “The strength of the relationship” at the heart of the novel. It is “intensely focused, narrow-ranging, almost flawless on its own terms.”
Itäranta’s follow-up, The City of Woven Streets, will be published in the U.S and UK in 2016.
RIGHTS SOLD: MEMORY OF WATER
Original publisher: FINLAND, Teos
WORLD ENGLISH, HarperCollins (2-book deal)
ARABIC, Dar Al Muna
BRAZIL, Record (2-book-deal)
BULGARIA, Perseus
CZECH, Albatros Media/Plus
DENMARK, Turbine
ESTONIA, Koolibri
FRANCE, Place des Editeurs (2-book deal)
GEORGIA, Palitra L Publishing
GERMANY, DTV/Reihe Hanser
HUNGARY, Metropolis Media (2-book deal)
ITALY, Sperling & Kupfer
JAPAN, Nishimura Shoten (2-book deal)
KOREA, The Book in My Life
NORWAY, Gresvik Forlag
SPAIN, Ediciones B.
TURKEY, Dogan Egmont
RIGHTS SOLD: THE CITY OF WOVEN STREETS
WORLD ENGLISH: HarperCollins
BRAZIL: Record
FRANCE, Place des Editeurs
HUNGARY: Metropolis Media
JAPAN: Nishimura Shoten
Reading material:
Memory of Water
English edition
German edition
Spanish edition
The City of Woven Streets
English sample
Contact: info@ahlbackagency.com
