Katri Lipson
Katri Lipson (b. 1965) is a medical doctor who has always been writing something: fairytales, short stories, poems, plays, novels. Her forthcoming novel takes place in Czechoslovakia during three turning points in that nation’s history. The book is due to be published in 2012.
Praises:
”Katri Lipson writes polished, clean prose: poetic but elegant; rugged but beautiful.” – Mari Heikkilä, MediUutiset 2009/17
”Finland’s most significant recent literary surprise — Cosmonaut is as exuberant as the Russian Classics and as fresh as the buzz from undiluted vodka.” – Merja Määttänen, Sara 2009/1
“Katri Lipson writes beautifully about shattered dreams and crushing sorrow, but deftly avoids sappiness. The Cosmonaut is a charming, nostalgic book and a promising show of talent from a debuting novelist.” – Ulla Janhonen, Anna 20.11.2008
Written by Katri Lipson
Cosmonaut
An enchanting novel about the fragility of dreams.
Svetlana Kovalevna is a music teacher who is mercilessly bullied at her job. However, there has been one ray of sunshine in her working life: Serjoza, a shy boy who was secretly head over heels in love with her. Sasha was the only one who knew. Sasha with whom Serjoza lay in the snow looking at the night sky, dreaming of becoming cosmonauts, the same Sasha whom Serjoza’s dowdy mother always called when her son was giving her grief. Serjoza’s father was useless after all, and eventually froze to death in the snow while out drinking. Now things seem to take a turn for the better when an old documentary arouses the sympathies of the Kremlin and the rest of the world for the would-be cosmonaut. But where is Serjoza?
Lipson writes like the Russian Classics at their best. The reader finds herself in the middle of Murmansk in the 1980s, experiencing its scents, its colours, and its way of speaking. The reader feels immediately at home, regardless of whether he or she has actually been there or whether the sense of nostalgia is really familiar to him: he feels ashamed about the mottled wallpaper in his rental flat, and burns his palm on a hot glass of tea. And finds relief.
Winner of the Helsingin Sanomat Literary Prize and nominee for the Finlandia Prize for 2008.
Praises:
”Cosmonaut is without a doubt one of last fall’s best novels: stirring, surprising, and well- structured. It’s a story you have to read and experience. I felt like this debuting novelist was handing the reader a fine gift.” – Leena-Maija Tuominen, Eläkkeensaaja 1/2009
”It’s strange that a gem like the Cosmonaut slipped through the fingers of quite a few publishers before it fortunately caught on Tammi’s sieve.” – Hannele Salminen, KirjaIN 2009/1
“Cosmonaut is a unique novel, and Katri Lipson is an exceptionally talented writer.” – Pirjo Paloranta, Etelä-Saimaa 1.12.2008
“Cosmonaut is an impressive portrayal of the boundaries of human possibility.” – Anelma Järvenpää-Summanen, Maaseudun Tulevaisuus, 2.1.2009
”Cosmonaut is a disciplined novel with the same kind of perfection as the Soviet team’s performance in a 1980s international hockey game. Lipson draws from our neighbouring country’s literature almost to the point of pastiche. The novel creates the seemingly impossible: the ethos of the great Russian Classics.” –From the deliberations of the jury for the Finlandia Prize 13.11.2008
“The experience of frustration is one of the core subjects of the Russian Classics, and the Finnish Cosmonaut represents a respectable continuation of this long tradition. — Lipson’s novel arouses an old-fashioned sense of pity and compassion – and reminds us that it is these that make us humane.” –From the deliberations of the jury for the Helsingin Sanomat Literary Prize 12.11.2008
“The novel is simultaneously realistic and magical. — There is an air of Slavic melancholy throughout, which Lipson masterfully taps into. I was particularly touched by the elegance and directness of Cosmonaut’s narrative, something few debuting novelists manage. The novel has long stretches of dialogue which tell the reader much about the characters. Amidst endlessly polished and often pretentious debutantes showing off their skills as a writer, Lipson’s Cosmonaut feels like a breath of fresh air: clear and refreshing.” – Sirpa Ylönen, Warkauden Lehti 31.10.2008
“It (Cosmonaut) is a pithy, mature, and well built whole which stands out to its advantage among the egocentric monologues of the current generation of self-therapists.” –Leena Tuomela, Ilkka 23.11.2008
“Cosmonaut works because it is intelligent and filled with warm humour.” – Saara Kesävuori, Aamulehti 25.8.2008
”Cosmonaut is a touching, beautiful narrative about the fragility of dreams and happiness, of the place where wishes and reality meet.” – Anne Helttunen, MeNaiset 41/2008
”Fine and unusual, definitely. — In this age of hard-boiled cutting prose Lipson’s first feels like old time literary fiction, a welcome relief.” – Antti Majander, Helsingin Sanomat 28.9.2008
“Cosmonaut plays out like a crackling symphony lowered by Svetlana’s shaking hands under the needle of the gramophone. It reveals the motivating forces under the cacophony that is human communication. — Cosmonaut is sensual and melancholy, a beautiful novel about the unpredictable forces that make people tick.”– Pauliina Siekkinen, Keskisuomalainen 4.9.2008
Elina Ahlbäck Literary Agency Oy Ltd.
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