Maria Turtschaninoff
Maria Turtschaninoff (b. 1977) has been writing fairy tales since the age of five. Her favourite authors are Diana Wynne Jones, Lloyd Alexander, Philip Pullman, Michael Ende, JRR Tolkien, Ursula K. Le Guin, CS Lewis, Irmelin Sandman Lilius, John Irving, and many others. Maria has a Master of Arts in human ecology and works full-time as a writer. She lives in Karjaa with her husband, baby boy and their little terrier.
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Written by Maria Turtschaninoff
Underfors
Everything seems normal in the city of Helsingfors. Alva and Joel are in the same class in middle school. Alva is one of those smart, strong teenage girls who refuse to fit in. Joel spends his time doing parkour and dreaming about Alva. But when Alva meets Nide, a leather-clad bad boy to whom she feels irresistibly attracted, a new world is revealed beneath the city she knows so well: Underfors.
Maria Turtschaninoff’s young adult novel has it all – suspense, sex, disappointment, grief and teenage angst. Who am I and where do I come from? Where do I belong? And why am I so madly attracted to a certain person? In Underfors, realistic portrayals of teenagers come face to face with the supernatural.
She leant forward and tried to look down into the street. First it seemed empty. But then something moved on the extreme right. Something slipped round the corner and disappeared out of sight before she had time to see what it was. Something tall and and dark that moved faster than it was possible for a human being to move.
With a pounding heart she threw herself flat against the desk and then slid down it to the floor. Everything inside her screamed “danger!” and she only wanted to flee, get far away. But it was only her imagination. That was what Tuula and Mum and Dad always said. Alva drew a shaky breath and tried to calm herself with their words. She was only imagining all those dangers which she expected to be laying in wait for her round every corner. They didn’t really exist. She must stop giving way to her compulsive need to be always on her guard. Then the fear would also disappear.
But this time she had really seen something.
Praise:
“The result is a shimmering fantasy of epic breadth and variety, a tale filled with dangers, courage, love, a longing for revenge and ancient fairytale creatures.”
–Erika Rönngård, Vasabladet
Written by Maria Turtschaninoff
Arra
Rights sold: Danish
The fairy- tale world of this bold fantasy novel will enchant lovers of adventure and romance alike.
Maria Turtschaninoff’s novel tells the story of a girl called Arra, who is unwanted and rejected and despised by her family from birth. Unlike other children, Arra does not learn to talk because nobody takes any notice of her or talks to her. Speech means nothing to her. Instead, Arra grows up in the natural world, becoming part of it. She listens, and learns the song of the stream, the song of the fire, the song of the earth, the song of the wind, everything that fills her world. With the help of her singing. Arra learns to control the forces of nature, and begins to weave them into a whole made up of her identity and her own powers, just like she weaves yarns into tapestries.
After her home is destroyed in a fire, the girl drifts to the City of Lagora where she starts weaving her unique tapestries. There, she by chance encounters Surando, the Prince of the country. But the prince goes to war and is taken prisoner. Only the slight Arra is brave enough to venture out on a rescue mission.
Arra is a thrilling fantasy adventure with strong fairy-tale elements. The book’s world is reminiscent of medieval society but provides a wholly original background for a story that casts a spell on the reader.
An extract from the Finlandia Junior Prize jury’s report:
“Arra is a fantastic work of art with integrity and lyrical beauty. It draws the reader
into its magic world. .The story is engaging and shows the storytelling tradition is alive and kicking.”
Society of Swedish Literature Prize 2010
Nominated for Finlandia Junior Prize 2009
Elina Ahlbäck Literary Agency Oy Ltd.
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