Loukko by 
We are very happy to announce that Cser Publishing has acquired Hungarian rights to They Know Not What They Do (Tammi 2014), Jussi Valtonen’s Finlandia Prize-winning novel, which has become a bona fide phenomenon since its publication in 2014. It has sold more than 100,000 copies, and rights have sold in seven territories.
Cser, known for its high-quality nonfiction titles in subjects such as gastronomy and architecture, will make Valtonen’s novel part of its new fiction and science list.
“Jussi Valtonen is the first Finnish author we are going to work with, and we’re very happy to publish his brilliant novel in Hungarian. We are convinced that Valtonen’s fiction will enchant readers on the Ugrian side of our Finno-Ugric language family.”
– András Vörös, Editor, Cser Publishing, Hungary
Set in the U.S. and Finland, They Know Not What They Do explores family conflicts and loyalties, the ethics of science and the search for identity in a fragmented and technology-ruled society. It has been praised by critics as a touchstone of modern Finnish literature.
Praise from international publishers:
“Discovering a strong new voice in literary fiction always feels great. This is how we felt at Fayard about Jussi Valtonen, whose work is ambitious, moving and fresh in the way it regards some of the major issues of our societies.”
– Sophie de Closets, Président Directeur Général, Fayard
“Jussi Valtonen is a wonderful writer who asks crucial questions about our time and the technological progress, scrutinizing if it really should be one of the highest goods of our society. Mainly, though, he portrays a family with all possible empathy, and portrays people living and working, loving and failing. I’m astonished by the way in which these two parts come together in this fascinating, heartbreaking and true novel.”
– Anvar Cukoski, Editor, Piper Verlag
“It is so exciting to come across a novelist who seeks to engage deeply with the questions of our time, and in They Know Not What They Do Jussi Valtonen has achieved that rare thing – an intelligent, compellingly readable, and above all thought-provoking novel. This is definitely a book you’ll be thinking about long after you’ve finished reading it.”
– Juliet Mabey, Publisher, Oneworld
“Jussi Valtonen is one of those authors who can evoke a change in your thoughts, ideas and prejudices, while entertaining you at the same time. The thin line between what we think is our reality, and what it could become, is fascinating. His psychological portraits and observations on science and society are spot on.”
– Juliette van Wersch, Publisher, Signatuur/A.W. Bruna
“We are very excited to be able to present this book to Lithuanian readers. It is fresh and contemporary, and in spite of being a lengthy novel it does not contain a single unnecessary word.”
– Ingrida Dubauskienė, editor, Alma Littera
About They Know Not What They Do:
When professor Joe Chayefski’s neuroscience lab in Baltimore is attacked by animal rights activists, he doesn’t connect the dots at first. But when he receives a phone call from Alina, his Finnish ex-wife, he begins to gradually realize that the threats on his career and new family are connected to Samuel, the son he left behind in Finland two decades ago. Joe soon learns that his son’s life has gone badly astray, and that Samuel has devoted himself to extreme animal rights activism. Joe realizes that he has to take action to protect his wife and two daughters from his estranged son, by any means necessary.
They Know Not What They Do offers readers piercing psychological insight. It is also a dystopian satire of a world in which nothing is private and everything is for sale.
RIGHTS SOLD:
Original publisher: FINLAND, Tammi
FRANCE, Fayard
GERMANY, Piper Verlag
HUNGARY, Cser
LITHUANIA, Alma Littera
NETHERLANDS, Signatuur/A.W. Bruna
POLAND, Foksal
WORLD ENGLISH, Oneworld Publications
Reading materials:
English sample
English synopsis
Finnish edition
Contact: info@ahlbackagency.com
