Ahlback Agency December Newsletter

Posted on 19.12.201723.02.2018

Happy Holidays! Season’s Greetings and Happy New Year!

“I rather want to be invited to Little Mouse’s Christmas.” – The Times

2017 has been a special year, with Finland celebrating its centenary of independence this month, and we reflect on a fruitful year of bringing Finnish literature to readers, both young and old, around the world.

Forthcoming in 2018

FINDING SISU by Katja Pantzar – Hodder (UK, March 2018);
US title: THE FINNISH WAY: Finding Courage, Wellness, and Happiness through the Power of Sisu – TarcherPerigee (US, June 2018)*“Anyone who enjoyed reading about hygge will surely embrace the simple and life-changing practices that Katja describes…” – Marian Lizzi, Editor-in-Chief, TarcherPerigee
*cover & title subject to change
ONEIRON by Laura Lindstedt – Oneworld Publications (WE, March 2018)
“A visionary book.” – Marie Claire Italia
THE NIGHTINGALE MURDER by Leena Lehtolainen (Maria Kallio series Book 9) – Amazon Crossing (US, March 2018)

Published in 2017

THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO by Jussi Valtonen – Oneworld Publications (UK, November 2017)
“Classy and engrossing drama.” – Daily Mail

ESCAPE FROM SUNSET GROVE by Minna Lindgren – Pan Macmillan (UK, August 2017)
“A Finnish Miss Marple.” – Independent

BELOW THE SURFACE (Maria Kallio series Book 8) by Leena Lehtolainen – Amazon Crossing (US, November 2017)
“Lehtolainen’s crime series has reached cult status already.” – Bunte, Germany
CRUEL IS THE NIGHT by Karo Hämäläinen – Soho Press (US, April 2017)
“This English-language debut by a prize-winning Finnish author has a great hook . . . [for] readers who enjoy books like L.S. Hilton’s Maestra and Caroline Kepnes’s You, in which the game is the goal.” – Library Journal
NAONDEL by Maria Turtschaninoff (Book 2 in the Red Abbey Chronicles) + MARESI paperback ed – Pushkin Press (UK, January-April 2017)
“Will stay with the reader long after the book is closed.” The Guardian, on Naondel
MONSTER NANNY by Tuutikki Tolonen – Houghton Mifflin (US, November 2017)
“Imaginative fantasy, and plentiful dialogue makes it prime for reading aloud.” — Booklist
AS RED AS BLOOD by Salla Simukka – Crown/PRH (US, January 2017)
“Limned in stark red, white, and black, this cold, delicate snowflake of a tale sparkles with icy magic.” – Kirkus Reviews, starred review
LITTLE MOUSE’S CHRISTMAS by Riikka Jäntti – Scribble/Scribe Publications (WE, October 2017)
“Beautifully illustrated … put together with enormous charm.” – The Times

AWARDS

PROMETHEUS AWARD 2017 – Johanna Sinisalo for The Core of the Sun
LUKUVARKAUS AWARD 2017, FINLAND – Salla Simukka for Sisterland

NOMINATIONS

INTERNATIONAL DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD 2018 – Minna Lindren for Escape from Sunset Grove
CILIP CARNEGIE MEDAL 2017 – Maria Turtschaninoff for Maresi
ASTRID LINDGREN AWARD 2017 – Maria Turtschaninoff for Maresi
NORDIC COUNCIL LITERATURE PRIZE 2017 – Laura Lindstedt for Oneiron

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year!

About author

Jussi Valtonen

Jussi Valtonen (1974) is an author and psychologist from Helsinki. He has studied neuropsychology in the United States and screenwriting in the UK, and has also worked as a science reporter. He has written three novels and a short story collection.

Carried by Wings (Siipien kantamat, Tammi 2007) was given second place in Bonnier’s novel competition, and received a warm reception from both critics and bloggers. In 2014 Valtonen was awarded the Finlandia Prize, the country’s highest-profile literary award, for They Know Not What They Do (He eivät tiedä mitä tekevät, Tammi 2014).

Karo Hämäläinen

Karo Hämäläinen (b. 1976) has two passions: literature and the stock market, and has a 15-year background as an economics reporter. He works as the managing editor managing editor of Parnasso, Finland’s best-known literary publication. Hämäläinen’s novel The Buyout was shortlisted for the Savonia Prize in 2011 and received the Tampere Literary Prize in 2012.

Hämäläinen has studied both in the humanities and in economics. Following stints in Helsinki, Munich and Berlin, he now lives in Tampere, Finland. He is a popular lecturer and guest commentator, and has had his own radio show. In his professional work, he uses Finnish, English, German and Swedish. In his spare time, Hämäläinen likes reading and running; his record marathon time set in 2010 is 3:04:04.

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About author

Katja Pantzar

Katja Pantzar – Katja Pantzar is a Helsinki-based writer and journalist who swims in the Baltic Sea year round. Raised in Canada, with stints in New Zealand and England, she is the author of The Finnish Way (Penguin Random House/2018), a bestselling non-fiction book about Nordic well-being, winter swimming and sisu (resilience) that has been translated into 24 languages. Her second book on sisu, Everyday Sisu: Tapping into Finnish Fortitude for a Happier, More Resilient Life (Penguin Random House/2022) explores through expert interviews and research-based information how we can better support our mental and physical health while taking care of each other and our planet. Everyday Sisu has also been published in Japanese, Thai, and Indonesian. Pantzar’s work has been widely covered around the world in media ranging from Le Figaro, Le Monde, and El Paísto Vogue the Washington Post and the New York Review of Books. . She is also the author of three mini-guides to the Finnish capital, including 100 things to do in Helsinki (Siltala/2024).

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About author

Laura Lindstedt

Laura Lindstedt (b. 1976) became a critical darling with her adoption-themed debut novel Scissors (Sakset, Teos 2007), which earned her a nomination for the Finlandia Prize, the country’s most prestigious literary honour. Lindstedt’s second novel Oneiron (Teos 2015), a work of speculative fiction that takes place in the mysterious moments that follow one’s death, earned her the coveted Finlandia Prize of 2015 and was nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize in 2017. Lindstedt’s success has continued with My Friend Natalia (Teos 2019) which has earned critical acclaim and has been sold to 12 territories. Together with author Sinikka Vuola, she has authored 101 tapaa tappaa aviomies (101 Ways to Kill Your Husband, Siltala 2022) which has been nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize of 2024.

She is currently completing her Ph.D. thesis on French author Nathalie Sarraute.

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About author

Leena Lehtolainen

Leena Lehtolainen is the top female crime author in Finland: her new titles always head straight to #1 on the Finnish bestseller lists.

Lehtolainen created her successful protagonist, detective Maria Kallio, in 1993. Having already featured in 16 novels and a complete TV series, a new Maria Kallio TV reboot series was launched in Fall 2021 on C More. Lehtolainen’s novels have been translated into 30 languages and have sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide.

And just like the events in Bodyguard, a that takes the heroine Hilja Ilveskero all around Europe, Lehtolainen’s own work takes her to book festivals, exhibitions and other events across the globe.

Leena Lehtolainen has also published outside the crime genre; her book The Charm of Figure Skating was voted sports book of the year 2010 in Finland, and A Life in Six Scenes showed her return to literary fiction.

The Crossing of the Green Dragon is her first title for YA audiences.

In her free time, Lehtolainen enjoys all kinds of music and follows lynx trails in the forests – just like Maria Kallio.

Maria Turtschaninoff

Maria Turtschaninoff is known for crafting lyrical, historically inspired fantasy stories starring strong female protagonists. In addition to J.R.R. Tolkien, she counts Philip Pullman, Ursula K. Le Guin and C.S. Lewis among her favorite authors. She is a two-time winner of the Society of Swedish Literature Prize, winner of the Swedish YLE Literature Prize, winner of the Thank You for the Book Award, a nominee for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (2020-2024), and winner of the 2014 Finlandia Junior Prize. In 2024, Maria Turtschaninoff won the Eeva Joenpelto Literary Prize (10,000 euro award) for her literary masterpiece Inherited Land.

Her Red Abbey Chronicles YA trilogy has been sold into 30 languages, while her first adult novel Inherited Land has been sold to 23 territories. Maria has a Master of Arts in human ecology and works full-time as a writer.

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About author

Minna Lindgren

Minna Lindgren (b. 1963) is a freelance journalist and columnist known for her whimsical writing style and fearless approach to topics as strange as opera and death. In addition to novels, she has authored nonfiction books on classical music. In 2009, Lindgren won the Bonnier Journalism Prize for her article entitled “Father’s Death” (“Isän kuolema”).

Lindgren is best known for the Sunset Grove trilogy, which has been sold to 18 territories, and the final part, The End of Sunset Grove, was nominated for the International Dublin Literature Award in 2019. She has also written four standalone novels and a non-fiction book about the history of opera.

Minna Lindgren’s books have been critical and commercial successes, in Finland and internationally.

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About author

Riikka Jäntti

Riikka Jäntti, a 2003 graduate of University of Industrial Art of Helsinki, now part of Aalto University, is a Helsinki-based illustrator and author who has created art for both nonfiction and fairy tale books for children. Her first children’s book was published in 2005. Jäntti is best known for the adorable Little Mouse series that has publishers in 20 territories, including Australia, Nepal, and China!

In her illustrations, she uses pen and ink as well as watercolor and gouache. In 2009 Jäntti won the first-ever Tieto-Lauri, an award for children’s and juvenile non-fiction, for her illustrations in Viidakkotanssi (Jungle Dance). The book was written by Markku Löytönen about the explorer Rafael Karsten in Ecuador.

Salla Simukka

Salla Simukka is the author of the international success story The Snow White Trilogy: rights are sold in 53 territories and in Hollywood. She has written several novels for young readers and her accolades include the Topelius Prize 2013 and the Finland Prize 2013. Simukka has been nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award every year 2021–2024. Where It All Begins, published in 2022, is her first novel for adults and in 2024 she started a collaboration with JP Ahonen on a middle grade novel.

Previously Simukka has written book reviews for the newspapers, translated all kinds of texts into Finnish, worked as an editor at a literary magazine and as a screenwriter for a popular TV show for young audiences. She has also been working on the programme of Turku Book Fair in 2017–2020.

About author

Tuutikki Tolonen

Tuutikki Tolonen is the author of several acclaimed children’s books, plays and academic articles. She teaches creative writing and has worked as an editor and reporter at Vinski, a Finnish literary magazine for children. For Monster Nanny she received the Arvid Lydecken award. Her inspiration for the Monster Nanny trilogy sparked during a family breakfast. “My son Leo, then six, said: ‘I heard on the radio yesterday that all moms have to go on vacation and monsters will take their places,” she says.

Her other bestselling series is the Agnes-series, of which the first book "Agnes and the Garden of Dreams" was in 2021 nominated for the Arvid Lydecken Award, received an honorable mention for the Runeberg Junior Award, and won the Luku Varkaus Award. Tolonen tells that the inspiration for Agnes comes for her interest for weird and inexpicable tales, ghost stories and mysteries: "I wanted to write a book my daughter Aili, then nine, would like to read - not too long, not too scary, but very curious."

Karo Hämäläinen’s novel Alone wins two awards!

Posted on 24.02.201619.06.2016

We are thrilled to announce that Karo Hämäläinen’s latest book Alone(Yksin, Wsoy 2015), currently in its 3rd printing, has been awarded both the Savonia Prize 2016, which is awarded to an outstanding literary work from the region of Savo published in 2015, and the Best Sports Book of the Year 2015.

Alone is a powerful retelling of the life of Paavo Nurmi, the greatest distance runner of all time, in the style of Running (Courir, 2008) by Jean Echenoz. Alone is the bitter account of the undisputed ruler of the cinder track, a harrowing picture of a man as successful in business as in sports who would never allow himself to be satisfied. It is also a story of unrequited love.

-The Savonia Prize judging panel
“Karo Hämäläinen’s fictional novel describes the Finnish sports icon Paavo Nurmi’s inner world and thoughts with a brutal directness. He creates a picture of Nurmi as a tough tactician, but also as an extremely strict ascetic.”

-The Best Sports Book of the Year judging panel:
“The novel Alone is skillfully built around the myth of Paavo Nurmi. Hämäläinen’s laconic rhythm works excellently and is very Nurmi-like. The novel conveys the author’s deep understanding of its core themes: long-distance running, business, and one’s solitude.”
From the press:
“The story about the Flying Finn keeps the reader moving.” – Minna Petäinen, Taloustaito 9/2015

“Karo Hämäläinen has skillfully written a novel about winning almost everything and how it led to solitude.” – Seppo Puttonen, Yle 4.11.2015

”…It is a brilliant description of a stubborn, bitter, and lonely man… At the same time, it describes Finland in the early 20th century: the poverty, recession, and the economic boom that followed.” – Laura Boxberg Taidematkustaja- Blog

“Hämäläinen creates a psychologically delicate and sad portrayal of a man who is pushed forward by the manic hate towards losing.”
-Markku Jokisipilä, Suomen Kuvalehti, Books of the Year- list

Reading material:
ALONE (2015)
English synopsis
English sample (soon available)
Finnish edition

The authors previous works:
CRUEL IS THE NIGHT
Rights Sold
Original Publisher: FINLAND, WSOY
FRANCE, Actes Sud
ITALY, Newton Compton
WORLD ENGLISH, Soho Press

Reading Material
Finnish edition
English manuscript (soon available)

THE BUYOUT
Rights Sold
Original Publisher: FINLAND, WSOY
SPAIN, Ediciones B.

Reading Material
Finnish edition
Spanish edition
English sample

Contact: info@ahlbackagency.com

About author

Karo Hämäläinen

Read more Author's page

Bibliography

2015, Literary Fiction, Crime & Suspense

Alone

Karo Hämäläinen

2013, Literary Fiction, Crime & Suspense

Cruel is the Night

Karo Hämäläinen

2012, Literary Fiction, Crime & Suspense

The Bailout

Karo Hämäläinen

2011, Literary Fiction, Crime & Suspense

The Buyout

Karo Hämäläinen

French rights to Cruel is the Night by Karo Hämäläinen sold to Actes Sud!

Posted on 05.02.201506.07.2016

We are excited to announce that Actes Sud has acquired French rights to Karo Hämäläinen’s Cruel is the Night (WSOY 2013), a darkly humorous thriller of four characters that merges Agatha Christie with Quentin Tarantino. World English rights were previously sold to Soho Press, and Italian rights to Newton Compton.

Among other authors published by Actes Sud are Paul Auster, Stieg Larsson, Cormac McCarthy and Johanna Sinisalo.

“A thrillingly suspenseful novel that plunges the reader into a huis clos of almost bursting tension. Evil intentions lure behind the seemingly relaxed atmosphere and upper-class smiles. The constant uncertainty, the feeling that something terrible is going to happen at any moment… Smart, elegant and delightfully Hitchcockian.”
– Hege Roel Rousson, Consulting Editor, Actes Sud

“We’re thrilled to be publishing Cruel Is the Night, both because of its delightful premise and execution and also because we are excited to work with this dynamic, versatile author. A literary homage to the locked-room mystery, Cruel Is the Night is exactly the blend of genre class and literary elegance we look for at Soho Crime.”
– Juliet Grames, Associate Publisher, Soho Press

About the book:

Ruthless journalist Mikko is on his way to London to visit his old friend Robert, who has become fabulously wealthy and married the gorgeous Elise. Unbeknownst to his wife Veera, Mikko is planning on murdering Robert. On the evening’s menu are bones to pick, hidden motives, skeletons in the closet, a champagne sword, a cyanide capsule, a pinch of poison and a loaf of bread that’s not for just anyone’s consumption.

About the author:

Karo Hämäläinen (b. 1976) has a 15-year background as an economics reporter. His first thriller The Buyout (2011) was an immediate critical success. Hämäläinen also works as a journalist, literary critic and managing editor of Parnasso, Finland’s best-known literary publication.

RIGHTS SOLD:
CRUEL IS THE NIGHT
Original publisher: FINLAND, WSOY
FRANCE, Actes Sud
ITALY, Newton Compton
WORLD ENGLISH, Soho Press

Reading materials
English sample
German sample
Russian sample
Finnish edition
Italian edition

Contact: info@ahlbackagency.com

About author

Karo Hämäläinen

Read more Author's page

Bibliography

2015, Literary Fiction, Crime & Suspense

Alone

Karo Hämäläinen

2013, Literary Fiction, Crime & Suspense

Cruel is the Night

Karo Hämäläinen

2012, Literary Fiction, Crime & Suspense

The Bailout

Karo Hämäläinen

2011, Literary Fiction, Crime & Suspense

The Buyout

Karo Hämäläinen

World English rights to Cruel is the Night by Karo Hämäläinen sold to Soho Press

Posted on 13.01.201506.07.2016

We are thrilled to announce that Soho Press has acquired World English rights to Karo Hämäläinen’s Cruel is the Night (WSOY 2013), a devilish thriller of four players that merges Agatha Christie with Quentin Tarantino. Rights were previously sold in Italy to Newton Compton.

“We’re thrilled to be publishing Cruel Is the Night, both because of its delightful premise and execution and also because we are excited to work with this dynamic, versatile author. A literary homage to the locked-room mystery, Cruel Is the Night is exactly the blend of genre class and literary elegance we look for at Soho Crime. We are also thrilled to finally have a Finnish work on our list—it will be a happy addition to our growing list of literary translations!”
– Juliet Grames, Associate Publisher, Soho Press

Manhattan-based Soho Press is known for introducing and nurturing bold new literary voices and award-winning crime fiction from around the world. Among other authors on the Soho Crime imprint are Cara Black, award-winning Japanese author Fuminori Nakamura and Get Carter author Ted Lewis.

In Cruel is the Night, ruthless journalist Mikko is on his way to London to visit his old friend Robert, who has become fabulously wealthy and married the gorgeous Elise. Unbeknownst to his wife Veera, Mikko is planning on murdering Robert. On the evening’s menu are bones to pick, hidden motives, skeletons in the closet, a champagne sword, a cyanide capsule, a pinch of poison and a loaf of bread that’s not for just anyone’s consumption.

“The diners’ repartee and flashbacks revealing their relationships call to mind Herman Koch’s The Dinner…Hämäläinen’s novel takes things to a completely different level, however – the reader follows the events safely through a wall of Plexiglas, holding back laughter but absolutely absorbed.
– Helsingin sanomat newspaper, Finland

About the author:

RIGHTS SOLD:
CRUEL IS THE NIGHT
Original publisher: FINLAND, WSOY
ITALY, Newton Compton
WORLD ENGLISH, Soho Press
THE BUYOUT
Original publisher: FINLAND, WSOY
SPAIN, Ediciones B

Reading materials
English sample
German sample
Russian sample
Finnish edition
Italian edition

Contact: info@ahlbackagency.com

About author

Karo Hämäläinen

Read more Author's page

Bibliography

2015, Literary Fiction, Crime & Suspense

Alone

Karo Hämäläinen

2013, Literary Fiction, Crime & Suspense

Cruel is the Night

Karo Hämäläinen

2012, Literary Fiction, Crime & Suspense

The Bailout

Karo Hämäläinen

2011, Literary Fiction, Crime & Suspense

The Buyout

Karo Hämäläinen

Readers love Cruel is the Night by Karo Hämäläinen

Posted on 31.01.201411.08.2016

Author Karo Hämäläinen’s Cruel is the Night (Ilta on julma, WSOY 2013), a literary thriller that merges elements of a classic Agatha Christie mystery with satirical and spine-tingling cinematic touches reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock and Quentin Tarantino, has been compared by many critics to Herman Koch’s The Dinner. It also amusingly incorporates Hämäläinen’s expertise of the financial world and economics. Italian rights to Cruel is the Night have been sold to Newton Compton, which plans to publish it later this year.

“The reader follows the events safely through a wall of Plexiglas, holding back laughter but absolutely absorbed,” wrote Finland’s largest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, while Kauppalehti financial newspaper described the story as “a thriller plot that is not only imaginative and over the top but also typical of its genre without actually being generic.”

Throughout late 2013 and early 2014 the novel has also garnered praise from several Finnish literature blogs.

“I didn’t make guesses as to what was going to happen, and I didn’t even want to – I wanted to enjoy Hämäläinen’s storytelling and layers…the story spans from youth to adulthood, and from Finland to Central Europe. References to literature, particularly to Agatha Christie, prompts one to look for a clue or a trick. A sort of twist is revealed, but in a wholly different way than I had expected…in spite of its macabre subject matter this book leaves a reader in a great mood. I’m thirsty for more,” described Jos Vaikka Lukisi book blog.

“I don’t read mysteries, but I do enjoy Agatha Christie. The same happened with Karo Hämäläinen; I was hardly able to let the book from my hands, and every time I had a spare moment I dove into it again,” praised Kirjan jos Toisenkin blog.

RIGHTS SOLD:
ITALY, Newton Compton
Original publisher: FINLAND, WSOY

RIGHTS SOLD
THE BUYOUT (WSOY 2011)
SPAIN, Ediciones B.
Original publisher: FINLAND, WSOY

PRIZES
Tampere Literary Prize 2012 (The Buyout)
Nominated for the Finlandia Junior Prize in 2012 (Hooray for Helsinki!)
Nominated for the Savonia Prize in 2011 (The Buyout)

Reading materials for Cruel is the Night:
Finnish edition
English sample
German sample
Russian sample

Contact: info@ahlbackagency.com

About author

Karo Hämäläinen

Read more Author's page

Bibliography

2015, Literary Fiction, Crime & Suspense

Alone

Karo Hämäläinen

2013, Literary Fiction, Crime & Suspense

Cruel is the Night

Karo Hämäläinen

2012, Literary Fiction, Crime & Suspense

The Bailout

Karo Hämäläinen

2011, Literary Fiction, Crime & Suspense

The Buyout

Karo Hämäläinen

Frankfurt deals: Rights to Ray Girl sold in Germany and in Denmark and Cruel is the Night in Italy!

Posted on 17.10.201311.08.2016

We are thrilled to announce that the German rights to Ray Girl and Jelly Control by Miina Supinen have been sold in a two-book-deal to Suhrkamp for publication in 2014 and 2015. Danish rights to Ray Girl have been acquired by Turbine Forlaget for publication in 2014.

A mystical love story. Beauty meets two beasts in search of the meaning of life and death.

“I wanted to write a novel about the most important things in life – love and death. I wanted to say something new and fresh, genuine and heart-breaking and still fabulously fun. Ray Girl is an extraordinary love triangle, a novel about light and shadow, about the impermanence of everything and amazingly good sex. Plus a little about archaeology and ancient gods and wildflowers.“ – Writer Miina Supinen

Praise:
“Säde (Ray Girl) invites the reader to surrender.” – Helsingin Sanomat newspaper, Finland

“Miina Supinen’s book (Jelly Control) is side-splittingly hilarious.“ – Helsingin Sanomat newspaper, Finland

Reading material: English sample and synopsis; Finnish edition
Original publisher: WSOY, September 2013, 328 pp.

Italian rights to literary thriller Cruel is the Night by Karo Hämäläinen have been sold to Newton Compton for publication in 2014.

Agatha Christie meets Quentin Tarantino by way of Alfred Hitchcock.

Praise for Cruel is the Night:
“ A thriller that lasts the duration of a dinner is a compelling setup. The diners’ repartee and the flashbacks revealing their relationships call to mind Herman Koch’s The Dinner, translated into Finnish last year. Hämäläinen’s novel takes things to a completely different level, however. – The reader follows events safely through a wall of Plexiglas, holding back laughter but absolutely absorbed.” – Helsingin Sanomat newspaper, Finland

Reading material: English sample and synopsis; German sample, Finnish edition
Original publisher: WSOY, August 2013, 345 pp.

Rights enquiries: Elina@ahlbackagency.com

About author

Karo Hämäläinen

Read more Author's page