Riikka Sandberg

Two more Ahlback Agency titles nominated for Young Aleksis Award!

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Recently, we announced the good news that THE INVISIBLES by Sanna Isto was nominated for the Young Aleksis Award, and now we are pleased to report that ØRJA by Riikka Sandberg and A DISOBEDIENT GIRL by Sara Al Husaini have also been nominated!

The Young Aleksis Award jury is made up of young adults. So while these titles are literary fiction, we highly recommend them for young adult readers.

ØRJA is a fateful novel about friendship, passion and secrets buried in the sea from the end of the occupation of Norway till the 1970s.

1952. A gigantesque mail carrier lives on the island of Ørja with her boat-building father. His last boat is left unfinished, and the daughter takes on the task. The boat is sold to an island-dweller who is the subject of many chilling rumors.

1976. Tine arrives in Ørja to put up a traveling cinema. But what is even more interesting than the projector, is the wire recorder she finds in the shed. It talks of a tragic past that the island community has kept silent about.

A rebel. A spouse. A savior. A friend. A lover. How many lives can one person live? What happens when they collide?

Click here to access all reading materials for ØRJA!

 

A DISOBEDIENT GIRL is the winner of the BookBeat Newcomer of the Year Award, a novel that shakes the reader to their core.

A mother is escorting her daughter, trembling with fear, to the wedding suite door. This is what she’s been raised for ever since she was little, kept in wrapping paper like a precious sweet. This is the reason why she was brought back from Finland to Iraq.

A Disobedient Girl is an astonishingly honest and authentic story about the history of subjugating and silencing women, about abandoning one’s faith, honor violence, forced marriage, Islamic morality, the price of freedom, and the desperate desire for the right to self-determination.

Click here to access all reading materials for A DISOBEDIENT GIRL!

ØRJA

Publication Info:
Ørja, Otava 2023, 395 p.

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig), SWEDEN: Norstedts

Rights to ØRJA still available in Germany, Norway, Denmark…

Reading Materials:
English sample and synopsis, Finnish and Swedish editions

 

A DISOBEDIENT GIRL

Publication Info:
Huono tyttö, Like 2023, 295 p.

Rights to A DISOBEDIENT GIRL still available in the US/UK, Poland, France

Reading Materials:
English sample, Finnish edition

About author


Riikka Sandberg

Riikka Sandberg (b. 1989) is a Finnish author who grew up in the midst of boatsheds and the sea breeze. She studied Finnish and creative writing at the University of Turku and currently teaches at the University of Helsinki. Sandberg’s debut book Ørja was published in February 2023 and has been described as a thoughtfully constructed novel in which the fjords and the churning sea set a grand stage.

Sandberg is inspired by the Nordic languages, history and nature, and the fictional isles in her debut novel Ørja were inspired by a small and rugged Norwegian island to where she retreated alone to write. Eventually she carried out research for her novel in Norway, the Faroe Islands and the Finnish Lapland and archipelago. Sandberg considers it important to write about women who are, for one reason or another, cast out or have themselves left the society or their community, and about those who have forgotten to live their own truth.

Read more

About author


Sara Al Husaini

Sara Al Husaini (1992) is a human rights activist, feminist, and linguist from Helsinki. She was born in a refugee camp in Saudi Arabia and moved to Finland as a child. She has studied English philology at the University of Helsinki and has worked, among others, as an intern at the European Parliament. She is currently a board member in Amnesty Finland and member of the steering group for UN Women Finland. In 2021, Al Husaini was chosen as the Refugee Woman of the Year by the Finnish Refugee Council.

Her debut novel A Disobedient Girl (orig. Huono tyttö) is a deeply personal story of experiences for which there haven’t been words before. Al Husaini's writing delves into the human psyche, weaving a tale that unravels the threads of cultural expectations and the resilience of those who defy them. Through her storytelling, Al Husaini seeks to provoke thought, challenge stereotypes, and ignite conversations that lead to meaningful societal shifts.

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Swedish rights for Riikka Sandberg’s debut Ørja pre-empted by Norstedts!

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We are thrilled to share that one of Sweden’s largest and oldest publishers, Norstedts, have acquired the Swedish rights to Riikka Sandberg’s critically acclaimed debut novel Ørja in a pre-empt. The deal was closed by Anna Kappauf at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Norstedts is celebrating its 200-year anniversary this year, looking back on many successes such as publishing 30 Nobel Literature Laureates and other bestselling authors including Stieg Larsson, J.R.R Tolkien, Elena Ferrante, Margaret Atwood, Haruki Murakami, Dolly Alderton, Marian Keyes, Fríða Ísberg, Kate Atkinson, Leila Mottley, and Jenny Colgan.

Ørja was published in Finland in January 2023 by Otava to great media praise:

“In her debut novel, Riikka Sandberg (b. 1989) has crafted a miniature world with a tight atmosphere. [–] The net of the relationships is woven to a tighter shape page by page. [–] Sandberg’s debut is a detailed and carefully finished piece of work in which no clue is unimportant and evert scene builds on the lifelike miniature world of the novel. Ørja is a gripping debut.”
-Outi Hytönen in Suomen Kuvalehti magazine

”The novel is filled with fantastic nature descriptions. The author has written it with such detail, that the reader can sense the rippling of waves on the pier and the stormy swelling of the sea against the harsh rocks. [–] The colourful nature descriptions accompany the bleak human destinies which the reader follows with excitement until the end.”
-Jari Olavi Hiltunen in Satakunnan kansa newspaper

”Riikka Sandberg paints in her debut a lavish and exciting plot around the lives of the people living on a barren island. [–] For a debut, Ørja is surprisingly mature. Even when reaching to many differing directions, Riikka Sandberg manages to keep hold of everything.”
-Marjatta Hietaniemi in Ilkka-Pohjalainen newspaper

Riikka Sandberg’s debut is perfect for fans of The Sixteen Trees of the Somme (Svøm med dem som drukner) by Lars Mytting, A Land of Snow and Ashes by Petra Rautiainen, My Brother (Jag for ner till bror) by Karin Smirnoff, and Black Water (Händelser vid vatten) by Kerstin Ekman.

Be the next to snap up the rights to this powerful upmarket novel!

Download the materials for Ørja here!

 

Ørja
Otava, January 2023, 395 pp.

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
SWEDEN: Norstedts

Reading materials:
English sample and synopsis

About author


Riikka Sandberg

Riikka Sandberg (b. 1989) is a Finnish author who grew up in the midst of boatsheds and the sea breeze. She studied Finnish and creative writing at the University of Turku and currently teaches at the University of Helsinki. Sandberg’s debut book Ørja was published in February 2023 and has been described as a thoughtfully constructed novel in which the fjords and the churning sea set a grand stage.

Sandberg is inspired by the Nordic languages, history and nature, and the fictional isles in her debut novel Ørja were inspired by a small and rugged Norwegian island to where she retreated alone to write. Eventually she carried out research for her novel in Norway, the Faroe Islands and the Finnish Lapland and archipelago. Sandberg considers it important to write about women who are, for one reason or another, cast out or have themselves left the society or their community, and about those who have forgotten to live their own truth.

Read more

Bibliography


2023, Literary Fiction

Ørja

Riikka Sandberg

Related news

Introducing two new fiction authors for Ahlback Agency!

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We are very happy to announce representation of two exciting new authors for our spring 2023 fiction list!

Please join us in welcoming the Nordic Council Literature Prize 2023 nominated Emma Puikkonen and critical acclaimed debut author Riikka Sandberg to Ahlback Agency!

You can read more about Emma and Riikka’s works below and we are looking forward to discussing their books with you in London and virtual meetings!

Photo: Jonne Räsänen

Riikka Sandberg: Ørja

Riikka Sandberg (b. 1989) is a Finnish author who grew up in the midst of boatsheds and the sea breeze. She studied Finnish and Creative Writing at the University of Turku and currently teaches at the University of Helsinki. Sandberg’s debut book Ørja was published in February 2023 and has been described as a thoughtfully constructed novel in which the fjords and the churning sea set a grand stage.

Sandberg is inspired by the Nordic languages, history and nature, and the fictional isles in her debut novel Ørja were inspired by a small and rugged Norwegian island to where she retreated alone to write. Eventually she carried out research for her novel in Norway, the Faroe Islands and the Finnish Lapland and archipelago. Sandberg considers it important to write about women who are, for one reason or another, cast out or have themselves left the society or their community, and about those who have forgotten to live their own truth.

 

Ørja (Ørja, Otava, February 2023) – Upmarket fiction

A fateful novel about friendship, passion and secrets buried in the sea from the end of the occupation of Norway till the 1970s.

1952. A gigantesque mail carrier lives on the island of Ørja with her boat-building father. His last boat is left unfinished, and the daughter takes on the task. The boat is sold to an island-dweller who is the subject of many chilling rumors.

1976. Tine arrives in Ørja to put up a traveling cinema. But what is even more interesting than the projector, is the wire recorder she finds in the shed. It talks of a tragic past that the island community has kept silent about.

A rebel. A spouse. A savior. A friend. A lover. How many lives can one person live? What happens when they collide?

Reading material: English sample + synopsis

 

Photo: Meri Björn

Emma Puikkonen: The Black Mirror 

Emma Puikkonen (b. 1974) is one of Finland’s foremost contemporary prose writers. Her works explore highly topical themes and phenomena, of which climate change has recently become the most important. She is a trained drama instructor who also teaches the literary arts and theatre.

Her work Eurooppalaiset unet (2016) was nominated for the Finlandia and Export Prizes, and an earlier novel, Lupaus (2019), met with critical acclaim. Her novel Musta peili (2021) (“The Black Mirror”, not published in English) was nominated for the Runeberg Prize and has been nominated for the 2023 Nordic Council Literature Prize.

The Black Mirror (Musta peili, WSOY, September 2021) – Literary Fiction

Nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize 2023!

Three women, three epochs and three destinies

The Black Mirror is a magically beautiful novel about a world ran by oil.  And about the humankind who must take a look at the looking glass.

When Ida Tarbell is a child, black gold is springing from the ground  in her hometown of Rouseville in the 1860s. When Lotte Teer is a  child in 1973, people gather around on a picnic on an Amsterdam  highway. Astrid Fuglesang has always dreamed of oil rigs and lands  on one in the year 2028.

For millions of years, black liquid has hibernated beneath the earth and the ocean. When it is awoken, the humankind can no longer live without it. Ida, Lotte and Astrid are driven women whose fates are  swayed by oil. Each of them takes control of it, in a way.

Reading material: Swedish manuscript available, English sample + synopsis: April 2023

About author


Emma Puikkonen

Emma Puikkonen (b. 1974) is one of Finland’s foremost contemporary prose writers. Her works explore highly topical themes and phenomena, of which climate change has recently become the most important. She is a trained drama instructor who also teaches the literary arts and theatre.

Her work Eurooppalaiset unet (2016) was nominated for the Finlandia and Export Prizes, and an earlier novel, Lupaus (2019), was met with critical acclaim. Her novel Musta peili (2021) (“The Black Mirror”) was nominated for the Runeberg Prize and the 2023 Nordic Council Literature Prize.

Read more

About author


Riikka Sandberg

Riikka Sandberg (b. 1989) is a Finnish author who grew up in the midst of boatsheds and the sea breeze. She studied Finnish and creative writing at the University of Turku and currently teaches at the University of Helsinki. Sandberg’s debut book Ørja was published in February 2023 and has been described as a thoughtfully constructed novel in which the fjords and the churning sea set a grand stage.

Sandberg is inspired by the Nordic languages, history and nature, and the fictional isles in her debut novel Ørja were inspired by a small and rugged Norwegian island to where she retreated alone to write. Eventually she carried out research for her novel in Norway, the Faroe Islands and the Finnish Lapland and archipelago. Sandberg considers it important to write about women who are, for one reason or another, cast out or have themselves left the society or their community, and about those who have forgotten to live their own truth.

Read more