Ullstein pre-empts German rights to both MY ONLY HOME and the upcoming novel by Hanna Brotherus!

We are extremely happy to share some wonderful news today: MY ONLY HOME by Hanna Brotherus has now been pre-empted by Ullstein -one of the most prestigious publishing houses in Germany!

Ullstein also pre-empted the upcoming Hanna Brotherus novel FOR MY LIFE, that will be published in Finland in September 2022 by WSOY. The deal was closed by Toomas Aasmäe and Elina Ahlbäck at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Ullstein couldn’t praise Hanna Brotherus more:

MY ONLY HOME is a breathtaking, infectious book. Not only is it written with rare personal urgency, we believe it will be read and experienced by its readers in a highly personal way – by everyone who has children, everyone who has siblings, a partner, a mother. It is alive with honesty, animated by the quest for truth, and driven by a deep yearning for peace. We are happy and proud to welcome Hanna Brotherus at Ullstein and introduce her incredible voice to German-language readers.
– Karsten Kredel, Publisher and CEO, Ullstein Verlag, Germany

Download the full Finnish ms for MY ONLY HOME by clicking here.

With her debut novel MY ONLY HOME, a dancer and choreographer Hanna Brotherus has also redeemed her place as a writer.

Her book was the #1 Finnish fiction bestseller in 2021 with more than 66.000 copies sold and MY ONLY HOME is also on the top lists of most listened audiobooks on both Storytel and BookBeat in 2021.

My passion is to join together different people from different backgrounds and age groups. I believe in intuition, in the power of the touch and presence.
-Hanna Brotherus.

MY ONLY HOME by Hanna Brotherus

When her children leave home, a woman takes a deep dive into her past.
She wants to understand all the lives she has lived. She wants to examine whose have been the eyes she has seen herself through, who have been the ones she has yearned to walk beside her, and to understand what she still has ahead of her.

And she wants to begin anew anything that is possible.

ESTONIAN PRAISE:

MY ONLY HOME is a story about life itself. A dancer writing about her own life, her identity and troubles. The Finnish origin and Finnishness of the book doesn’t mean it wouldn’t touch the soul of readers in Estonia. Because in the end, regardless of our nationality, all of us will only have ourselves – our only home.
– Piret Saluri, translator, Estonia

My Only Home has already sold more than 66.000 copies and it has been reprinted six times. The reader feedback emphasizes just how moving the striking honesty in the book is and how well one can identify with it. The book moves you, touches you, cleanses you and makes a profound impact on you.

Hanna Brotherus’ debut novel plumbs through a woman’s different life stages without too much embellishment and in a relatable way.

My Only Home is a fearless auto-fictive novel about the frenzy for life and the acceptance of incompleteness.

When her children leave their home, the woman wants to take a deep dive into the past. She wants to understand all the lives she has lived. She wants to examine whose have been the eyes she has seen herself through, who have been the ones she has yearned to walk beside her, and to understand what she still has ahead of her. And she wants to begin anew anything that is possible.

An uncompromising journey into the truth behind the memories begins. The gates are wide open when the woman realizes that she is the most important person in her life. Her body is her only home.

FOR MY LIFE by Hanna Brotherus

For My Life is a story about the aging of a woman. The novel contemplates the essence of independence and one’s own body, the connections one creates with family and friends, and the transience of life.
Her life as an artist and the mother of four children has kept a woman in motion incessantly. She’s found the meaning in the needs and hopes of others. Once her children leave their childhood home, she needs to find purpose for her days once again. Freedom is difficult to grasp, the future is hard to see.

When the old family summer villa is sold, it’s time to dispose of things. The important memories. The clear autumn air sees the woman set out on her own for the villa where no one is waiting for her – no one except the inevitable change. She goes through her life and amidst the silence she finds a path to follow.
For My Life is as brave and honest as the debut novel My Only Home, which gained immense popularity within an exceptionally large readership.