Loukko by 
This month readers in Germany and the UK have been able to enjoy new translations from the widely acclaimed master of Finnish Weird, Johanna Sinisalo.
Klett-Cotta in Germany has published Sinisalo’s latest work, The Core of the Sun (Auringon ydin, Teos 2013), while Peter Owen Publishers in the UK has debuted an English translation of The Blood of Angels (Enkelten verta, Teos 2011). Rights to Sinisalo’s works have been sold in 19 languages to date.
The Core of the Sun, whose accolades include a nomination for the Tähtivaeltaja (“Star Traveller”) science fiction award, has earned rave reviews from German critics.
“Sinisalo creates a world so close, and yet so far, with small, often subtle twists…[The Core of the Sun] is a fun, feminist, political novel – as tasty as a strawberry habanero chilli sauce.”
–Deutschlandradio Kultur.
The Blood of Angels, meanwhile, has been included on Publishers Weekly‘s Top 10 list of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror for fall 2014.
“Renowned Finnish author Johanna Sinisalo tackles contemporary ecological concerns with The Blood of Angels, in which the disappearance of bees may herald the end of the world.”
–Publishers Weekly, U.S
About The Core of the Sun (Teos 2013):
The Eusistocratic Republic of Finland has prioritized social stability and national health, and outlawed practically everything that might give one pleasure or cause addiction. Well, almost everything: the distribution of sex, an essential commodity of pleasure, is made as efficient as possible. In order to achieve this, the state has bred a new human subspecies: one that is receptive, submissive and always willing. They used to be called women. Vanna and Jare become involved in buying and selling a stimulant known to be extremely dangerous: chili. Then Jare comes across a strange religious cult in possession of the Core of the Sun, a pungent chili that is too hot to handle.
About The Blood of Angels (Teos 2011):
Einstein is claimed to have said that if bees disappeared from the earth, man would have four years to live. When bees begin to vanish en masse in the U.S, Orvo, a beekeeper, predicts that the world is coming to an end. The Blood of Angels is a magical plunge into the myth of death and immortality, and a tale of human blindness in the face of overwhelming choices and inevitabilities.
RIGHTS SOLD: The Core of the Sun
Original publisher: FINLAND, Teos
CZECH REPUBLIC, Euromedia
FRANCE, Actes Sud
GERMANY, Klett-Cotta
WORLD ENGLISH, Grove Atlantic
Reading materials: The Core of the Sun
German edition
English sample
Finnish edition
RIGHTS SOLD: The Blood of Angels
Original publisher: FINLAND, Teos
WORLD ENGLISH, Peter Owen
FRANCE, Actes Sud
POLAND, Foksal
Reading materials: The Blood of Angels
English edition
French edition
Finnish edition
PRIZES
Finlandia Prize 2000 (Not Before Sundown/Troll – A Love Story)
James Tiptree, Jr. Award 2004 (Not Before Sundown/Troll – A Love Story)
Nominated for the Nebula Awards 2008 (Baby Doll)
P. E. Svinhufvud Award 2011 (The Blood of Angels)
The Young Aleksis Kivi Prize 2009, 2012 (Birdbrain, The Blood of Angels)
Nominated for the Prix Escapades 2012 (Birdbrain)
Nominated for the Tähtivaeltaja (“Star Traveller”) award 2014
Contact: info@ahlbackagency.com
