Reading Europe celebrates Finland

Reading Europe celebrates Finland 

READING EUROPE FROM UK INDEPENDENT PUBLISHERS
There are 24 countries in the EU in addition to the 4 countries in the British Isles and Commonwealth. Before the EU Referendum let us take the opportunity to find out something more about fellow members and neighbours. The recommended titles have been selected to let the reader know the literature, history and culture of each country better. On 15 June we celebrate Finland.
 
RECOMMENDED TITLE FROM FINLAND
New Finnish Grammar-Diego Marani, translated by Judith Landry (Dedalus)
ISBN 978 1 903517 94 9, 187 pages,£9.99
A man is found badly injured on the quayside in Trieste in 1943. He is taken on board a German hospital ship for treatment but is not expected to live. He has lost his memory and the only identification is a Finnish name tag. The doctor on the hospital ship is of Finnish origin and teaches his patient Finnish in an attempt to help him recover his memory. He then sends him to Finland in search of his past. The novel explores the nuances of Finnish language and culture and an individual's need to belong and have an identity which connects him to society.
 
The Year of the Hare by Arto Paasilinna translated by Herbert Lomas (Peter Owen)
ISBN 978 0 720612 77 6, 160 pages, £8.99
Vatanen is burnt out and sick of the city. One summer evening his car hits a young hare on a country road, and he goes in search of the injured creature. This small incident becomes a life-changing experience for Vatanen as he decides to break free from the world's constraints - quitting his job, leaving his family, selling his possessions - to discover the Finnish wilds with his newfound friend. Their adventures take in forest fires, pagan sacrifices, military war games, killer bears and much more. A wry celebration of the Finnish countryside and the quiet humour of its people.
 
FURTHER READING FOR FINLAND FROM DEDALUS
The Dedalus Book of Finnish Fantasy edited by Johanna Sinisalo and translated by David Hackston
ISBN 978 1 903517 29 1, 337 pages, £9.99
'This wonderful anthology is a fine addition to Dedalus's range of fantasy literature in translation, and is every bit as diverse and challenging as its predecessors. Markku Paasonen's prose poem, 'Punishment' begins 'I have seen an author's head', and in a mere half-page he creates a gruesome, dreamy fable that is startlingly memorable. Every entry left me wanting to know more about these eerie authors. S.B. Kelly in Scotland on Sunday
 
The Last of the Vostyachs by Diego Marani, translated by Judith Landry
ISBN 978 1 907650 56 7, 168 pages, £9.99
' A 'genius' Helsinki mystery with a touch of The Killing...So, we have: 1. An intellectual puzzle. 2. A wild man of nature adrift in a big city. 3. A policier set near the Arctic Circle. (If that alone doesn't make you put down your copies of Fifty Shades of Whatever then I despair. It has that Killingesque atmosphere.) 4. Magic, and a sense of the immensity of the primeval universe. 5. An unmistakable dash of humour, even when your nerves are being shredded. 6. Wolves, and a Siberian tiger, let loose from a zoo. 7. A happy ending against all odds. And 8. All hanging together. When I reviewed Grammar, I edged towards using the word 'genius' to describe Marani. I'm doing so again now.' Nick Lezard's Choice in The Guardian
 
Five opportunities to meet Diego Marani, the author of New Finnish Grammar between 17/6 and 20/6
1. The Cultural Case for Europe. Friday 17th June 7pm
Free Word Centre, 60 Farringdon Rd, London, EC1R 3GA
Conversation, questions and answers on the peculiar and changing perceptions of the same novel in different languages providing the cultural case for Europe.
Featuring Diego Marani, Dimitri Verhulst and Kirsten Thorup
£5/ £3 concessions Tickets available via www.freewordcentre.com/whats-on/reading-europe-tour <https://www.freewordcentre.com/whats-on/reading-europe-tour>
 
2. Breakfast Briefing. Saturday 18th June 12.30 pm
London Review of Books Shop, 14 Bury Place, London, WC1A 2JL
Authors and translators reading their favourite passages from novels on the Reading Europe List.
Featuring Diego Marani and Kirsten Thorup
Free and no tickets required
 
3. Lewisham Garden Party. Saturday 18th June 6pm
Halcyon Books, 266 Lee High Road, London, SE13 5PL
Thoughts, gluten-free beer and readings from the 'Other Europe'.
Featuring Diego Marani and Kirsten Thorup
Free and no tickets required
 
4. Continental Breakfast. Sunday 19th 12 noon
Waterstones Piccadilly, 203 - 206 Piccadilly, London, W1J 9HD
Observations on the notion of breakfast on the European continent.
Featuring Diego Marani and Kirsten Thorup
Free but contact Waterstones via www.waterstones.com/events/the  ...  ndon-piccadilly <https://www.waterstones.com/events/the-reading-europe-tour-breakfast/london-piccadilly>
Happy Manchester
 
5. Reading Europe Manchester, Monday 20 June, 7pm
International Anthony Burgess Foundation, Engine House, Chorlton Hill,3 Cambridge Street, Manchester, M1 5BY Conversation, questions and answers on the peculiar and changing perceptions of the same novel in different languages providing the cultural case for Europe.
Featuring Diego Marani and guests.
Free but registration required via www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/reading-europe-tour-manchester-tickets-25715689319 <https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/reading-europe-tour-manchester-tickets-25715689319>