Arto Paasilinna is one of the most famous and renowned authors of literary fiction to emerge from Finland in the 20th Century.
With eight million copies of his 36 novels sold worldwide, translated into over 40 different languages, Paasilinna is one of Finland’s most successful and widely loved cultural exports. His darkly comic lens on life explores the inner reaches of the Finnish wilderness as much as it does the murky psychology of a writer who never shied from the tough subjects of suicide, aging and depression—but always brought heart and humour to his writing.
Despite the weighty subject matter, Paasilinna’s writing is anything but downbeat. His unique style is derived from the interaction of these serious subjects with a sharp sense of humour that skewers middle-aged melancholy; underpinned by a sense of hope springing from the natural beauty of Finland’s countryside. This light-and-shade element of his work has won the hearts of readers from across Europe and beyond.
Turning to novel-writing after a career as a journalist, Paasilinna’s style is spare, projecting beauty and despair with even-handed deftness. As a result, reading Paasilinna’s books often feels like watching an art house film: delighting in the small moments of humanity that triumph over the modern malaise. Big themes emerge from humble origins.
