Arto Paasilinna was a literary pioneer, establishing a broad readership outside of Finland in a way few other Finnish authors had before him. Paasilinna’s iconic, unique works are popular throughout Europe, reaching cult status in France, Germany, Italy and Norway, and finding audiences as far afield as China and Korea. In Sweden alone, Paasilinna has sold over 1 million copies.
Paasilinna’s novels continue to endure today with their modern themes of mental health, ageing, desperation and the tribulations of everyday life which explored in his fast-paced and humorous style, can be described as adventure stories with a satirical take on modern life.
8,000,000+ books sold worldwide.
40+ languages in publication.
12 adaptations for TV and film.
Arto Paasilinna’s novels contain fascinating, distinctive characters and so much plot that they could easily be stretched out over multiple TV episodes in adaptation. It is no wonder, then, that so many of Paasilinna’s books have been made into both TV mini-series in his native Finland, as well as cult independent movies in France—and even a Korean musical adaptation of his hit novel A Charming Mass Suicide.
Paasilinna’s voice is one in which directors can find themselves. In fact, celebrated Finnish filmmaker Risto Jarva, after adapting Paasilinna’s The Year of the Hare promised Paasilinna during the premiere for that film that it would signal the start of a long collaboration. Tragically, he died in a car accident on the way home from the premiere.
Paasilinna’s distinctively quirky voice, his lens on a life worth living, and the sheer breadth and scope of his writing, provides any future adaptors with a unique opportunity to bring this much-loved and internationally revered author and his work to the English-speaking market.
