5 must-read authors from Finland to add to your bookshelf

Finland is brimming with astonishing authors – albeit most of them are reserved for those among us capable of reading the Finnish word. Unfortunately, it seems to be a rare occasion when a Finnish author is translated into other languages: over the past decade, only around 50 Finnish novels have appeared in English. In better news, the rate of works published in English has increased significantly in recent years, and would-be readers can now choose from more options than ever before. Here's our pick of the Finnish page-turners you'll want to pick up.

Virtuous in blending how the great themes of life are perceived among different generations, Riika Pulkkinen is well known for her deeply psychological portraits and family sagas. While her debut novel The Limit from 2006 was already a huge success in Finland, it was her second book True, published in 2010, that brought her international attention. True follows the story of three generations of women – grandmother Elsa who is dying of cancer, her daughter Eleonoora whose childhood memories are fading, and granddaughter Anna who is uncovering something kept hidden within the family.

Dedication would be an appropriate word to characterise Laura Lindstedt’s writing. She spent a total of eight years crafting her second novel Oneiron – and the outcome is vast and complex. It tells the story of seven women who meet as strangers in a place without time and space, where together, they reassemble their lives piece by piece to determine the factors that led to their deaths. Mixing different genres including essay and poetry, the sprawling novel earned her the renowned Finlandia Prize, Finland’s most important literary award.

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With her books translated into more than 40 languages, Sofi Oksanen is not only an international publishing sensation, but also Finland’s best-selling living author. Her most acclaimed novel, Purge commences with an escaped Russian sex slave turning up out of the blue and breaking down in the yard of an old woman in Estonia. Dealing with the occupation by the Soviet Union, the story contains elements of noir and fairytales and is a gloomy remark on a mostly excluded part of Estonia’s history. The Finnish-Estonian author initially wrote Purge for the stage, before adapting it into a novel – and there's no shortage of drama in the work. Recurring topics in Oksanen’s novels and plays include resistance, survival, immigration, freedom and women’s rights, and she remains a vital voice.

No list of not-to-miss writers from Finland would be complete without Tove Jansson. Chances are high you're already familiar with her work, though perhaps not its full scope. As the inventor of childhood favourite the Moomins, she published more than 12 books over the span of 35 years involving the hippo-esque trolls. But she's also written countless stories for adults. The Summer Book from 1972 is one particular work worth mentioning, focusing on a maladaptive grandmother spending summer with her son and granddaughter on a small island in the Gulf of Finland – just as the author spent more than 30 summers with her partner, graphic artist Tuulikki Pietilä, on such an island. With all her wondrous stories, Jansson undeniably teaches us to believe in life as a wonderful adventure.

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Last but not least, Pajtim Statovci is an internationally lesser known yet nonetheless extraordinary contemporary writer from Finland. Take Crossing for instance, which follows the story of two teenage boys and their attempt to leave post-communist Albania while dealing with topics ranging from running away from the past and starting over in a new place to queerness, violence and oppression. The Finnish-Kosovan novelist’s talent lies in drawing engrossing characters that are reminiscent of the big tricksters of literature while being markedly original. His latest novel Bolla is no less alluring, and full of lustrous prose and shadows.