Books from Finland - A literary journal of writing from and about Finland.

In the town of Fingerborg:Pertti Jarla's cartoon characters

We read comics. Numbers one, six and seven on the February list of Finnish best-selling books (of the Booksellers’ Association of Finland) were comics by Pertti Jarla.

Jarla’s series about the weird town of Fingerpori with its weird citizens seems to have hit the book-buying crowds. Milla Paloniemi’s foul-mouthed hedgehog appeared as number 4.

Number two in February was the victorious latest novel by Kari Hotakainen, Ihmisen osa (‘The human lot’, Siltala, 2009), soon to be published in no less than eight languages – including English, in 2012, by Christopher Maclehose Press (UK).

Number three was a first novel by Elina Tiilikka, Punainen mekko (‘The red dress’, Gummerus), the sad story of a young woman choosing to sell sex. Tiilikka has indicated that the novel is autobiographical, which will sell copies.

Last year’s Finlandia Prize-winning novel Uuni (‘The stove’) by the veteran author Antti Hyry was still at eighth place.