Our fiction highlights for London Book Fair

Anniina Tarasova

Anniina Tarasova is a Helsinki-based storyteller who has worked in the leadership of a startup. Her family comes from Finland, Karelia, and St. Petersburg—her grandfather and his parents emigrated soon after the Russian Revolution. As an adult, Anniina Tarasova reconnected with Russia, and especially St. Petersburg, which is the setting for the two thrillers.

In addition to workplace issues, Tarasova’s interests include startups, coding, and new business ideas. Even the cheesiest self-help books can inspire her, but her real literary influences and favorite books are to be found in other genres: Sujata Massey (Rei Shimura), Helen Fielding (Bridget Jones), Ljudmila Ulitskaja, and Charles Bukowski.

Arto Halonen & Kevin Frazier

Katja Törmänen

KATJA TÖRMÄNEN is a history teacher by training and a writer by profession. She has also studied and taught creative writing. She lives in Oulu, Northern Finland.

Minna Lindgren

Minna Lindgren (b. 1963) is a freelance journalist and columnist known for her whimsical writing style and fearless approach to topics as strange as opera and death. In addition to novels, she has authored nonfiction books on classical music. In 2009, Lindgren won the Bonnier Journalism Prize for her article entitled “Father’s Death” (“Isän kuolema”).

Lindgren is best known for the Sunset Grove trilogy, which has been sold to 18 territories, and the final part, The End of Sunset Grove, was nominated for the International Dublin Literature Award in 2019. She has also written four standalone novels and a non-fiction book about the history of opera.

Minna Lindgren’s books have been critical and commercial successes, in Finland and internationally.

Saara Turunen

Saara Turunen is an internationally acclaimed award-winning author, playwright and director. Much of her work examines the themes of art, identity and social norms. Turunen is known for her four highly acclaimed novels: Hyena Days (2024), Irrational Things (2021), The Bystander (2018), and Love/Monster (2015), but also for her work in theatre. Her works have been translated into 16 languages and performed all around the world. Turunen has received the Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize in 2015, the Finland Prize in 2016, the City of Helsinki’s The Artist of the Year Award in 2018 and the Lea-Prize in 2020, all high-profile awards given in Finland.

Photo credit: Ilkka Saastamoinen