
Kjell Westö (b. 1961 in Helsingfors/Helsinki) writes in Swedish, his mother tongue, and deals mainly with major themes in recent Finnish history. He has made a name for himself as a literary chronicler of his hometown of Helsinki. He studied journalism and literature and worked at a number of Swedish-language newspapers before deciding to focus entirely on his literary career.
Westö achieved his breakthrough as an author with Drakarna över Helsingfors (âKites over Helsinkiâ), an epic novel about the Bexar family. That book begins after the Second World War, but centres mainly on the time of Finlandâs economic expansion in the 1980s and the financial downturn in the 1990s. The novel DĂ€r vi en gĂ„ng gĂ„tt (âWhere We Once Walkedâ) is set in the period between 1905 and 1939 and deals with the Finnish civil war of 1918 and the class divisions in Helsinki society in the interwar years. The rounded characters and detailed descriptions of a city in turmoil are particularly striking, and two film adaptations have already been made of that book. GĂ„ inte ensam ut i natten (âDonât Go out into the Night Aloneâ) concentrates on the second half of the 20th century and deals with themes of friendship and loyalty, paying particular attention to 1960s popular culture.
In his latest novel, HĂ€gring 38 (âMirage 38â) Kjell Westö returns to the year 1938. On the eve of the Second World War, the trauma of the civil war is ever-present in the background. Westö received his second nomination for the prestigious Nordic Council Literature Prize for this novel.
German translations:
Das Trugbild, btb Verlag (erscheint am 1. September 2014), Ăbersetzung: Paul Berf.
Geh nicht einsam in die Nacht, btb Verlag 2013, Ăbersetzung: Paul Berf.
Wo wir einst gingen, btb Verlag 2008, Ăbersetzung: Paul Berf.
Das Trommeln des Regens, btb Verlag 2008, Ăbersetzung: Paul Berf.
Tante Elsie und mein letzter Sommer. AusgewĂ€hlte ErzĂ€hlungen, btb Verlag 2006, Ăbersetzung: Paul Berf.
Vom Risiko, ein Skrake zu sein, btb Verlag 2005, Ăbersetzung: Paul Berf.
Photo: © Cata Portin
Events
- Lange Nacht der Finnischen Literatur, 03.10.2014 19:30
- Bad Berleburger Literaturpflaster, 05.10.2014 20:00
- Harbour Front Festival, Lesung und GesppÀch mit Katja Kettu, 06.10.2014 20:00
- Erfurter Herbstlese, Lesung und GesprÀch, 08.10.2014 20:00
- Finnland. Cool. Party, 09.10.2014 17:00
- Reading | Lesung, 10.10.2014 13:30
- Lesung bei “Open Books”, 10.10.2014 17:00
- Finnisher Fussball – Kunst der stillen Niederlage Conversation | GesprĂ€ch, 11.10.2014 12:45
- Die finnische Stunde Conversation | GesprÀch, 11.10.2014 17:15
- Finnland. Cool – Vier ErzĂ€hlerstimmen aus dem Norden, 12.10.2014 14:00
- Handover Ceremony: Guest of Honour Finland 2014 – Indonesia 2015, 12.10.2014 15:30
- Lesung und GesprÀch mit Katja Kettu, 15.10.2014 20:00
- Lesung und GesprÀch mit Paul Berf, 17.10.2014 18:30