Currently the best known Finn in Germany, Samu Haber, Sunrise Avenue’s lead vocalist and “The Voice of Germany” juror, reveals his favourite literature in this “Finnland. Cool.” interview.

 Samu Haber (second from right) and his band Sunrise Avenue. Press photos by Olaf Heine taken from “Unholy Ground”: www.sunriseave.com

Finland is Guest of Honour at this year’s international Frankfurt Book Fair. How important is Finnish literature to you? Has Finnish literature had any influence on your work as a songwriter?

Samu: Of course I grew up with Finnish literature, but I read much more international stuff, especially biographies. I write songs in English and for some reason it’s easier to get the connection when the book is international.

Is reading important to you? How do you find the time to read with your busy schedule? Which literary genre (such as poems, detective stories, graphic novels, etc.) do you prefer?

Samu: There’s actually a lot of time to read on airplanes, busses and at hotel rooms. I read pretty much. A book is also a better way to relax than a movie or a TV series. A screen makes you feel passive when a book takes you into this imaginary world in a good way.

Who is your favourite author and what was the last book you read?

Samu: I don’t really have a favourite; it all depends on the book. The last three books are “Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson, “Escape from camp 14” – story of North Korean prisoners, “I am Zlatan Ibrahimovic” the Swedish football player. I love it when the stuff really happened to people. It just makes the whole thing stronger.

Which Finnish book or author would you recommend to our readers?

Samu: I like Sofi Oksanen. Her books are usually stories of Finnish and Northern European history and that helps to get a connection with the book. She’s also a very cool character in person.

The children’s author Tove Jansson celebrates her 100th Birthday this year. Are you familiar with the Moomins stories? Who were your literary heroes when you were a child?

Samu: Of course everyone in Finland knows her. Moomins are extremely popular here in the north and actually I love them because the stories are very down to earth and also educating for kids. If I have children someday, I’ll definitely read them as bedtime stories to them.

“Finnland. Cool.” is the motto of this year’s Guest of Honour programme. What are the other “cool” aspects of Finland, apart from the low temperatures in winter?

Samu: Finland is pretty similar to Germany actually, we’re both Lutheran countries where people pay their taxes and follow the rules. I like the clean, ecological, Nordic way of life overall, and coolness is a good way to describe the Nordic Countries.

If I had just 72 hours to spend in Finland, what would be the “coolest” places to go?

Samu: Helsinki is a very nice city that most people just don’t ever visit for some reason. I’d go there for one day to visit the great restaurants and for some cool design and other shops. Then the nature we have – it’s very amazing! Imagine, Finland is the same size with Germany but we have only 5.6 million people here. We have more than 100,000 clean freshwater lakes and I’d probably visit our summer house one hour from Helsinki just to experience the amazing beauty of the nature. You can drink the water straight from our lake and the rabbits and deer are by your porch in the morning. Then I’d definitely see some rock concerts in Helsinki. The bands from here are amazing!

The interview is authorized for publication by Samu Haber and his management.

The Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2014 presents itself with humour and Finnish coolness – far more than 100 titles appear in the German language.

Frankfurt, 10 October 2013. Finnland. Cool. is the motto of Finland, the Guest of Honour at the coming Frankfurt Book Fair (8 -12 October 2014). Roman Schatz is the creator of the concise slogan. The Finn by choice who is living and working as a writer and journalist in Helsinki since 26 years uses it to put the thinking and action of Finns in a nutshell: “Finland has not reached its present stature because of military power or economic strength but rather because of its culture, where reading and education play the main roles. The coolest thing about Finland are the stories that we will tell in the coming year”.

With its appearance as the Guest of Honour, Finland expects a major breakthrough for Finnish literature and culture. The primary target is to place Finnish literature permanently on the book markets of the world, together with a significant increase in the sales of foreign rights. FILI (Finnish Literature Exchange) is responsible for the practical implementation of the ambitious project. As Iris Schwanck, the director of FILI and the project Finnland. Cool. 2014, says, reading was and is a key factor in the history of Finland. The entire appearance accordingly concerns itself – both visually and in terms of content – with lan•guage, words and their significance, with letters and ideas. “Our history consists of words. Literature, reading and learning are at the centre. We play with this versatility and use new ways to highlight literature – and also in unexpected contexts”, according to Iris Schwanck.

Students of different faculties of Aalto-University designed the logo for the appearance of the Guest of Honour as well as they give proof of their creativity by designing the exhibition presented by the Guest of Honour in the Forum. The success story of the Finnish education system will be in the foreground as far as content is concerned. “Finns love reading and we are world champions in using libraries”, explains Paavo Arhinmäki, Finnish Minister for Culture and Sport.

The Guest of Honour has ambitious plans for the coming year: Considerably more than 100 new translations will appear in 2014 in the Ger•man speaking area alone. A numerous number of Finnish authors present their diversity in the context of numerous literary festivals, readings and discussions in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. FILI sees the foundation of a professional translator community as a significant resource. The organisation has been training hundreds of translators for this purpose in various languages since the signature of the contract with the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2009 and organised international visits to publishers.

FILI has already been contributing for years to the translation, printing and also the publication of Finnish literature all over the world. The organisation supports over 200 translations in this way in over 40 languages. “Finnish literature is inventive, stimulating as well as sophisti•cated and we have great trailblazers for the international success of our literature. Tove Jansson for example, whose centenary will be celebrated next year, Arto Paasilinna or Sofi Oksanen as the latest star”, explains Iris Schwanck. Another name that one has to remember for the future is Salla Simukka. The rights for the Snow White thriller trilogy of the newcomer have been sold in more than 30 countries of the world.

Another objective set for the appearance of the Guest of Honour is an extensive network with players from the international publishing scene. Finland would also like to strengthen its reputation in Germany and Europe as a country of culture and a fascinating place for a vacation.

“Everybody thinks of Finland in relation to something else”, says Juergen Boos, Director of the Frankfurt Book Fair. “The exemplary education system and the extremely low illiteracy rate for example. Or also crime thrillers, tango and sauna. Cool taciturnity as found in Kaurismäki. I for one grew up with the Mumin trolls of the author, Tove Jansson. I did not know for a long time that Tove Jansson is Finnish, but that she writes in Swedish. I am looking forward to Finnish literature and am sure that the Guest of Honour will surprise us all in 2014.”

Further information:

Press Office Finnland. Cool. | c/o WBCO GmbH | Silvia Lenz | Krögerstraße 2 | 60313 Frankfurt | T +49.69.13388037 | F +49.69.13388033 | s.lenz@wbco.de