Literature export center Fili has launched a project to target large reading audiences in German-speaking Europe.
In Finnish literature exports are doing well, according to a recent report by the Literature Export Center Fili. Exports grew by five percent last year, and revenues rose to 3.9 million euros, which is an all-time record.
An average of 300–400 translations of literature originally published in Finland, written in Finnish, Finnish-Swedish or Sami, appear each year. In 2022, however, a total of 477 translations of Finnish literature were published in 44 different languages. Contracts related to translation rights were made for approximately 580 Finnish books.
The copyright income of individual books has decreased slightly, but on the other hand, the advances received from translation rights are higher than before.
Last in 2008, the most revenues from literature exports came from Germany, the United States and Great Britain. Translation rights were also sold the most to Germany.
The world’s largest book and media event, the Frankfurt Book Fair, was organized in October, and for example Maria Turtschaninoff Marsh and Iida Turpeinen Living things “spoke to a huge number of foreign publishers”, says the director of Fili Tiia Strandén.
The so-called detective stories of the new generation, such as Antti Tuomainen, Fairy tale Rämö, Max Seeck, Arttu Tuominen and Tuomas Niskakangasare also of interest to many.
Almost half of exports are children’s literature, says Strandén. For example Amanda and Sophia Chanfreau last year, Children’s and Youth Literature Finlandia having won Giraffes hjärta är ovanligt stort / A giraffe’s heart is unusually large (Fin. Outi Menna) translation rights have been sold to fourteen languages. The work will be published in Hebrew, Korean, Danish and Chinese, among others.
A separate project “It’s Finland again!” has been launched in Fili. Finnish literature in German-speaking Europe”, with the aim of reaching large reading audiences. The Finnish German Institute, the Finnish Embassy in Germany and Visit Finland are involved in the project.
On the other hand also the Nordic countries and especially Sweden are now good export countries, says Strandén.
“Finnish detectives go to Sweden, which is somehow unheard of,” he says. For years, the situation has been exactly the opposite.
In recent years, a considerable number of literary beauties have also been sold to Sweden, such as Iida Rauma, Juhani Karila and Petra Rautiainen.
“Rosa Liksom is already a big name in Sweden,” says Strandén.
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