Books | Miki Liukkonen’s death was widely reported in France: This is why his production was valued in the country

Author Miki Liukkonen the death has been widely reported in foreign media. Liukkonen died on Tuesday, July 4.

The death was noted among the first in, among others, the Swedish in Aftonbladetwhich cites you Svenska Ylen news. Estonians, for example, have also written about the subject Postman and ChronicleItalian La RegionNorwegian Dagbladet and British Euro Weekly News.

The death was particularly widely reported in France, as two of Liukko’s works have been translated into French. Liukkonen’s death was reported, among other things, by French major newspapers Le Monde and Le Figaro.

The French publishing house Le Castor Astral reported on Liukkonen’s death in social media. An Instagram post described him as a writer, poet and musician best known for his more than a thousand pages of experimental and daring writing in his novel O.

According to the publishing house, thanks to the work, Liukko was considered one of the most innovative contemporary writers of his generation.

Novel O published in France in French in 2021 and a collection of poems Elizabeth followed in June 2023. Kustantamo describes Elizabeth into a notable work among world literature.

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In Liukkonen, the French were fascinated specifically by the effort to create a new way of writing and telling stories.

Written the field in France is huge, and people have a natural interest in literature from other countries as well, says a writer living in France Kira Poutanen. According to him, Miki Liukko was highly respected in the country.

“I remember when Obecame a review for Le Monde in 2021. That was a really big recognition. It was an appreciative and thoughtful assessment, which already says something about the fact that he was valued,” says Poutanen.

Read more: “Magnetic book monster” – enthusiastic review of Miki Liukkonen’s O novel in Le Monde newspaper

Poutanen is extremely sad about Liukkonen’s death. However, he says that he was positively surprised by how quickly the matter was reported in France.

“In France, literature and culture are considered an absolute value that is never really questioned. Miki was exactly the kind of writer who took his literature and writing very seriously. For him, it wasn’t just storytelling, but ambitious work that aims for innovation.”

According to Poutanen, writers who take their work seriously are well understood in France. He believes that the French in Liukkonen were fascinated by the effort to create a new way of writing and telling stories.

in Finland Liukkonen was also a public figure, while in France the focus was on literature. For example O-the work was also thought about through its structure and not just as a narrative entity.

“Here, you could appreciate Miki’s literary work in particular and how great it was,” says Poutanen.

Poutanen thinks that writing in Finland is a little tamer than, for example, in France, which he describes as the home of experimental literature.

“Miki always brought up the hope that Finnish literature would dare to take more risks. I and many colleagues were inspired by the fact that he encouraged bolder and more innovative work.”

Miki Liukkonen has translated the works into French Sébastien Cagnoli.

Read more: Translated by Sofi Oksanen: French is a rational language, Finnish is not – the French can’t stand the mystery of Finnish novels

Reached by e-mail from Nice, Cagnoli says that the news of Liukkonen’s death was a shock in the country. “The tragic news has been reported by the entire literary press and the major general newspapers.”

Cagnoli ended up turning Liukkonen O-because of the two crushes in the novel. He first fell in love with the work himself when it appeared in Finland in 2017.

“I immediately recognized obsessions, themes, combinations of words or thoughts that are familiar to me, also in my own works as a writer,” Cagnoli says in Finnish.

At the same time, the French publishing house La Castor Astral fell in love with the book at the Frankfurt book fair. “The Southern French publishing house is always interested in poetry and music first. They were completely enthralled by this extraordinary book. So we joined forces,” Cagnoli recalls.

Translating such a work was quite a process. Cagnoli says that it took two years to translate. The work was physically very lonely, but mentally it was more lively: in the translator’s own head, many characters from the novel were wandering around.

“I let each character, each neurosis, live inside me, to reproduce them in syntax, vocabulary, rhythm. I had to recognize myself in detail in each character. But I also had to take a step back in Mickey’s shoes to master the overall structure, music and poetry. I had to follow the current, let the eddy take me and still try not to drown. It was acrobatic, and in the end, of course, I changed,” Cagnoli writes.

During the translation work, the two kept in touch by e-mail. According to Cagnoli, Liukkonen was very cooperative. “We made sure that I found a style that was consistent with the universe he created.”

When the work then appeared in French in 2021, it was a case. Critics praised. According to critics O was “a monumental book by a young author with a complex and remarkably well-controlled structure and style”.

However, the pandemic years stood in the way of greater success. They significantly disrupted the publication of the work.

“Miki was supposed to visit France Is for the release, but unfortunately the pandemic canceled everything. There were only a couple of public events on Zoom.”

Last Miki Liukkonen’s poetry work was published in France in May Elizabeth. Sébastien Cagnoli has translated it as well.

Liukkonen was supposed to travel to France soon for the publication of the work, but did not have time to do so, Cagnioli says. He was very happy about the publication of the work in France.

“He was proud to see his poems in French. He was also obviously moved by the opportunity to share this tribute to his mother in a bilingual edition with new Finnish readers who might not have seen the first edition in 2012.”

Cagnioli says that he was anxious about the introduction he made to Elizabeth. “In it, I present my own interpretation of his literary career and poetry. I was afraid of getting lost. But he reassured me: ‘The preface is perfectly fine!’ This was the last conversation I had with him.”

Sébastien Cagnoli now has a message for all Finns who appreciate Miki Liukkonen’s work: “Let’s take his voice forward!”