Sofi Oksanen has been awarded a prestigious Medal of Honour by the French Order Ordre des Arts et des Lettres that recognizes significant contributions to the arts and literature, or the propagation of these fields, by French and foreign citizens alike. She receives the Chevalier (Knight’s) distinction, which in the past been bestowed upon the likes of William S. Burroughs, Alice Munro and Tim Burton. The ceremony which will see Sofi decorated is to be held at the beginning of 2019 in France. Oksanen has previously been the recipient of several major French literary awards, notably the Fnac- and Prix Femina Ètranger awards for her novel Purge in 2010.

The Nobel Prize in Literature will not be awarded by the Swedish Academy this year. In the wake of that, a new academy has been formed to award an international literary prize.

Sofi Oksanen and Ulf Lundell are both nominated for The New Academy Prize in Literature. The list of nominees is composed by Swedish librarians. Three authors will be singled out from the voting for a final judging by the expert jury. A fourth author will enter the final entirely based on the nominations from the librarians. Of these authors, two will be female and two will be male. The voting closes on August 14th. The winner will be announced on October 14th and presented at a formal event on December 10th.

To see the full list of nominees and to vote, click on “Read more”.

Sofi Oksanen and Pajtim Statovci have both been nominated for awards at The Culture Gala of the Century in Finland. The gala will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Finland’s independence, and the past 100 years’ cultural heritage.

Sofi Oksanen has been nominated in the Internationalization category for the Ambassador of Finnish Culture award. She shares the category with among else director Aki Kaurismäki.

Pajtim Statovci is a nominee for the Future of Finnish Culture award in the Future category, which turns an eye to the individuals that will shape contemporary Finnish culture in the years to come.

The Gala of The Century will take place in Turku on October 18th. It will be broadcast live by Finland’s national public broadcasting company, YLE.

Sofi Oksanen’s When the Doves Disappeared and Fredrik Backman’s My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry are longlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award 2017. The shortlist will be published next year in April and the winner will be announced on June 21st.

Click on “Read more” below to read about the nominees.

Sofi Oksanen’s Norma has been shortlisted for the Young Aleksis Literature Prize 2016 in Finland. The nominees for the prize are selected by a jury consisting of young Finnish readers, who each year pick their favorite authors and titles. The winning author will receive the Prize on October 29th.

Norma by Sofi Oksanen is No. 3 on the official Finnish bestseller list this month. Jo Nesbø’s Midnight Sun and Blood on Snow is No. 2 and No. 4 respectively and Jens Lapidus’ Stockholm Delete is No. 3 on the Finnish bestseller list for translated fiction. Jo Nesbø’s The Son is No. 2 on the paperback list.

The Guardian has chosen Sofi Oksanen’s When the Doves Disappeared as one of 2015’s best novels, calling the book “a heartbreaking tale of love and betrayal.” The novel has additionally been handpicked by The Globe and Mail as one of the 100 best books of 2015. The Canadian newspaper praises Oksanen’s wonderful characters and unforgettable style, labeling the novel a “great historical thriller.”

To read The Guardian’s article, click here.
To read The Globe and Mail’s article, click here.

Sofi Oksanen’s When the Doves Disappeared has been selected by The Independent as one of 2015’s 14 best translated novels. The Independent’s jury of literary critics praised the novel as a “finely crafted tale of two Estonian generations”.

It has just been announced that Sofi Oksanen’s Swedish translator Janina Orlov has been awarded the 2015 Finnish State Award for Foreign Translators. The annual award is given to an experienced translator of the Finnish language, and this year the chosen recipient is Janina Orlov, who thus far has translated more than 30 works into the Swedish language. Orlov’s critically acclaimed translations have helped make Finnish contemporary literature known among Swedish readers of all generations, and she speaks enthusiastically about the high quality of Finnish literature, as well as the increased interest for it among publishers that she sees. Currently, she is working on Sofi Oksanen’s latest novel Norma.

Sofi Oksanen’s Norma has now been sold to 20 territories! The novel, a spellbinding and dark stand-alone, remains No. 1 on the official Finnish bestseller list.

Sofi Oksanen’s highly anticipated new novel Norma has gone straight to No. 1 on the official bestseller list in Finland. The stand-alone novel is a dark family drama with fantastical undertones, and introduces yet another facet of Oksanen’s authorship.

When her mother dies in a suspicious accident, Norma Ross is left with no one. The two have been constant companions throughout her life, tied together by blood as well as a great secret. Inside of Norma an extraordinary magic is at work, and it has both blessed and cursed her with supernaturally fast-growing hair, sensitive to the slightest change of mood. All of her life Norma and her mother Anita have struggled to keep this secret, and protect Norma from those who would consider her a freak. Now after Anita’s death, photographs and videos in her home reveal that Norma’s mother knew far more about her daughter’s affliction than she let on.

Sofi Oksanen’s Norma is a dark family drama with fantastical undertones. Oksanen is spellbinding as she weaves together the past with the present and introduces the compelling character Norma and her world.