Month: April 2010

other book prizes other than the booker !

~ winstonsdad ~ 1 Comment

i ve spoken a lot about the booker ,but thought I d point out some other prizes that are out there –

PRIX GONCOURT-

START IN 1903 ,named after the successful french writer /editor Edmund de Goncourt .it is award annually ,and never tends to be awarded to the same writer twice ,notable previous winner in recent years have been Jonathan Littell’s the kindly ones and Atiq Rahimi’s the patience stone .the 2009 winner is Marie Ndiaye with her book  trois femmes puissantes.

atiq rahimi 2008 winner

DEUTSHER BUCHPREIS -GERMAN BOOK PRIZE –

This is germany’s premier book prize it is closely modeled on the booker prize it is also awarded annually ,with first a longlist ,then short list and winner .the prize started in 2005 .last years winner was Kathrin  Schmidt. du stirbst nicht a novel that follows some one awaking from a coma .

Kathrin Schmidt winner 2009

best translated book award –

This award is present by three percent the organization based in america to promote translated books as in america only three percent of books are translated from other fiction .the prize is awarded annually ,this prize also highlights the wonderful people who translate and bring alive these books in english the last winner was Gail Harevens the confession of Noa Weber translated from hebrew it follows Noa Weber a well-known writer .

the 2009 winner

NORDIC COUNCIL LITERATURE PRIZE –

Is an award given by the nordic council annually ,the nominees come from all the nordic countries ,and has been awarded since 1962 ,notable winners include Per Petterson,Sjon .this years winner was finnish Estonia writer Sofi Oksanen with her Puhdistus /purge tells of a families experience follow tragedy .

winner 2010 sofi oksanen

There are some other book awards .

the year of the hare by Arto Paasilinna

~ winstonsdad ~ 7 Comments

notes-

this book was originally written in 1975 ,and may be describe as new age in a way ,Arto Passilinna is Finnish a journalist poet and novelist .The year of the hare is his most successful book being named a U.N.E.S.C.O BOOK IN 1994 .The book has twice been made into a film in 1977 and 2006 .Arto has published over twenty novel his last published in finland last year Elävänä omissa hautajaisissa (“Alive at His Own Funeral”) .

THE BOOK –

The story revolves around Vatanen a finnish journalist ,he and a photographer are driving home one evening when they hit a hare . they gather the injured hare .At this point Vantanen decides to nurse the hare and follow it to the far north and wilds of finland,abandoning his previous life and his family as he does so ,but along the way taking a number of small jobs with an assortment of characters he runs along .He wants the hare as his constant companion and only real friend .in the end Vantanen ends up in prison in the old soviet union as the hare doesn’t know about borders . but not even this keeps him from freedom with his hare at his side .

my view-

this book seems to be of its time 1975 ,it is a  new age novel in the vein of Jonathan Livingstone seagull about freedom and being yourself no matter what .Artos use of the hare is wonderful through history the hare has been revered as a magical and mischievous creature .The book is wonderfully paced with short snappy chapters and at 130 pages long is a two sitting or all day book . A real find of a book .

links –

peter owens page

QUESTION –

Have you read this book or any finnish fiction ?