Turkish translations of Finnish literature
Finnish literature has a rich history, and many Finnish literary works have been translated into different languages, including Turkish.
The most widely translated and published work of Finnish literature abroad is Kalevala, the epic poem of Finland. It has been translated into 61 languages so far. The first translation of Kalevala to Turkish goes back to 1965, and in 2017, the Turkish translation of the only official version of Kalevala was published. Mika Waltari’s "The Egyptian (Mısırlı Sinuhe)" and Sofi Oksanen’s "Purge (Araf)" are the adult fiction novels that follow Kalevala in being translated into over 40 languages as well as Turkish. ‘The Year of the Hare’ (Tavşan Yılı) by Arto Paasilinna is also one of these.
Ari Turunen’s ‘History of Arrogance (Kibrin Tarihi – Sen Benim Kim Olduğumu Biliyor musun), Antti Tuomainen's ‘Dark as My Heart’ (Kalbim Kadar Karanlık) and Johanna Sinisalo’s ‘The Core of the Sun (Güneşin Çekirdeği)’ are examples of successful Finnish authors whose works have been recently published in Turkish. Juhani Karila’s Fishing for the Little Pike is also coming soon, with rights already sold to Türkiye. Be it the profound reality in Oksanen’s books or the ‘weird fiction’ in Sinisalo’s books, the translated Finnish literature remains a bridge for Turkish readers to Finland’s history, culture, and philosophy.
When it comes to children’s literature, Finland has several authors and works that are world-renowned and widely followed in other countries as well. Famous Finnish artist and writer Tove Jansson’s "Moomin" series started being published in Turkish in 2010, and it was followed by many other Tove Jansson books. Telling the story of the adventurous Moomin family, the Moomin series is often described as more than a family drama. It is "reflecting an entire life philosophy". With colorful illustrations and entertaining language, Finnish children’s books are attracting both children and adults. Mauri Kunnas, Tove Appelgren, Siri Kolu, Anna Härmälä, and Magdalena Hai are examples of authors of Finnish children’s literature whose works have been published in Turkish. Selja Ahava’s touching novel ‘Things that fall from the Sky (Gökten Düşen Şeyler)’ is also a recently published story worth-reading for young readers. Anna Härmälä’s "Postcards From Grandma Flyaway (Babaanne Göçmen Kuş’tan Kartlar) tells the story of a journey around the world in postcards, that Grandma Flyaway sends to her granddaughter from exciting places on her migratory travels.
Take a look at a map of Finnish literature published in translation around the world: https://fili.fi/en/literary-exports/worldmap-of-finnish-literature-en/