At the
moment perhaps Finland´s most famous author is Finnish-Estonian Sofi Oksanen with her acclaimed novels
translated to many foreign languages and making her well known all over the
world.
The
publication of her new novel Kun kyyhkyset katosivat (When the Doves Disappeared, LIKE) was celebrated last week in
Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, and the first edition of 100 000 copies is
already almost sold out.
This
beautiful piece of dynamite, tiny and explosive, is an amazing writer,
hardworking and skillful. Perhaps almost too skillful – the new novel is like a
kaleidoscope that reveals all the time so many new colourful facets of
people, events and lies that the reader
don´t believe his eyes. The political history of Estonia in the forties and
sixties described to the details is of course interesting and important
- however in many places it is so heavy that it almost sinks the story.
But that
does mean only you have to read the novel for the second time to really find
out even the minor significant details.
And the
title of the book, what does it mean?
”During
the German occupation the Germans did eat the doves of Estonia”, Sofi said. 
The
window of Suomalainen Kirjakauppa in Helsinki invited the readers to the
bookstore during the first night of the publication.
Photos © Paula Hietaranta
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