OUR BOOKS
We have a curated selection of books by Nordic authors available in both French and English. We also offer a select number of titles in Swedish.
BOOKS OF THE MONTH
Maternités
by Sigrid Undset
Sigrid Undset (1882-1949) was a Danish-born Norwegian author renowned for her brilliant, evocative writing about women. Thanks to the publishing house Cambourakis, French readers can now rediscover her work in new, exquisite editions. Maternités (original title Fattige skjaebner) is a short yet moving tale in which the author explores what it means to be a mother. We meet Hélène Johansen, who, though seemingly content, carries a deep inner void. Her life changes when she takes in Tjodolf, a child born out of wedlock, but complications arise with the sudden return of his biological mother.
Passage
by Edith Hammar
Another day, another great graphic novel from The Great North. This time, it’s taking place in Helsinki. Edith Hammar (1992) tells a beautiful, time-travelling and queer love story. Passage (original title Portal) has been described as “Very melancholic and insanely fun” and “A queer nostalgia trip dripping with sexiness”. Sounds promising, doesn’t it?
The red book of farewells
by Pirkko Saisio
Pirkko Saisio (1949) has been described as the grand troublemaker of Finnish literature. Le livre rouge des ruptures (original title Punainen erokirja) is the last, and according to us, the most astonishing, part of her Helsinki trilogy. In this book, the protagonist is approaching adulthood and joins the Helsinki Student Theatre, openly influenced by a communist ethos. Soon, she meets her great love, Havva. It’s a farewell to the most formative years of Pirkko, and we’re reading it with deep melancholy, profound wonder and intense joy.