Author Guests Alena Mornštajnová & Markéta Hejkalová

As part of the Helsinki Book Fair, Czech author Alena Mornštajnová visits Kallion Library. She is accompanied by author and translator Markéta Hejkalová, who has translated works by Mika Waltari and Arto Paasilinna, among others. The evening focuses on literature and translation - what Finnish literature is translated into Czech, what Czech literature is translated into Finnish, and which Finnish authors Czechs love and why.

Alena Mornštajnová is one of the most widely read contemporary Czech authors: her works have sold over a million copies in the Czech Republic and translation rights have been sold to nearly 30 countries. Her breakthrough novel "Hana" has also been translated into Persian and Arabic. Finnish readers know her from three Finnish editions: "Hana", "Silent Years" and "November" (Kairaamo Publishing).

Mornštajnová also appears at the Helsinki Book Fair on Friday at the Tölö stage from 4-4:30 pm. Kairaamo Publishing, founded in 2022, specializes in translated fiction and has published works by five contemporary Czech authors in Finnish.