Tähtifantasia Award 2016

The Tähtifantasia Award for the best fantasy book translated into Finnish last year was announced at Finncon on July 2. The winner is Etäisten esikaupunkien asioita (Tales from outer suburbia) by Shaun Tan. The collection is translated by Jaana Kapari-Jatta and published by Lasten keskus.

The jury compared Tan’s stories to those of Leena Krohn and Tove Jansson and commended them as imaginative stories that give a lot to children, young adults, and adults alike. The stories talk about wanting to belong, the power of friendship, and the meaning of close relationships. There is always hope in the stories, even when the main characters are loners and outsiders.

The translation preserves the richness, the rhythm, and the atmosphere of the original exceptionally well. The jury recommends the Finnish version to all readers.

The award is given by the Helsinki Science Fiction Society, and the jury comprised of critics Jukka Halme, Aleksi Kuutio, and Anne Leinonen, and the Risingshadow.net fantasy forum representative Osmo Määttä.