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2014 Longlist

The Brothers

Translated from the original Finnish by Emily Jeremiah and Fleur Jeremiah

ABOUT
THE BOOK

Finland, 1809. Henrik and Erik are brothers who fought on opposite sides in the war between Sweden and Russia. With peace declared, they both return to their snowed-in farm. But who is the master? Sexual tensions, old grudges, family secrets: all come to a head in this dark and gripping saga.

 

ABOUT
THE AUTHOR Asko
Sahlberg

Asko Sahlberg, born 1964, has acquired a fame in Finland that has yet to be replicated in the English speaking world. He published his first novel in 2000 and has written steadily since then, completing his ninth work, The Brothers, in 2010.

Asko Sahlberg, born 1964, has acquired a fame in Finland that has yet to be replicated in the English speaking world. He published his first novel in 2000 and has written steadily since then, completing his ninth work, The Brothers, in 2010.

NOMINATING LIBRARY COMMENTS

In 1809 Erik and Henrik are brothers who fought on different sides of the war between Sweden and Russia. The war resulted in the ownership of Finland drifting from the Swedes to the Russians. When the brothers return from the war a Shakespearean drama of betrayal and revenge unfolds. This is a gripping historical novel told in Sahlberg’s spare, precise prose, a story that feels much greater.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Date published
01/01/2010
Country
Finland
Original Language
Finnish
Author
Publisher
Peirene Press
Translator
Emily Jeremiah
Translation
Translated from the original Finnish by Emily Jeremiah and Fleur Jeremiah

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