Leena Lehtolainen on Making it in America

Leena Lehtolainen, the bestselling Finnish crime writer published by Tammi Publishers, has made a deal with U.S. publishing conglomerate Amazon Publishing for the world English rights of all her crime novels. The agreement includes all 11 inspector Maria Kallio novels and the more recent bodyguard Hilja Ilveskero trilogy. The deal is unique in size and makes publishing history in Finland.

The crime novels, which Leena Lehtolainen has been writing since 1993, are all Top Ten bestsellers in Finland and have been translated into 24 languages, including German, French, Spanish, Russian, Hebrew, Italian and, most recently, Complex Chinese. The first two U.S. translations are scheduled to come out already this year, complete with a big marketing campaign.

The deal was negotiated for Leena Lehtolainen and Tammi by her agent, Elina Ahlbäck Literary Agency.

We reached Lehtolainen in a taxi going to Helsinki airport, where the author was on her way to Taiwan to a publishing event for the first Chinese edition of one of her books: her most recent Maria Kallio novel Where Have All the Young Girls Gone, about tensions between immigrant and native Finns.

It is very rare for a Finnish author to reach the North American book market, not to mention a publisher of this magnitude and a multi-book deal. How do you feel about all this?

As a girl from the rural Finnish North Karelia district, it makes me a bit dizzy. Finnish literature has nothing to be ashamed of, it has just taken a bit longer for us than, for example for the Swedes. And it is a luxury for me to be able to work in a language where I have some knowledge of the nuances.

What have you learned from the translations of your novels into so many languages?

I am constantly impressed by the different questions my translators come up with. However, there are occasions when I feel the pressure of being a representative for the whole of Finnish culture.

Do you see yourself as a member of the Nordic crime writer community?

Absolutely! I have gotten to know several wonderful Scandinavian crime writers. But I seem to have a special bond with the Icelandic writer Arnaldur Indridason - I guess it has to do with the fact that we both come from the edge of Europe. But then again, I respect many Anglo-American writers, of whom Sara Paretsky is a key figure for me.

You have a tendency to deal with very contemporary, politically charged themes. How do you see the relationship between crime writing and the surrounding society?

It has been said that the big theme in Scandinavian crime writing is the collapse of the Nordic welfare society. As a politically passionate person, I find it natural to address contemporary issues that have no easy answers. Good crime writing does not have to be political, but it has the ability to raise awareness about things that matter to all of us but are not out in the open all the time.

Your crime novels have two very different female protagonists, inspector Maria Kallio and bodyguard Hilja Ilveskero. What kind of main characters do you find interesting?

Generally I find neither superheroes nor literary self-portraits very interesting. I relate to figures that have faults and make human mistakes. I am almost in love with P. D. James´ Adam Dalgleish. Reading a new Sara Paretsky novel is like meeting a very dear friend.

What advice would you give to an aspiring author?

Ha ha! As a figure skating enthusiast and a columnist I posed this question to a couple of figure skaters in the Sheffield European Championships last week. I'll give you an answer similar to the one they gave: Nothing is gained without hard work. If you love what you do, you can't go very wrong. And also, be open to the response you get to your work - none of us is a genius without a little help from others.