Kjell Westö (Finland)

Kjell Westö was born in 1961 in Helsinki and made his literary debut in 1986. He became one of Finland’s most prominent authors quite some time ago and is one of the best-known and most highly awarded representatives of Swedish-language literature in the novel genre. Through translations, he enjoys a wide readership in Swedish, Finnish, Estonian, and many other languages. Several of Westö’s novels have been adapted for the stage, screen, or television series.

Westö often depicts his hometown, Helsinki, in different eras and from the perspectives of various social classes. This was already evident in his breakthrough novel “Drakarna över Helsingfors” (1996, “Kites over Helsinki”), the first book in a tetralogy portraying post-war Finland and Helsinki. In contrast, the musician’s novel „Tritonus” (2020) is set in the present day and the countryside.

Westö has portrayed Helsinki in earlier times in novels such as “Där vi en gång gått” (2006, “Where We Once Walked”), which centres on the bloody events of the 1918 civil war, and “Hägring 38” (2013, “The Wednesday Club”), which is set in 1938, with the looming shadows of a war both recently past and soon to erupt hanging over the plot and its protagonists.

Only in his most recent novel, “Skymning 41” (2023, “Dusk 41”), does Westö turn to the Second World War. Although peace had officially been restored in Finland following the Winter War with the Soviet Union at the beginning of 1941, it still felt as though “THE WAR HAD somehow taken up residence in the city” [quote from Part II, Chapter 6 of the novel]. Not long after, a new war begins – the Continuation War.

During these dark months, journalist Henry and actress Molly struggle to maintain their romantic relationship. Through their story, the novel portrays the everyday efforts to rebuild life and look to the future after the devastation of war, while also highlighting the various challenges Henry and Molly face in their professions, especially in a climate where high politics and the brutality of war continue to shape human destinies in countless ways.

Because of its vivid depiction of the era, the novel, published in Estonian in Tõnis Arnover’s translation in 2025 by Eesti Raamat, has become alarmingly relevant even today.