Emmi Itäranta
{{Short description|Finnish novelist (born 1976)}}
{{Title language|fi|italics=no}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = Emmi Itäranta
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| image = Itaranta emmi at koolibri 2014.JPG
| image_size = 250px
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| caption = Emmi Itäranta at Koolibri in Tallinn, in 2014
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| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1976}}
| birth_place = Tampere, Finland
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| occupation = Novelist
| language = Finnish, English
| nationality = Finnish
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| education =
| alma_mater = University of Tampere
University of Kent
| period =
| genres = Speculative fiction, science fiction
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| notablework = Memory of Water 2014
The City of Woven Streets 2016
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| website = {{URL|https://www.emmiitaranta.com/}}
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{{Langr|fi|Emmi Elina Itäranta}} (born 1976) is a Finnish novelist. Her debut novel Memory of Water was published by HarperCollins in 2014.
Biography
Born in Tampere, Finland, Itäranta holds a MA in drama from the University of Tampere, and worked as a columnist, theatre critic, script writer and press officer after graduation.{{cite journal|last1=Riikonen|first1=Marika|title=The words will flow as long as she can move her hands|journal=Finnish Weird 2014|url=http://issuu.com/teroyks/docs/finnish_weird_2014|access-date=11 February 2015}}{{Cite web |url=https://yle.fi/a/3-8406787 |title=Maailmalla menestynyt kirjailija Emmi Itäranta kirjoittaa kahdella kielellä |last=Gustafsson |first=Miia |date=25 October 2015 |website=Yle |language=fi |access-date=26 November 2024}} In 2007 she enrolled in the postgraduate program of University of Kent, where she began writing her debut novel as a part of her Creative Writing course work.{{cite web|last1=Goldschlager|first1=Amy|title=Emmi Itäranta|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/features/emmi-itaranta/|website=Kirkus|access-date=11 February 2015}}{{cite web|last1=Walton-Lange|first1=Lucy|title=Exclusive interview with Emmi Itäranta|url=http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/books/emmi-itaranta-memory-of-water-470063.html|website=Female First|access-date=20 January 2015}} Working simultaneously in English and her native Finnish,{{cite web|last1=Roberts|first1=Adam|title=Best science fiction books of 2014|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/dec/05/best-science-fiction-books-2014|website=The Guardian|access-date=11 February 2015}}{{cite web|last1=Buxton|first1=Charlotta|title=How to write a novel in two languages – a writing interview with Emmi Itäranta|url=http://www.londonlotta.com/2013/05/how-to-write-a-novel-in-two-languages-a-writing-interview-with-emmi-itaranta/|website=Londonlotta|access-date=20 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140803070241/http://www.londonlotta.com/2013/05/how-to-write-a-novel-in-two-languages-a-writing-interview-with-emmi-itaranta/|archive-date=3 August 2014|url-status=dead}} Itäranta completed both manuscripts, and in 2011 the Finnish version won the Fantasy and Sci-Fi Literary Fiction contest organised by the Finnish publishing house {{ill|Teos (company)|fi|Teos (kirjankustantamo)|lt=Teos}}.{{cite web|last1=Brusso|first1=Charlene|title=Women Reach for the Stars: Science Fiction & Fantasy|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/new-titles/adult-announcements/article/59201-women-reach-for-the-stars-science-fiction-fantasy.html|website=Publishers Weekly|access-date=20 January 2015}} The novel was published by Teos in 2012 under the name Teemestarin kirja (lit. "The Tea Master's Book"). The book won the {{ill|Kalevi Jäntti Award|fi|Kalevi Jäntin palkinto}} in 2012, and the {{ill|Nuori Aleksis Award|fi|Nuori Aleksis -palkinto}} in 2013. It was also shortlisted for the 2013 Tähtivaeltaja Award.{{cite web|last1=Stenger|first1=Wif|title=Finnish dystopian debut stirs literary interest in US|url=http://yle.fi/uutiset/finnish_dystopian_debut_stirs_literary_interest_in_us/7285794|website=YLE News|access-date=20 January 2015}}
The English version of the book, Memory of Water, was published by HarperCollins in 2014 in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia.{{cite web|last1=Farrington|first1=Joshua|title=HarperVoyager signs Finnish debut|url=http://www.thebookseller.com/news/harpervoyager-signs-finnish-debut|website=The Bookseller|access-date=20 January 2015}} It has been nominated for the 2014 Philip K. Dick Award,{{cite web|title=2014 Philip K. Dick Award Nominees Announced|url=http://www.philipkdickaward.org/2015/01/2014-philip-k-dick-award-nominees-announced.html|website=Philip K. Dick Award|access-date=20 January 2015}} as well as the Golden Tentacle Award{{cite web|title=2014 Golden Tentacle Finalists |url=http://www.thekitschies.com/golden-tentacle.html |website=The Kitschies |access-date=16 February 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301072242/http://thekitschies.com/golden-tentacle.html |archive-date=1 March 2014 }} and the Arthur C. Clarke Award.{{cite web|title=29th Arthur C. Clarke Award Shortlist Announced|url=http://www.clarkeaward.com/previous-awards/shortlists/2015-shortlist-announced/|website=The Arthur C. Clarke Awards|publisher=Serendip|access-date=6 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150424032501/http://www.clarkeaward.com/previous-awards/shortlists/2015-shortlist-announced/|archive-date=24 April 2015|url-status=dead}} Translation rights of the book have been sold to 21 territories to date, and it has already been published in Arabic, Czech, Danish, Estonian, French, Georgian, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish and Turkish.{{cite web|title=Russian rights to Emmi Itäranta's Memory of Water sold to Text Publishers|url=http://www.ahlbackagency.com/uncategorized/2015/09/russian-rights-to-emmi-itarantas-memory-of-water-sold-to-text-publishers/|website=Elina Ahlback Literary Agency|access-date=23 September 2015}} The Italian version of the book, La Memoria dell'Acqua, was published by Frassinelli and was among the three final nominees for the Premio Salerno Libro d'Europa in 2016.
Itäranta's second novel was published in October 2015 in Finnish, as Kudottujen kujien kaupunki. It too was nominated for the 2016 Tähtivaeltaja Award, and was one of the novels to receive the City of Tampere Literary Award.{{cite web|last1=Rajamäki|first1=Aila|title=Tampereen kaupunki palkitsi kulttuurin, taiteen ja tieteen tekijöitä|url=http://www.tampere.fi/tampereen-kaupunki/ajankohtaista/tiedotteet/2016/04/29042016_3.html|website=City of Tampere|publisher=City of Tampere|access-date=26 May 2016}} The English language version was published in 2016, under the name The City of Woven Streets in the UK, and as The Weaver in the US and Canada.{{cite web|title=Harper Collins – The City of Woven Streets by Emmi Itäranta|url=http://www.harpercollins.co.uk/9780007536085/the-city-of-woven-streets|publisher=HarperCollinsPublishers|access-date=23 January 2016|archive-date=29 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160129084242/http://www.harpercollins.co.uk/9780007536085/the-city-of-woven-streets|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=HarperCollinsCanada – The Weaver by Emmi Itäranta|url=http://www.harpercollins.ca/9780062326195/the-weaver|publisher=HarperCollinsCanada|access-date=23 January 2016}}
Her third novel The Moonday Letters was published in the US and UK July 2022 by Titan Books.{{Cite web |title=The Moonday Letters |url=https://titanbooks.com/70970-the-moonday-letters/ |access-date=2023-12-14 |website=Titan Books |language=en}}
Itäranta lives in Canterbury, United Kingdom.
Works
- Memory of Water (2014)
- The City of Woven Streets (2016)
- The Moonday Letters (2022)
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- {{Official website|https://www.emmiitaranta.com/}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20150618203949/http://www.ahlbackagency.com/aba_authors/itaranta-emmi/ Emmi Itäranta] at the Elina Ahlback Agency website
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20150322141431/http://harpervoyagerbooks.com/2014/05/27/excerpt-of-the-memory-of-water-by-emmi-itaranta/ Excerpt of Memory of Water] at HarperVoyager Books
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Itaranta, Emmi}}
Category:English-language writers
Category:Finnish expatriates in the United Kingdom
Category:Finnish women writers
Category:Finnish science fiction writers