Pajtim Statovci

Pajtim Statovci (born 1990) is a Finnish novelist. His debut novel, Kissani Jugoslavia, was published in 2014, winning the Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize for best debut novel in Finnish for that year, ^[1] and was published in 2017 as My Cat Yugoslavia in the UK and US. ^[2] It was made into a play and staged at the Finnish National Theatre in Helsinki in 2018. ^[3] His second novel, Tiranan sydän, won the Toisinkoinen Literature Prize for 2016, ^[4] and was published as Crossing in the UK and the US in 2019. ^[5] Following the 2019 release of his third novel, Bolla, his publisher announced in February 2024 the upcoming September release of his fourth, Lehmä Synnyttää Yöllä ^[6] (English title: A Cow Gives Birth At Night ^[7] ).

Early life

Statovci was born in Kosovo in 1990 to Albanian parents. ^[8] In 1992, after the outbreak of war in Yugoslavia, of which Kosovo was a part and where Albanians were persecuted, his family fled to Finland. ^[9] He studied comparative literature at the University of Helsinki and screenwriting at Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture. ^[4]

Awards

• 2014: Shortlisted for the Young Aleksis Literature Prize
• 2014: Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize (Best Debut)
• 2015: Shortlisted for the Flame Bearer Prize
• 2016: Toisinkoinen Literature Prize
• 2017: Shortlisted for the Future of Finnish Culture Award
• 2018: Helsinki Writer of the Year Award ^[10]
• 2019: Finlandia Award winner for his third novel, Bolla ^[11]
• 2019: Finalist for the National Book Award for Translated Literature for Crossing (translated by David Hackston) ^[12]
• 2021: Nominated for the Kirkus Prize for Bolla
• 2024: Finlandia Award winner for his fourth novel, Lehmä synnyttää yöllä ^[13]

Bibliography

Novels

• Kissani Jugoslavia, Otava, 2014 ( My Cat Yugoslavia, Pantheon Books, 2017; trans. David Hackston). ISBN   9789511269786 (Finnish); ISBN   9781782273608 (English).
• Tiranan Sydän, Otava, 2016 (Crossing, Pantheon Books, 2019; trans. David Hackston). ISBN   9789511305781 (Finnish); ISBN   9781524747497 (English).
• Bolla, Otava, 2019 (Bolla, Pantheon Books, 2021; trans. David Hackston). ISBN   9789511316824. ^[a]

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Notes

1. Briefly reviewed in the September 13, 2021 issue of The New Yorker .

References

1. "Pajtim Statovcin romaani voitti HS:n kirjallisuuspalkinnon". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 2014-11-13. Retrieved 2017-10-08.
2. Obreht, Téa (2017-04-21). "An Uncanny Cat, a Companionable Snake and Displaced Desire". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2017-10-08.
3. "Teatteriarvostelu: Pajtim Statovcin palkittuun romaaniin pohjaava näytelmä Kissani Jugoslavia on luonteva ja pakoton kaikessa runsaudessaan". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 2018-11-17. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
4. "Pajtim Statovci - Salomonsson Agency". Salomonsson Agency. Archived from the original on 2018-05-09. Retrieved 2017-10-08.
5. Cummins, Anthony (7 May 2019). "Crossing by Pajtim Statovci review – duplicity, double identity and horror". The Guardian . Retrieved 9 May 2019. Pajtim Statovci
6. "Pajtim Statovcin odotettu neljäs romaani julkaistaan syyskuussa 2024 | Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava". www.sttinfo.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2024-04-22.
7. "Pajtim Statovcin odotettu neljäs romaani julkaistaan syyskuussa 2024 | Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava". www.sttinfo.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2024-04-22.
8. Reith, James (2017-09-07). "Pajtim Statovci: 'I'm drawn to fiction that makes the unimaginable possible'". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2017-10-08.
9. Bellot, Gabrielle (2017-04-25). "A Life Altered by War and Transmuted Into Fiction". The New Yorker . Retrieved 2017-10-08.
10. "Pajtim Statovci". Pajtim Statovci. Retrieved 2019-06-17.
11. "Finlandia fiction prize goes to Pajtim Statovci". YLE News. 2019-11-27. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
12. "The 2019 National Book Awards Finalists Announced". National Book Foundation. 2019-10-07. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
13. "34-vuotias Pajtim Statovci voitti jo toisen kerran kaunokirjallisuuden Finlandia-palkinnon". YLE News (in Finnish). 2024-11-27. Retrieved 2025-02-05.