Marja Kyllönen won a prize worth 20,000 euros with her novel Vainajaiset. The prize was awarded today on Runeberg day in Porvoo.
According to Raadi, *Vainajaiset* is a linguistically unique novel. This is how the jury justifies its choice:
\”Even though the work takes place in the last decades of the 20th century, it is in many ways a timeless description of remote areas, whose dark armor is pierced by a dazzling ray of light every now and then. In the book, the past, prejudiced and open-minded time gives way to a new one, where there is at least a chance for something better. Kyllönen is a prose virtuoso whose conjured sentences could not be confused with those written by anyone else.\”
Marja Kyllönen’s *Vainajaiset* was also nominated for the Finlandia Award last year.
Rejecting the script took away my self-esteem
Marja Kyllönen, who lives in Tampere, is more than happy about her win. It took 24 years to make a successful novel, because Kyllönen sometimes lost faith in his abilities as a writer.
– Now there’s such a feeling that hats off to the roof and through the roof! This gives me hope, rejoices Kyllönen, reached by phone.
The creation process of the *Vainajaiset* novel was exceptionally long. When Kyllönen first offered it to the publishing house, the manuscript was rejected. The year was 2006 at that time.
The rejection took away Kyllönen’s self-esteem for years. He withdrew into family life with children and left literary circles altogether because he was so ashamed.
– I completely crumbled.
Kyllönen had previously written two novels that had been praised and praised for their linguistic skill. The first novel *Lyijyuuma* won Helsingin Sanomat’s first book award.
The family kept Kyllönen busy for years. There wouldn’t even have been time to write. Still, the script for the *Vainajaiset* novel haunted my mind for a while. It didn’t leave alone.
– I always knew in my heart that the core of the script is good.
The decisive turning point happened when Kyllönen’s former publisher contacted him. He began to subtly push Kyllös forward and regularly asked about the contents of the script.
– He saw that if I can’t take *Vainajais* to the finish line, nothing will come of it.
Kyllönen started editing the manuscript again.
Language is peculiar
What makes *Vainajaiset* novel exceptional is the language. It is somewhat reminiscent of a Kalevala pedal, but at the same time it is straight and sharp. A certain rhythm is maintained from the beginning to the end of the book.
– It’s probably because I actually read the book aloud from start to finish. I learned this while listening to the radio. That’s when I realized how important the right rhythm is.
As the award jury states, \”the novel uses the full potential of the Finnish language to create its world\”.
The Runeberg Award inspires faith in the future. Kyllönen already has the subject of his next novel in mind. It appeared to him years ago, but first he had to finish *Vainajaiset*.
Kyllönen already decided at the beginning of his writing career that his text must be unique, different in some way.
– I know I write marginal text. My narrative has never been mainstream. Now this award gives permission to continue on this path.
The Runeberg Prize is one of our country’s most significant awards for fiction. It differs from, for example, the Finlandia Award in that the final selection is also made by a panel of experts, while the Finlandia winner is chosen by only one person.
The Runeberg Prize does not limit the genres of fiction, as both poems and essays can be included. A few years ago, the prize amount was increased to 20,000 euros.