The Art Council of Lapland awards Jussi Siirilä from Kemmi for his distinguished career as a writer. The prize amounts to EUR 10 000. Siirilä has written Sorjonen books under the pseudonym J.M.Ilves.
Siirilä, who lives in Kemi, has written four crime novels about Sorjonen under the pseudonym J. M. Ilves.
In its award criteria, the Art Committee of Lapland assessed that Siirilä’s works are coloured by absurd, dark humour. His satire focuses on social and political phenomena. Siirilä’s works intertwine realistic, critically examining environmental depictions and imaginative elements.
The works deal with the social phenomena of the time and often criticise individualism and egoism. Siirilä’s autofictional novel “History is liberating me” can be seen both as a critique of the commodification of creative work and as a genre-conscious satire on the role of the contemporary satirist.
From engineer to writer
Siirilä has a master’s degree in chemistry. He has worked, among other things, as a researcher in a research group developing a cancer drug, as a university teacher, regional salesman, warehouseman and software engineer.
Siirilä is a member of the Finnish Writers’ Association, the Suomen Nuorisokirjailijat ry, the Lapland Literary Society and the Finnish County Writers’ Association.
Lapland’s art committee is the expert body of the Center for the Promotion of the Arts, which decides on grants and art awards in its region.
The art prize is awarded annually to a distinguished artist of the region, an association operating in the art field or another community. The award is a recognition of the meritorious and significant work of the current year. It can also be awarded for long-term and meritorious life work or activity.
*Edit: Siirilä has not written the screenplay for Sorjonen’s TV series, as stated earlier in the article. Siirilä was previously named the creator of Sorjonen in the title, changed to Sorjonen books’ scribe*.