Life, and Life
By
Olli Jalonen
Johan Betel is dying at hospital. His wife Stina and his son Jouko-Johan are there beside him. Betel senses only fragments of the talks his wife and son are having, he is deep in his memories.
From the stories of Betel, Stina and Jouko-Johan, grows the story of this family – and at the same time the novel with daunting visions about the mysteries of live.
Johan and Johan, the Finlandia-prize-winning novel Becoming Father and Daughter, and this last part of the trilogy, Life, and Life, explore the stages of the Betel family for four generations. Written in serene, bright language and illustrating the arbitrary character of birth, life and death.
About the author
Olli Jalonen (b. 1954) is one of Finland’s most respected authors. Since 1978, he has written over 15 works of fiction, some non-fiction and a children’s fantasy novel. Jalonen has received several important literary prizes, including the Finlandia Prize, and he has been nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize three times. Jalonen has lived in Finland, Sweden and Ireland, working as a reporter, information officer and researcher. His extensive oeuvre also includes radio plays and scripts for screen and stage.“Jalonen is a master at building open places into a text. His stories breathe, and each page contains an expectation, of good or evil.”– Kouvolan Sanomat
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