Johan and Johan

By Olli Jalonen

The first novel in the trilogy about the Betel family is marked by dark undercurrents. The father’s name is Johan and the son’s name is Johan. They are living the post-civil war years apart. The father, who has been declared dead, has defected to the Soviet Union to build socialism. The younger Johan lives with his mother and her new husband Voima in a Finnish city. Both must learn the new conditions of life. Johan and Johan, the Finlandia prize winning novel Becoming Father and Daughter and the last part of the trilogy, Life, and Life, explore the Betel family for four generations. Written in serene, bright language and illustrating the arbitrary character of birth, life and death.

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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