End-Products
By
Anna-Leena Härkönen
A raw, unvarnished report on the consequences of an untimely death.
Anna-Leena Härkönen’s doorbell rings. Two police officers stand on the step. “Are you the sister of Kirsti Härkönen? I’m afraid we have bad news.”
The author’s sister has committed suicide. The news does not come as a complete surprise. And yet the finality of it all is crushing. The questions just won’t let go, and there are no answers.
But there are things that must be done, a funeral to be arranged, Kirsti’s apartment to be emptied, this and that. And there is a life of one’s own to go on with, family to consider.
How incredibly hard it is to accept that there are some things one cannot understand – not now, perhaps not ever.
I will never see you again, but that is not something I know as yet. You are still there, and you are breathing. My dear, sweet little sister. You look tired and pale,
but as beautiful as ever; you walk beside me, very close, almost one with me.
About the author
Anna-Leena Härkönen (b. 1965) has been among the most prominent figures in Finnish cultural life for more than thirty years, both as an author and scriptwriter, and as a successful stage and screen actress.Härkönen published her debut, The Poleax (Häräntappoase, 1984), at the age of 18 and achieved enormous critical and popular success with this bold and true-to-life novel. The Poleax has been on the market ever since and is still an essential part of the literary education of the young Finnish readers today. Härkönen uses a language bursting with life, and she has an uncompromising sense of the comical. She is not afraid to touch tabus and difficult subjects in her writing.Härkönen has written around 20 works so far, and her work has been translated into more than 10 languages. Her novels have been made into several films and stage productions, among them the six-part television series The Poleax which has been broadcast several times. Claes Olsson has also directed a full-length feature film based on her novel Aquarium Love.
Author page
