Elli Salo’s debut shortlisted for the Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize
27 October 2025
Elli Salo’s debut shortlisted for the Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize
One of the highlights from last weekend’s Helsinki Book Fair was when author Elli Salo stepped on the main stage among the finalists competing for the Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize, awarded to the best debut work of the year by the most prominent national newspaper in Finland.
Elli Salo’s debut, The Gatherers (Keräilijät, 2025 Otava), is a tragicomic novel about gathering and gatherers, where three women and a retired dog find themselves randomly convened at a deserted border patrol station on the Finnish-Russian border. A bond grows between the three women, and as far as they may seem from everything, as close to the core of almost everything they get. Suddenly, the peripheral Lääte turns into the navel of the world: history that seems to be catching up with us, human knowledge of civilization and the disappearance of the untamed nature come together in this touching yet comic novel about life, not death. The embodiment of Ursula K. Le Guin’s Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction, Salo tells the story not of those who hunt or conquer, but those who stay behind to cook, wash dishes, boil potatoes – the gatherers – even in the midst of crisis and catastrophe.
Quote from jury:
“A feast of literary delights. […] Salo weaves together her bold ingredients into an original, joyful and greater- than-the-sum-of-its-parts whole, which plays, teases, and hits the mark by channeling through laughter and tragedy.”
The annual Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize, worth 15,000 euros, is awarded to the best debut work in Finnish. The winner, chosen from the seven finalists, will be revealed on November 13.
Our warmest congrats to Elli Salo!
