The Forest of the Hanged Foxes

By Arto Paasilinna

Dark, macabre humour from Arto Paasilinna, the much-loved Kurt Vonnegut of the North.
Three small-time crooks grow tired of living in poverty and decide to steal a pretty hefty amount of gold. Unfortunately, things don’t quite go to plan and two of them end up getting caught.
 
Although they’re locked up in prison, the crooks remain unusually calm, comforted by the knowledge that their friend is keeping their gold safe and will share it with them upon their release. The problem is that Oiva Juntunen fancies the gold for himself. He becomes increasingly anxious as his friends’ release day approaches. Faced with the prospect of two tough guys coming to collect their dues, Juntunen decides to make a run for it.
 
Paasilinna seamlessly combines an action-packed narrative with strong characters and humorous, yet deep, philosophical musings in this situational comedy.
 
The Forest of Hanged Foxes was adapted for TV film in Finland in 1986 (dir. Jouko Suikkari).

Publishing information

About the author

Arto Paasilinna (1942-2018) worked as a lumberjack and journalist before becoming a full-time writer. He published thirty-five novels and twelve non-fiction works during his lifetime, cementing his authorship as one full of creative vision, humour, and uplifting portrayals of man’s relationship with nature. One of Finland’s most well-known writers, his works have been translated into over 40 languages and have sold over 8 million copies worldwide.