Runeberg Prize nomination for the Finlandia Prize winning novel The Celestial Sphere by Olli Jalonen

We are delighted to share the news that the novel THE CELESTIAL SPHERE by Olli Jalonen has been nominated for Runeberg Prize 2019, one of the major literary prizes in Finland.

THE CELESTIAL SPHERE has already won this year’s Finlandia Prize. Olli Jalonen is only the second author in the history of Finlandia Prize who has won the prize twice.

Angus is an eight-year-old peasant boy on St. Helena, with an eyesight as sharp as any sail needle. Tasked by his tutor, soon-to-be a famous scientist Edmond Halley, he meticulously marks out the constellations in the night sky.
Following a devastating act of violence, directed at his own family, Angus is stowed away on board a ship bound for London, a secret note sewn inside his shirt.
Who could have foretold the humble boys journey to become an astronomers apprentice and to play a role in the history of science?

Runeberg Prize jury’s statement:
“The young boy Angus in Olli Jalonen’s The Celestial Sphere is a delightful narrator whose pensive and almost devout chatting enchants the reader. He is a quiet observer who recognizes his passion for learning and knowledge, and also takes it seriously. Only an unwavering view of the goal keeps him alive during the wild crossing of the ocean from Saint Helena to London. A refugee in his own time, he has to leave his native island to escape from religious fanaticism and an arbitrariness. In front of Mr. Halley’s apprentices eyes, the world opens up to a mosaic of different explanatory models where science, which emphasizes precise – and perhaps even compulsive observation, is separating from the worldview defined by belief and religion.

The Celestial Sphere is brilliantly crafted: the stars in this oeuvre are people, not the comet.”Olli Jalonen is one of Finlands most respected and awarded literary authors. Since 1978, he has written over 15 works of fiction.
Our main newspaper Helsingin Sanomat wrote: “Finnish literature changes to world literature in the hands of Olli Jalonen.”

Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you wish us to send you material and more information on THE CELESTIAL SPHERE. We have a sample translation in English.