Wonderful news! Iida Turpeinen’s internationally acclaimed novel Elolliset (S&S, represented by Helsinki Literary Agency) has been selected as the December pick for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s Book Club—one of the most prestigious literary spotlights in the United States!
Throughout December, Elolliset will be presented to the show’s live audience and viewers, followed by an interview with Iida Turpeinen herself.
The English translation, Beasts of the Sea, was published in the UK in October (MacLehose Press) and in the US in November (Little, Brown), beautifully translated by David Hackston. The novel has already garnered remarkable attention in American media: it featured as the cover story of Publisher’s Weekly in September 2025 and was listed among the most anticipated new releases by Goodreads, Chicago Review of Books, The Globe and Mail, Library Journal, and the literary blog The Millions.
In the UK, The Guardian published an in-depth interview with Turpeinen, and The Times included the novel among its most anticipated historical fiction titles.
Translation rights have been sold to 28 language territories, with 18 translations published so far. The French edition (Flammarion/Autrement, 2024, translated by Sébastien Cagnoli) was longlisted for the Prix du meilleur livre étranger, and the Italian edition (Neri Pozza, 2025, translated by Nicola Rainò) was nominated for Premio Strega, Italy’s most prestigious literary award.
Helsinki Literary Agency proudly represents the translation rights to Elolliset.