Ilkka Remes
Ilkka Remes (born December 13, 1962 in Luumäki in South Karelia ), whose real name Petri Pykälä , is a Finnish author . So far he has mainly written detective novels and thrillers and has published a book every year since 1997. Since 2003, he has also published three novels for young people. In his home country Finland he is one of the most popular contemporary authors. Sixteen of his novels have so far been published in a German translation.
Life
Ilkka Remes studied business communication in Turku and visual communication in London and founded a public relations and communication company at the beginning of his studies . He wrote his master's thesis in the field of social psychology . He gave up an initially planned doctorate in favor of his work as an author. He currently lives largely withdrawn in Brussels . He avoids public appearances in Finland such as advertising tours and readings by authors. After his first book was published, he only gave two interviews.
As a reason for publishing his books under a pseudonym , he states that he is planning books in other genres in the future and that the pseudonym would like to avoid a reputation as a thriller author that could possibly have a detrimental effect on the success of these books .
reception
Ilkka Remes previous literary work includes mainly detective novels and thrillers and since 2003 also books for young people . His first novel “Pääkallokehrääjä”, in German “Der Totenkopffalter”, became a bestseller . After their publication, his other books regularly topped the sales lists in Finland and usually reached six-figure print runs on the comparatively small Finnish book market. He has already received several literary prizes in Finland for his works, including the Kalevi Jäntti Prize, the Finnish Crime Prize and the Olvi Foundation's Literature Prize.
Many of his works have now been published in a German version; In May 2008 his thriller "Karjalan lunnaat", which was awarded the Finnish Crime Prize 1999, was released under the German-language title "The Legacy of Evil". They were translated by Stefan Moster, who is considered one of the leading German translators of modern Finnish literature and who was awarded the Finnish State Translation Prize in 2001. The radio play, never forget what you've seen , based on the literature and directed by Rainer Clute , was first broadcast on Deutschlandradio Kultur on June 24, 2013 .
The main character of the two novels “Eternal Night” and “The Hiroshima Gate” is the Finnish police officer Timo Nortamo, who works as an investigator for the fictional European anti-terror agency TERA in Brussels . In both books, Remes combines a plot based on aspects of modern technology - biotechnology and genetic engineering or nuclear physics - and based on classic thriller elements with real or mythological historical references. A characteristic of the structure of the books is that several storylines with different content and initially not appearing to be connected with each other are only gradually brought together to form a complex overall story. Timo Nortamo also plays in “Höllensturz” and “Blutglocke”, the third and fourth books by Remes published in German, as well as in “Die Geiseln”, but not as the main character.
Work list
| Year of publication Original | Original title | Year of publication German edition | German title | translator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Pääkallokehrääjä | / | / | / |
| 1998 | Karjalan lunnaat | / | / | / |
| 1999 | Pedon syleily | / | / | / |
| 2000 | Ruttokellot | 2012 | Blood bell | Stefan Moster |
| 2001 | Uhrilento | 2009 | Wedding flight | Stefan Moster |
| 2002 | Itäveri | / | / | / |
| 2003 | Ikiyö | 2006 | Eternal night | Stefan Moster |
| 2003 | Piraatite | 2008 | Operation Ocean Emerald | Stefan Moster |
| 2004 | Hiroshiman portti | 2008 | The Hiroshima Gate | Stefan Moster |
| 2004 | Musta cobra | 2009 | Black cobra | Stefan Moster |
| 2005 | Nimessä yes veressä | 2011 | Fall from hell | Stefan Moster |
| 2005 | Pimeän pyöveli | 2009 | Hot goods over the Arctic Ocean | Stefan Moster |
| 2006 | 6/12 | 2007 | The hostages | Stefan Moster |
| 2006 | Kirottu koodi | 2011 | The dark code | Stefan Moster |
| 2007 | Pahan perima | 2010 | The legacy of evil | Stefan Moster |
| 2007 | Hermes | 2011 | Mission Spyflight | Stefan Moster |
| 2008 | Pyorre | 2010 | Deadly pull | Stefan Moster |
| 2008 | Draculan ratsu | / | / | / |
| 2009 | Isku ytimeen | 2011 | A beat in the heart | Stefan Moster |
| 2009 | Operaatio Solaris | 2013 | Secret Society Unit 6 | Stefan Moster |
| 2010 | Shokkiaalto | 2013 | The shock wave | Stefan Moster |
| 2010 | Riskiraja | / | / | / |
| 2011 | Teräsleijona | / | / | / |
| 2012 | Ylösnousemus | / | / | / |
| 2013 | Omertan liitto | / | / | / |
| 2014 | Horna | / | / | / |
| 2015 | Jäätyvä helvetti | / | / | / |
| especially for young readers |
(/) not released yet
translation
Remes' books have been translated into many languages. 16 of the 27 books so far have been translated into German by Stefan Moster (see list of works).
Characters
In his books, Remes describes many characters, including recurring characters that are listed here.
Nortamo family
The Nortamo family are the main characters. Timo is the main character of the books for adult readers, but he also appears in the other books. He is a detective inspector by profession. His colleague in the police force is Johanna Vahtera. Soile is Timo's wife and Aaro's mother. She also has a sister named Taina. Her job is a particle physicist. Aaro is the main character of the books for the young readers. Still, it appears in some of the other books. His parents often leave him alone or with his grandma because of their job. He has a friend named Niko and a cousin Julius.
Moore family
The Moore family is the family of Soile's sister Taina, consisting of her husband Allan and their son Julius.
Luoto family
The Luoto family is the family of Aero's friend Niko. He lives with his little sister Siru and his unemployed mother. His father got divorced and moved out.
Johanna Vahtera
Johanna Vahtera is Timo's work colleague.
Awards
- 1997: Kalevi Jäntti Prize
- 1999: Finnish crime prize for "Karjalan lunnaat"
- 1999: Literature Prize of the Olvi Foundation
Web links
- Literature by and about Ilkka Remes in the catalog of the German National Library
- www.ilkkaremes.com Ilkka Remes official website (Finnish)
- Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag - Ilkka Remes German language website
Individual evidence
- ↑ Never forget what you saw (Ursendung) , Deutschlandradio Kultur, June 24, 2013
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Remes, Ilkka |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Pykälä, Petri |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Finnish writer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 13, 1962 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Luumäki , Finland |