(Helsinki) The Finnish author Miki Liukkonen, considered one of the most brilliant feathers of the Finnish literary scene, died at the age of 33, announced Wednesday his publishing house WSOY.
The cause of death was not disclosed by the publisher, who, contacted by AFP, did not wish to give details, citing respect for the privacy of the writer’s family.
Despite his young age, Mr. Liukkonen had already published three books of poetry, four novels and a graphic novel.
His works have been critically acclaimed and crowned with several awards.
Released in 2017, his novel Owhich has nearly 1000 pages and a hundred characters, was in the running that year for the Finlandia Prize, the most prestigious literary prize in the Nordic country.
Translated into French in 2021, O was described by the French daily The world of “learned labyrinth, a magnetic monster-book”.
Liukkonen’s writing combines “the winds of international experimental literature with a virtuoso mastery of the Finnish language”, the publisher wrote in its statement, adding that his works are laced with “sumptuous metaphors and obsessive people trying to a path, alive, through life”.
Beyond writing, the young man was the guitarist of the alternative rock group The Scenes, and presented a television show where he met people whose life choices interested him, and whom he wanted to better understand.
Miki Liukkonen was also openly discussing her mental health issues. At the end of May, he explained in an Instagram post the difficulties he had recently encountered: “All I can do is lie on the ground and exhale this bad feeling, before seeing it come back in an instant. “.
Her fifth novel Vierastila will be released posthumously in the fall, WSOY said.
On Twitter, Finnish Culture Minister Sari Multala lamented “extremely sad news”.
“My condolences to the family and friends of author Miki Liukkonen,” she wrote.