Johanna Sinisalo

Aila Johanna Sinisalo is a Finnish science fiction and fantasy writer. She studied comparative literature and drama, amongst other subjects, at the University of Tampere. Professionally she worked in the advertising business, rising to the level of marketing designer.

An important figure in the Finnish science fiction scene in the late 1980s and early '90s (winning a rare back-to-back collection of Atorox Awards for short fiction in the genre), she was also the first Finnish science fiction writer to make a mainstream breakthrough by breaking genre barriers.

Fiction
Sinisalo was awarded the Finlandia Prize for literature in 2000 for her first novel, Ennen päivänlaskua ei voi (translated as Not Before Sundown in 2003 and again as Troll — A Love Story in 2004 for the American market). The novel has been translated into several languages. Movie rights were acquired by Carter Smith in 2006.

An English translation of Linnunaivot was published in 2010 by Peter Owen Publishers under the title Birdbrain (translated by David Hackston).

She has named the 1967 novel Friday, or, The Other Island by French writer Michel Tournier as a major influence on her career.

Screenwriting
She is also the screenwriter of Energia Productions Iron Sky movie, a sci-fi comedy set in 2018.

Awards

 * Sinisalo was awarded the Finlandia Prize for literature in 2000 for Ennen päivänlaskua ei voi (Not Before Sundown, also known as Troll — A Love Story). The novel was also awarded The James Tiptree Jr. award in 2004.
 * She was nominated for a Nebula Award in 2009 for the short story "Baby Doll".
 * She has won the Atorox Award for best Finnish science fiction short story in 1986, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1997, and 2001
 * The Core of the Sun won the 2017 Prometheus Award for Best Novel.
 * Pro Finlandia medal, Order of the Lion of Finland, 2022

Novels

 * Ennen päivänlaskua ei voi, (Tammi, 2000)
 * British Edition Not Before Sundown (Peter Owen Publishers, 2003); American edition Troll — A Love Story (Grove Atlantic, 2004)
 * Sankarit, (Tammi 2003)
 * Kädettömät kuninkaat ja muita häiritseviä tarinoita, (Teos 2005), short story collection
 * Lasisilmä, (Teos 2006)
 * Linnunaivot, (Teos 2008)
 * In English as Birdbrain (Peter Owen Publishers, 2011)
 * Möbiuksen maa, (Teos 2010)
 * Enkelten verta, (Teos 2011).
 * In English as The Blood of Angels (Peter Owen Publishers 2014; ISBN 978-0-7206-1004-8)
 * Auringon ydin, (Teos 2013)
 * In English as The Core of the Sun (Grove Atlantic 2016, ISBN 978-0-8021-2464-7).
 * Vieraat, (Karisto 2020).

Short fiction
She has published over 40 short stories, most of them fantasy and science fiction in various in sci fi magazines, journals and women's magazines. Her work has also appeared in the following anthologies:


 * Vuosirengas 74 (1974)
 * short stories Kilometripylväät and Jäinen kaupunki
 * Jäinen vaeltaja (1986)
 * short stories Tarina kuolleesta metsästä and Sorsapuisto
 * Atoroxin perilliset (1988)
 * short stories Hanna, Yövesi and Suklaalaput
 * Ensimmäinen yhteys (1988)
 * short story Transit
 * Illan tähti yksinäinen (1991) edited by Raija Hämäläinen
 * short story Illan tähti yksinäinen
 * Kultainen naamio (1993)
 * short story Me vakuutamme sinut
 * Onnellinen kuolema (1996)
 * mini novel Tango merellä
 * Linnées boreales (2001)
 * short story (French) Le Transit
 * Kärlek på finska (2002)
 * short story (Swedish) Låset
 * Intohimosta rikokseen (2002)
 * short story Baby Doll
 * Utopiae 2005 (2005)
 * novelli (French) Baby Doll

Editor

 * Anthology Verkon silmässä (Tammi, 2005)
 * Selection of short stories about the internet from several writers.
 * The Dedalus Book of Finnish Fantasy (Dedalus Books, 2005)
 * Anthology in English, a selection of Finnish speculative fiction from the 19th century to the present day, translated by David Hackston.
 * co-edited with Toni Jerrman, Giants at the End of the World: A Showcase of the Finnish Weird (Worldcon-75, 2017)
 * Anthology in English, a selection of Finnish weird fiction

Television

 * Toinen todellisuus, TV2, 1991
 * Maa on litteä, TV2, 1992
 * Tulevaisuuden kuvia, TV2, 1995
 * Ainoa elämä, TV2, 1997
 * Elämän suola, TV 2, 1995
 * Samaa sukua, eri maata, MTV3, 1997
 * SunRadio, TV1, 1998
 * Salatut elämät, MTV3
 * Kotikatu, TV1
 * Käenpesä, MTV3

Comics

 * Tiskivuoro in Uusi Nainen -magazine ', art by Hannu Mänttäri
 * Scripts for Moomin related comics for Semic and ToTo-tuotanto, several artists
 * Pikku eläinpuoti in *Oma Ystävä -magazine, art by Hannu Mänttäri
 * Kimppakämppä in Trendi -magazine, art by Johanna Rojola
 * Several science fiction and fantasy themed comics from the year 1982 onwards, several artists