Sirpa Kähkönen is a Finnish novelist and translator based in Helsinki. Initially writing for young adults, she gained popularity in Finland with her Kuopio series of historical novels. She has authored two books for young adults and a nonfiction bestseller, Vihan ja rakkauden liekit (Flames of love and hatred) that was nominated for the Tieto-Finlandia prize. Read More  Four of her thirteen novels have been nominated for the prestigious Finlandia prize, with her latest novel, 36 Urns: A History of Being Wrong, winning in 2023. Kähkönen was born in Kuopio to a family that had been harshly treated by World War II and the Finnish Civil War, marking them with unspoken words and heavy silence. Mapping out that silence became Kähkönen’s work: inspired by the microhistorical research tradition, Kähkönen writes about how mentalities are formed, and how the abstract legacy runs in family lines and in societies.