Episode7: Finnish Punk and Bordertown

Bordertown is one the most successful Finnish crime TV series to date. It’s set on the sensitive border between Finland and Russia. We meet its creator Miikko Oikkonen. Antti Tuomainen is part of the new wave of Finnish Nordic Noir writers. His dexterity with language and unusual subject matters have brought him an international cult following. Kati Hiekkapelto is a singer in the Finnish punk band Parrakas nainen (The Bearded Woman). She lives on an isolated island in the Baltic Sea. From there she writes about Detective Fekete, an immigrant from the former Yugoslavia.

Tampere, Finland. Source: Getty Images

Antti Tuomainen is called ‘the King of Helsinki Noir’ by the Finnish press. To date his books have been translated into 25 languages and he is the winner of numerous awards. Tuomainen worked for many years as an advertising copywriter before  trying his hand at fiction. His style is described as a mix of the Coen Brothers' Fargo with the best elements of Nordic Noir. His third book The Healer was awarded The Clue Award for Best Finnish Crime Novel.

Kati Hiekkapelto is trained as a special needs trainer and lives on a farm on the Baltic Island of Hailuoto. She was also the singer in the Finnish punk ‘The Bearded Woman’. Her first book Kolibri was published 2013 to critical and popular success. The main character is Detective Anna Fekete from the former Yugoslavia. Hiekkapelto’s aim is to “explore social and political themes through page turning crime stories”.

Miikko Oikkonen  is considered to be one of Finland’s brightest talent in script writing and television development. His award winning crime show Bordertown was one of the most watched television shows in Finnish history.  His latest television project, the drama fantasy series  Nymphs has become a smash hit in Finland and rebroadcast internationally.     

This episode's featured book readings are of Antti Tuomainen’s book The Mine  (Orenda books 2016) and Kati Hiekappelto’s book The Exiled (Orenda books 2016). The readers are Richard Guerney and Belinda Hoare.

 

Producer: Johan Gabrielsson

Sound Engineer: Vlad Ladgman