Hannu Rajaniemi
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Hannu Rajaniemi (born 9 March 1978) is a
Finnish American Finnish Americans ( fi, amerikansuomalaiset, ) comprise Americans with ancestral roots from Finland or Finnish people who immigrated to and reside in the United States. The Finnish-American population numbers a little bit more than 650,000. Man ...
author of
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
and
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...
, who writes in both English and
Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...
. He lives in Oakland,
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, and was a founding director of a commercial research organisation ThinkTank Maths.


Early life

Rajaniemi was born in
Ylivieska Ylivieska () is a town and municipality of Northern Ostrobothnia region, Finland. It has a population of (), and it serves as the administrative centre for Kalajokilaakso and Pyhäjokilaakso, an area with a population of about 90,000 inhabitants ...
, Finland in 1978. He holds a BSc in Mathematics from the
University of Oulu The University of Oulu ( fi, Oulun yliopisto) is one of the largest universities in Finland, located in the city of Oulu. It was founded on July 8, 1958. The university has around 13,000 students and 2,900 staff. 21 International Master's P ...
, a Certificate of Advanced Study in Mathematics from the
University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...
and a PhD in
Mathematical Physics Mathematical physics refers to the development of mathematical methods for application to problems in physics. The '' Journal of Mathematical Physics'' defines the field as "the application of mathematics to problems in physics and the developme ...
from the
University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
. Prior to starting his PhD candidature, he completed his
national service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The ...
as a research scientist for the
Finnish Defence Forces The Finnish Defence Forces ( fi, Puolustusvoimat, sv, Försvarsmakten) are the military of Finland. The Finnish Defence Forces consist of the Finnish Army, the Finnish Navy and the Finnish Air Force. In wartime the Finnish Border Guard (whic ...
. While pursuing his PhD in Edinburgh, Rajaniemi joined Writers' Bloc, a writers' group in Edinburgh that organizes semi-regular
spoken word Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...
performances and counts Charlie Stross amongst its members.


Career

Early works included his first published short story "Shibuya no Love" in 2003 and his short story "Deus Ex Homine" in
Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...
, a 2005 anthology of Scottish science fiction and fantasy, which caught the attention of his current literary agent, John Jarrold. Rajaniemi gained attention in October 2008 when John Jarrold secured a three-book deal for him with Gollancz, on the basis of only twenty-four double-spaced pages. His debut novel, '' The Quantum Thief'', was published in September 2010 by Gollancz in Britain and was published in May 2011 by
Tor Books Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company based in New York City. It primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy titles, and is the largest publisher of Chinese sci ...
in the U.S.Jussi Ahlroth, Hannu Rajaniemen romaanit julkaistaan myös Yhdysvalloissa, Helsingin Sanomat, 20.7.2010, p. B 1. The novel has been nominated for the 2011
Locus Award for Best First Novel The Locus Award for Best First Novel is one of the annual Locus Awards presented by the science fiction and fantasy magazine '' Locus''. Awards presented in a given year are for works published in the previous calendar year. The award for Best Fi ...
. A sequel, '' The Fractal Prince'', was published in September 2012 by Gollancz in Britain, and in October 2012 by Tor in the U.S. The third book in the series is called '' The Causal Angel'', and was published in July 2014 by Gollancz in the U.K. and by Tor in the U.S. Rajaniemi has stated that the literary works of Jules Verne originally inspired both his career in science, as well as his science-fiction writing. Other influences include
Maurice Leblanc Maurice Marie Émile Leblanc (; ; 11 December 1864 – 6 November 1941) was a French novelist and writer of short stories, known primarily as the creator of the fictional gentleman thief and detective Arsène Lupin, often described as a French c ...
, Arthur Conan Doyle and architecture blogger Geoff Manaugh. He also co-founded Helix nanotechnologies.


Awards and honors

* 2012 Tähtivaeltaja Award, winner (best science fiction book published in Finnish) for '' The Quantum Thief''. *2011 Science Fiction & Fantasy Translation Awards, winner, Short Form category, translation of Hannu Rajaniemi'
"Elegy for a Young Elk"
*2011
Locus Award for Best First Novel The Locus Award for Best First Novel is one of the annual Locus Awards presented by the science fiction and fantasy magazine '' Locus''. Awards presented in a given year are for works published in the previous calendar year. The award for Best Fi ...
, nominee, '' The Quantum Thief'' *2011 John W. Campbell Memorial Award, third place, '' The Quantum Thief'' *2013 John W. Campbell Memorial Award, nominee, '' The Fractal Prince''


Personal life

Rajaniemi lives in
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
,
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
with his wife. Before moving to the U.S., he lived in the United Kingdom for over ten years.


Bibliography


Novels

* ''Summerland'' (2018, )


The Jean le Flambeur series

* '' The Quantum Thief'' (2010, ) ** Third place,
John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel The John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, or Campbell Memorial Award, is an annual award presented by the Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas to the author of the best science fiction no ...
"The John W. Campbell Memorial Award"
. The John Wayne and Elsie M. Gunn
Center for the Study of Science Fiction Founded by Science Fiction/Fantasy Writers Association Grand Master and Science Fiction Hall of Fame inductee James E. Gunn, the J Wayne and Elsie M Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction is an endowed research and educational institution ...
. The University of Kansas. Updated 11 July 2011. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
* '' The Fractal Prince'' (2012, ) * '' The Causal Angel'' (2014, )Hannu Rajaniemi - The Causal Angel announced


Collections

* ''Words of Birth and Death'' (2006, Bloc Press), as a limited edition chapbook. ** "The Viper Blanket" ** "Barley Child" ** "Fisher of Men" * ''Hannu Rajaniemi: Collected Fiction'' (2015)


Short fiction

A partial list follows. * "Shibuya no Love" ** Published in ''futurismic.com'', 2003 *

* "Deus Ex Homine" ** First anthologized in '' Nova Scotia: New Scottish Speculative Fiction'', 2005, ** ''The Year's Best Science Fiction 23'', 2006, edited by Gardner Dozois, ** '' Year's Best SF 11'', 2006, edited by David Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer, * "His Master's Voice" ** Published in ''Interzone 218'', October 2008 ** Available online i
English
an
Finnish
** Audio version available online as a
podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosin ...
on the Escape Pod
episode #227
and Starship Sofa
Aural Delights No. 98
* "Elegy for a Young Elk" ** Published i
''Subterranean'', Spring 2010
** Won the award for short from in the 2011 Science Fiction & Fantasy Translation Awards. * "The Server and the Dragon" **Published in ''
Engineering Infinity ''Engineering Infinity'' is a science fiction anthology edited by Jonathan Strahan. It was nominated for a Locus Award for Best Anthology in 2012. Contents The anthology includes 15 stories: * "Beyond the Gernsback Continuum ..." by Jonathan Stra ...
'', edited by
Jonathan Strahan Jonathan Strahan (born 1964, Belfast, Northern Ireland) is an editor and publisher of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. His family moved to Perth, Western Australia in 1968, and he graduated from the University of Western Australia with a ...
, December 2010 * "Invisible Planets" **Published in ''
Reach for Infinity ''Reach for Infinity'' is a 2014 science fiction anthology edited by Jonathan Strahan. In 2015, it was nominated for a Locus Award for Best Anthology, an Aurealis Award for Best Anthology and the Philip K. Dick Award. Contents * "Introduction" ...
'', edited by Jonathan Strahan, May 2014 * "Unchained: A story of love, loss, and blockchain" *
Published
in ''
MIT Technology Review ''MIT Technology Review'' is a bimonthly magazine wholly owned by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and editorially independent of the university. It was founded in 1899 as ''The Technology Review'', and was re-launched without "The" in ...
'', April 25, 2018.


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rajaniemi, Hannu 1978 births English-language writers Finnish businesspeople Finnish male novelists Finnish male short story writers Finnish short story writers Finnish science fiction writers Living people University of Oulu alumni People from Ylivieska Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Finnish expatriates in the United States 21st-century Finnish novelists 21st-century male writers Finnish expatriates in the United Kingdom