''Tainaron: Mail From Another City'' (orig.

Fin A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. Fin ...

. ) is a

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 unive ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), 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 ...

novel written in 1985 by Finnish author

Leena Krohn Leena Krohn (born February 28, 1947 in Helsinki) is a Finnish author. Her large and varied body of work includes novels, short stories, children's books, and essays. In her books she deals with topics that include man's relationship with himself a ...

. The book is regarded as the author's breakthrough novel. ''Tainaron'' was nominated for the

Finlandia Prize The Finlandia Prize ( fi, Finlandia-palkinto; sv, Finlandiaprisen) is a set of Finnish literary prizes awarded by the Finnish Book Foundation to "celebrate reading and highlight new Finnish first-rate literature." Considered the most prestigious ...

in 1985, The Nordic Council Literature Prize in 1988, the

World Fantasy Award The World Fantasy Awards are a set of awards given each year for the best fantasy literature, fantasy fiction published during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by the World Fantasy Convention, the awards are given each year a ...

and the

International Horror Guild Award The International Horror Guild Award (also known as the IHG Award) was an accolade recognizing excellence in the field of Horror fiction, horror/dark fantasy, presented by the International Horror Guild (IHG) from 1995 to 2008. The IHG Awards wer ...

in 2005. It won the

Thanks for the Book Award The Thanks for the Book Award, (''Kiitos kirjasta -mitali'' in Finnish and ''Tack för boken-medaljen'' in Swedish), is a Finnish literary prize that has been presented since 1966 by the Organization of the Booksellers’ Association of Finland (Kir ...

in 1986. ''Tainaron'' consists of 30 letters sent beyond the sea from a city of insects. The U.S. edition was nominated for the

and the

in 2005. This edition, published by

Prime Books Sean Wallace (born January 1, 1976) is an American science fiction, fantasy, and horror anthologist, editor, and publisher best known for founding the publishing house Prime Books and for co-editing three magazines, '' Clarkesworld Magazine'', '' ...

in 2004 and edited by Kathleen Martin, adds to the original Finnish publication by adding original illustrations by the author's sister, Inari Krohn, a Finnish painter. Reviewed in glowing terms by Matthew Cheney, the writing was described as "lyrical and deep, metaphysical, philosophical, poetic".

Jeff VanderMeer Jeff VanderMeer (born July 7, 1968) is an American author, editor, and literary critic. Initially associated with the New Weird literary genre, VanderMeer crossed over into mainstream success with his bestselling Southern Reach Trilogy. The tr ...

praised its "scenes of startling beauty and strangeness" and listed it as one of the best novels of 2004.

Translations

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

(2004): ''Tainaron: Mail from Another City'', translator Hilda Hawkins, publisher Prime Books. * Estonian (1994): , translator Ele Süvalep, publisher Aniara Kirjastus * Hungarian (1992): ''Tainaron'', translator Csilla Varga, publisher Európa. Part of the compilation *

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

(2002): , translator Hiroko Suenobu, publisher Shinhyoron Publishing * Latvian (1998): , translator Ingrida Peldekse, publisher Preses nams *

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

(2008): , translator Sebastian Musielak, publisher Świat Książki. *

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

(2017): , translator Luisa Gutiérrez Ruiz, publisher Nórdica Libros. *

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

(1987): , translator Thomas Warburton, publisher Fripress Bokförlag.

References

External links

Author's website
*

available online in multiple formats

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tainaron (Novel) 1985 novels 20th-century Finnish novels 1985 science fiction novels Epistolary novels Finnish science fiction novels