Johanna Sinisalo (born Aila Johanna Sinisalo;[1] June 22, 1958[2]) is a Finnishscience fiction andfantasy writer.[3] Since starting her writing career with science fiction and fantasy short stories,[4] she has become a prominent figure in Finnish literature scene, and in 2022 was awarded the Pro Finlandia Medal, a special decoration of The Order of the Lion of Finland, awarded to artists and authors in recognition of outstanding civilian or military merit.[1][5] Other than for short stories and novels, Sinisalo has written comics, screenplays for TV and radio, and edited anthologies.[6][4]
Sinisalo was born inSodankylä,Finland.[4] She majored in literature and drama with side studies in journalism and social psychology,[7] at theUniversity of Tampere.[8] Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked as a copywriter and an executive of an advertising agency.[4] Sinisalo has named the 1967 novelFriday, or, The Other Island by French writerMichel Tournier as a major influence on her career.[8]
Sinisalo started her writing career writing science fiction and fantasy short stories.[4] Her first short stories Kilometripylväät and Jäinen kaupunki were published together in the Finnish original anthology Vuosirengas 74 in 1974.[9] She has won severalAtorox Awards for her short stories.[10] Her short story Baby Doll was nominated for the Nebula award in 2009.[11]
Since her first novel, Sinisalo has written several novels including Linnunaivot (2008, published in English in 2010 titled Birdbrain), Enkelten verta (2011, published in English in 2014 titled The Blood of the Angels), andAuringon ydin (2013, published in English in 2016 titledThe Core of the Sun).[16] Her works have been translated to 20 languages.[17]
Sinisalo has worked as a screenwriter in several Finnish TV and radio productions.[6][18] She also worked on the screenwriting team ofIron Sky,[19] a 2012comic-science-fiction. The movie had the biggest budget of any production in Finnish film history at the time of its release.[20]
Verkon silmässä (2005; a selection of short stories about the internet from several writers)
The Dedalus Book of Finnish Fantasy (2005, translated by David Hackston; a selection of Finnish weird fiction)
Giants at the End of the World: A Showcase of the Finnish Weird (2017, co-edited with Toni Jerrman; a selection of Finnish speculative fiction from the 19th century to the present day)
