Published in 2001, ‘Canal Grande’ is a novel by Finnish author Hannu Raittila that won the ‘Finlandia Prize‘ in 2001. Hannu Matti Raittila (born on November 23, 1956 in Helsinki) is a Finnish writer whose output includes short stories, novels, columns, TV scripts, audio plays and radio short stories. He spent his childhood in Katajanokka (Helsinki), within the area of influence of the prison and the port. Between 1986 and 1990, he studied political history, sociology, political science and philosophy at the University of Helsinki. Raittila’s father was painter Tapani Raittila. Raittila also won the ‘Runeberg Prize’ in 2014 with his work Terminal. ‘Canal Grande’ is about a Finnish group that arrives in Venice and tries to save the city from sinking: the book was a critical success when it was published, and the novel has also been translated into German.
