Published in 2006 by Otava publishers, ‘Där vi en gång gått’ (Where We Once Walked) is a novel written by Finnish author and journalist Kjell Westö, that won the ‘Finlandia Prize‘ in 2006. Born on 6 August 1961 in Helsinki, Kjell Westö is a Finnish author that writes in Swedish and whose family comes from Ostrobothnia. Best known for his epic novels set in Helsinki, he has also written short stories, poetry, essays and newspaper columns. Westö studied journalism at the Swedish School of Social Science in Helsinki, and began his career as a journalist at Hufvudstadsbladet, Finland’s largest Swedish-language newspaper, and at the politically left leaning magazine Ny Tid. He made his literary debut as a poet in 1986, and three years later published his first volume of prose, ‘Utslag och andra noveller’ (Rasch and Other Stories): it was a critical success, nominated for the ‘Finlandia Prize‘. Kjell Westö’s first novel, ‘Drakarna över Helsingfors’ (Kites over Helsinki, 1996), made a huge impact on Swedish- and Finnish-speaking audiences in Finland. His next novels, ‘Vådan av att vara Skrake’ (The Peril of Being a Skrake, 2000) and ‘Lang’ (Lang, 2002, translated into thirteen languages), were nominated for both the ‘Finlandia Prize‘ and the ‘Nordic Council Literature Prize‘. His fourth novel, ‘Där vi en gång gått’ (Where We Once Walked), secured Kjell Westö’s status as an author for all of Finland, finally winning him the ‘Finlandia Prize‘. Both its Swedish and Finnish editions were commercial successes in Finland and the novel was also Westö’s breakthrough in Sweden: a stage adaptation was performed at Helsinki City Theatre, and the story was made into a film and TV series. Today, Kjell Westö’s works have been translated into over 20 languages, and he is a seven-time recipient of awards from the ‘Society of Swedish Literature’ in Finland. ‘Där vi en gång gått’ (Where We Once Walked) is a historical novel set in Helsinki in the period from 1905 until 1944: among its motifs is the often-vain search for happiness, love and prosperity. It tells the stories of the aristocratic Lilliehjelm family, the middle-class Widing family and the poor Kajander family from Finland’s independence through the Civil War and the Roaring Twenties, and ending during the Second World War.
