Purge by Sofi Oksanen Lands in New York

Purge, a book written by a Finnish-Estonian writer Sofi Oksanen was presented on Sunday at the International Festival of Play Reading in New York, USA.

Staged reading of Oksanen’s book took place on Sunday evening as a part of the hotINK, an International Festival of Play Reading at Tisch School of The Arts in New York, reported the Free Estonian Word.

Oksanen’s book has been translated into English by Ewa Buchwald.

Her third novel Purge tells about Estonian recent past through the tragic experiences of the women of one family. The writer wanted to show the Estonian resistance movement during the Soviet occupation and that “Through the front line that crossed homes”.

In 2008 the novel won the most prestigious literary award Finlandia, and this year also the Runeberg award. Last spring Purge was also published in Estonian.

Purge was initially a play and was premiered in 2007 with great success at the Finnish National Theatre.

Oksanen other books have also been accompanied by success, including the novels Stalin’s Cows (2003) and Baby Jane (2005) which have already earlier been translated into Estonian.

Oksanen was born in 1977 in Jyväskylä, her mother is Estonian and father Finnish.