Summary of White Hunger
“White Hunger” is a novella about the Finnish famine of 1866-1868, told through the harrowing journey of Marja, a peasant woman who flees her home with her children, trudging through the snow-bound Finnish countryside toward Saint Petersburg in search of survival. Her personal struggle is interwoven with scenes of politicians debating whether importing grain might plunge Finland (then a semi-autonomous Grand-Duchy within the Russian Empire) into debt and weaken its currency.
Reasons to read White Hunger
“White Hunger” is the debut novel of Finnish writer and photographer Aki Ollikaninen. It recounts Europe’s last major “natural” great famine: around 8,5% of Finland’s population perished, and in some regions the death toll reached 20%. Despite its grim subject, the novella also conveys beauty and moments of hope. It won the Helsingin Sanomat Literary Award and the Kiitos Kirjasta Medal and was longlisted for the 2016 International Booker Prize.
Setting: Finland
Book set in Finland: rural Finland (likely somewhere in Savo or Karelia, in eastern Finland) and Helsinki.
Original title: Nälkävuosi
Year of publication: 2012
Nr of pages: 160
