See & Do Eat & Drink Work & Study Business & Invest Info Think Sustainably Search My lists Log in EN HOME SEE & DO SIGHTS AUDIOBOOKS ABOUT HELSINKI Audiobooks about Helsinki Photo Ioannis Koulousis How to visit Helsinki if you can’t get here or the weather keeps you indoors? Audiobooks are a great form of armchair tourism. We’ve compiled a list of books by international authors that take place in Helsinki and that are also available as audiobooks in English. Len Deighton: Billion-Dollar Brain This classic spy thriller was later made into a movie directed by Ken Russell and starring Michael Caine. Len Deighton is one of the greats in this genre. The Iron Curtain weighs heavy in Billion-Dollar Brain, world peace is threatened and only one can save the situation! Listen in English on audiobooks.com (1966, Berkley / 1972, Suuri Suomalainen Kirjakerho, translated into Finnish by Juhani Jaskari. Narrated in English by James Lailey) Helen Dunmore: House of Orphans The late, award-winning British author Helen Dunmore lived in Finland for a few years and based one of her novels in Helsinki. House of Orphans follows the story of the orphan Eeva at the beginning of the 20th century, when the power of the tsar and the revolutionaries are making way for Finland’s future independence. Listen in English on audible.co.uk (2006, Viking Books. Narrated by Jilly Bond) Elizabeth Hand: Available Dark The protagonist of Elizabeth Hand’s dark thriller is Cassandra Neary, a 50-year-old former photographer and current drunkard. Available Dark takes Neary in the footsteps of a black metal cult to Helsinki and the wilderness of Iceland. Critics describe this book as a tour-de-force! Listen in English on audiobooks.com (2012, Minotaur Books / 2012, Like, translated into Finnish by Juha Ahokas. Narrated in English by Carol Monda) Maddy Hunter: Norway to Hide A group of senior citizens from Iowa travel around the world and happen upon murders, sometimes in the Alps, sometimes in Hawaii. The group's leader, Emily Andrew, is the Miss Marple of her own life and ends up solving another murder in the sixth part of the series, Norway to Hide, in which the pensioners tour the Nordic countries. Listen in English on nextory.fi (2007, Pocket Books. Narrated by Kathleen McInerney) Annette Lyon: The Girl in Gray A woman at war. At the end of 1939, Sini Toivola first gets spurned by the man she loves and then war breaks out. The woman soon finds herself as a female volunteer near the front lines, a Lotta, but the situation is complicated by a Russian soldier lost behind her field hospital… The Girl in Gray is a historical novel that deals with the theme of loyalty in a heart-wrenching way. Listen in English on audible.co.uk (2019, Blue Ginger Books. Narrated by Krista Nicely) James Thompson: Helsinki Noir Helsinki Noir is a collection of short stories by 14 top detective novelists who are either Finnish or have lived in Finland – a great deal for any fans of the genre who miss the streets of Helsinki! Listen in English on audible.co.uk (2014, Akashic Books. Narrated by Judith West and P. J. Ochlan) Iona Whishaw: Death in a Darkening Mist One of Helsinki's roles in popular culture is that of a gateway to the Soviet Union/Russia. So too in the novel Death in a Darkening Mist by Canadian author Iona Whishaw. This is the second part of a historic detective series whose protagonist is former British intelligence agent Lane Winslow. The events take place in the aftermath of the Second World War in 1946. Listen in English on BookBeat.fi (2017, TouchWood Editions. Narrated by Marilla Wex) The Finnish Way book by Katja Pantzar / © Julia Kivelä Two quick guides to the Finnish mental landscape Danes have hygge and Swedes have lagom, but Finns have sisu and kalsarikännit! Katja Pantzar: Finding Sisu - In Search of Courage, Strength and Happiness the Finnish Way Sisu is a concept that is almost impossible to translate verbatim into other languages, but it is a key character trait for Finns and perhaps the key to the country's success and happiness. Finnish author Katja Pantzar, who has lived in Canada for a long time, explains what the Finnish way of life is all about: the Nordic diet, the closeness to nature, morning swims in holes cut in the ice, and the simplicity of life. Listen in English on audible.co.uk (2018, Siltala. Narrated by Karen Cass) Miska Rantanen: Pantsdrunk: Kalsarikanni – The Finnish Path to Relaxation Alongside sisu, another interpretation of the core of Finnishness and the nation’s success is offered by long-time journalist Miska Rantanen. Kalsarikännit, or “drinking at home, alone, in your underwear”, is a national way of relaxing without unnecessary socialising or sophistication. It should be noted that Finnish humour is as dark as the winter! Listen in English or Finnish on BookBeat.fi (2018, S&S. Narrated by Ann Richardson) Links to audiobooks lead to the mentioned services, but we recommend that you check availability also from your favourite audiobook service. Get to know Helsinki through crime fiction Nordic Noir and Nordic Crime have become noteworthy genres. Many of the best-known fictional Finnish police officers and detectives solve crimes in the Helsinki region. Here is a list of books that are also available as English translations. Helsinki in novels This list presents novels in which Helsinki shows a diverse face. Some stories are situated in the future, some a hundred years ago. All books were published in the 2000s and have been translated into English. Satisfy your hunger for the arts – 6 tips for enjoying art with safe distancing See more YOUR LOCAL GUIDE Heidi Backström Culture Broad #literature Copy link to clipboard Share on Facebook This link opens in a new browser tab. Share on Twitter This link opens in a new browser tab. Share on Linkedin This link opens in a new browser tab. Contact About For Media Meetings & Travel Trade Accessibility Privacy SUBMIT AN EVENT SUBMIT A NEW PLACE GIVE FEEDBACK