Heidi Köngäs

Heidi Köngäs (1954) is a Finnish television director and writer. She has published three children’s books and five novels. Her debut novel Luvattu about forbidden and suppressed love was published in 2000. Her latest work, the 2012 novel Dora, Dora was nominated for the most important literary prize of Finland, the Finlandia Award. The novel was published in Estonian last year (translated by Piret Saluri). It is a remarkable work that attracts different readers. Firstly, the novel is suitable for everyone interested in recent history, as it fascinatingly describes Albert Speer’s visit to Lapland in late 1943. On the other hand it is a convincing psychological relationship drama – Speer is going through the doom of Germany looming on the horizon and his cooled friendship with the Führer, her beautiful secretary Annemarie is suffering under war-induced loneliness, the Finnish interpreter accompanying them is secretly admiring Annemarie and the magician entertaining Speer’s company is driven to despair by the polar landscape and gloom. Köngas will talk at the festival about her novel and work at the Estonian Writers’ Union on Saturday, 30 May at 3 pm, when she will be joined by historian Toomas Hiio.