Tina Harnesk and Heidi Iivari

Tina Harnesk (1984) is a Sami writer born in Northern Sweden. According to her own words, she comes from a family of ‘wild storytellers and quiet contemplators’, it is no wonder that she is drawn to the written word and her powerful heritage is clearly felt in her work. Harnesk’s 2022 debut noel novel Folk som sår i snö combines peculiar humour and the colonialist heritage of bitter memories and emotions. The book draws from Harnesk’s family stories; she has said she wants the reader to feel time stand still – something similar to the feeling that overcame Harnesk when she listened to her mother’s stories. The novel centres on an old woman named Máriddjá who is dying of cancer and whose husband has dementia – this means it is about time to tie up the loose ends of life. Tina Harnesk will talk to poet and translator Heidi Iivari.