Helsinki Book Fair, Sunday 25 Oct 2026

SUNDAY 25 OCT 2026

Reading books bought at the Helsinki Book Fair.

Kira Poutanen: Pariisi-koodi: paperisotaa & poskisuudelmia ranskalaisittain [The Paris Code: Red Tape & Bises, French Style]. SKS-Kirjat 2026. 

SKS-KIRJAT: "Kira Poutanen’s essay collection on Paris offers a sharp, personal account of life in a city that is simultaneously mythical, unpredictable, and irresistibly beautiful.

“In reality, there is only Paris and you. Paris and me. Paris and us. Come, let’s head to Paris. Let’s go inside, dive into its veins, submerge ourselves in the Métro, and wander through its winding passageways. Let’s celebrate until dawn, only to hop on the first train of the morning—well after five o’clock.”

Having lived in Paris for nearly thirty years, author, translator, and journalist Kira Poutanen explores the invisible codes of conduct in Paris and France. She examines the experience of living between a sense of being an outsider and the process of putting down roots—in a country about which everyone holds their own preconceived notions.

Pariisi-koodi (The Paris Code) is a sharp, personal journey into the life of a Finn abroad and into the city of love—a place that has weathered many hardships, and where the glitter on the surface rarely aligns with the struggles of everyday life. Rather than attempting to explain Paris, Poutanen explores it like a riddle, the secret code of which can only be deciphered over the course of many years.

Kira Poutanen is a Finnish author, translator, and journalist who lives and works in France. Her body of work ranges from prose—including a Finlandia Prize-winning title—to television scripts, children’s literature, and literary translations. Poutanen has worked as a correspondent in France for outlets including MTV Uutiset."

AA: I read Kira Poutanen's account about her expedition into Paris almost in one go. She entered as a student from Northern Europe and experienced the cultural clash in the hard way but stayed, got married and raised a family in Paris. Her story offers a fascinating parallel with Simon Kuper's excellent Impossible City (Profile Books 2024) and his wife Pamela Druckerman's Bringing Up Bébé (Penguin 2012). 

    Both books are records of Jewish life during a decade of growing antisemitism. Where Kuper and Druckerman are both Jewish, Poutanen the gentile is married with a Jew and shares the full menu of what that means, becoming an interlocutor for sometimes incredulous circles. 

    Poutanen has lived in Paris 30 years, Kuper & Druckerman 25 years. Poutanen's profound wisdom in the book for me resides in her ongoing encounters with the mysteries of the French language. It is a philosophical exercise (thinking about thinking) and an exploration into identity, multiplied in the adventure story of being a mother to a bi-lingual child in Paris.

   Not discussed by Poutanen is the epochal transformation in the language world of Paris during the last 30 years: the Internet, English becoming a world language with a domination like no other language has ever seen, even Parisians speaking English to the point that they refuse to speak French with foreigners unless they speak it like natives. Obviously, Poutanen, Kuper and Druckerman do.

    As I write this, the 17 October 2026 riots are front-page news, and protesters atop the Statue de la République (11th arrondissement) are its symbol. Poutanen, Kuper and Druckerman all inhabit the 11e arrondissement (as do I during springtime). From his perfect observation point, Simon Kuper has written a remarkable weekend essay on the riots (Financial Times, 24 Oct 2026).

Kirsti Kuosmanen: Venuksen puutarha — tantrakirja naisen syvimpään olemukseen / [The Garden of Venus – a Tantra Book to the Deepest Essence of Woman]. 301 pages. Viisas Elämä 2026.

VIISAS ELÄMÄ: "The Garden of Venus – a Tantra Book to the Deepest Essence of Woman is a sensual and empowering Tantra book for women. It is an invitation to return to your own body, to pleasure, and to the power of the sacred feminine.

This book is dedicated to women who long for a deeper connection with themselves and wish to flourish in their full bloom. Through the teachings of Tantra, sensuality and sexuality are viewed as gateways to spiritual growth and self-discovery. Every touch, every breath, and every emotion offers an opportunity to awaken your deepest life force. The book serves as a reminder that pleasure is sacred, wisdom is inborn, and power is wild.

The book contains various tools to help you build a bridge between your body, mind, and sexuality, including:

– Body-awareness exercises that help deepen your presence and enable you to better perceive the messages from your body.

– Meditations and rituals designed to release old, limiting beliefs and help you break free from the shackles of the past.

The Garden of Venus is a journey that liberates, awakens, and nourishes. It invites you to bring into reality what you already know in your heart. Welcome to the Garden of Venus—you have come home.

Kirsti Kuosmanen is a Tantra teacher, psychotherapist, sex therapist, author, and actress. She has been actively teaching Tantra in Finland for over 10 years. She has previously published the books Hehkuvan naisen salaisuuksia (Otava, 2020) and Hehkuvan naisen voimavuodet (Bazar, 2023)."

AA: Kirsti Kuosmanen's The Garden of Venus is a book of endless happiness. Many people, Finns above all, are baffled by the fact that Finland is voted year after year as "the happiest country in the world". My personal conviction: make women happier, and everyone gets happier. Fair play, equal power, equal pay, in the first instance. A lot more will follow. Sex is our superpower, and women are more talented in emotional intelligence, love and sex. I am a feminist of the old school. Like Socrates according to Plato in Symposium: Diotima was the greatest teacher in love including the highest form, the love of wisdom = philosophy (philos/loving of sophia/wisdom). Like Goethe: woman as the supreme teacher and educator in Bildung. Die Wahlverwandtschaften. Faust. "Das Unbeschreibliche, hier ist's getan, das Ewig-Weibliche zieht uns hinan". The Garden of Venus may be a divertissement based on Western notions and practices far removed from the Hindu and Buddhist origins of Tantra. But it is a refreshing book in its uninhibited celebration of female pleasure. Men should read it and learn.

Ville Okkonen: Kamppailu "suomettumisesta" / [The Battle about Finnlandisierung], 368 pages.  30 September 2026. Vastapaino 2026.

VASTAPAINO: "In his work Kamppailu ”suomettumisesta” (The Struggle over "Finnlandisierung"), political historian Ville Okkonen seizes the most contentious concept in Finnish foreign and security policy: "Finnlandisierung." In recent years, this term has been used with exceptional abandon and spontaneity. Okkonen’s scholarly research provides a refreshing look at the foundations and origins of the concept, its intended purposes, and what it reveals about political discourse in a broader sense.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the discussion surrounding Finnlandisierung has solidified into a narrative—one whose core claims rest on a weak foundation, yet whose political objectives are clear. Indeed, talk of Finnlandisierung is part of the narrative surrounding the West’s victory in the Cold War. Historically, however, the term was not primarily associated with the specific relationship between Finland and the Soviet Union; rather, it referred to broader aspirations toward neutrality during the Cold War.

Kamppailu ”suomettumisesta” provides the necessary background for the debate on Finnlandisierung and its various connections, demonstrating that later interpretations of this discourse—and of the era itself—are often biased or agenda-driven. The research draws on a wide range of sources, including the archives of the Swedish labor movement, political discourse in Denmark and Norway, and digitized documents from the German Bundestag, the U.S. Congress, and the CIA.

Ville Okkonen is a researcher of political history. He wrote this work while serving as a visiting scholar at the Hans Blix Centre at Stockholm University."

AA: Ville Okkonen launches a sober examination of one of the core concepts of the right-wing think tanks: "Finnlandisierung", the use of which has spread wide while its meaning is (perhaps intentionally) remained muddy. Launched in Austria, the term was gleefully embraced by Franz Josef Strauss, the Minister-President of Bavaria and ex-Nazi, who shamelessly ridiculed Finland, the only participant of Operation Barbarossa which was spared of occupation, while his own country was fully freed from occupation only in 1994.

    Tiny Finland fought three wars during WWII, and how we managed the aftermath after the victory of the Allied was a miraculous survival story, a combination of a fighting spirit, wisdom in security policy and talent in diplomacy. 

    All European neighbours of the USSR lost their independence except Finland. In Operation Barbarossa, our destination was the destruction of Russia, and we were close to achieving that. In Denmark and Norway, Nazi collaborators were executed. In Finland, nobody was executed. 

    Instead, the small Finland became a big power in 

Helsinki Book Fair, Saturday 24 Oct 2026

 

Helsinki Book Fair 24 Oct 2026. A high point of the Book Fair: Ilkka Taipale M.D. reading his acceptance speech for his Life Award. The 2026 non-fiction book awards of Suomen Tietokirjailijat / The Association of Finnish Nonfiction Writers, l to r: Kai Ekholm, Jenni Räihä, Ilkka Taipale and Vappu Taipale (absent: Markku Heikkilä). Hosted by Timo Tossavainen, Chairman. Photo: Omer Levin / Helsinki Book Fair.

Helsingin Kirjamessut / Helsinki Book Fair. Helsingin Messukeskus / Messukeskus Helsinki, Expo and Convention Centre. Messuaukio, 00520 Helsinki (Pasila).

My trajectory:

SATURDAY 24 OCT 2026

11:00-11:30 TÖÖLÖ

Tykkäsin! Kirjallisuuskritiikin tila / I Liked! The Condition of Literary Criticism. OFFICIAL: "In the attention economy, identification and discussion of the theme threaten to displace analytical literary criticism. What is the impact of literary criticism on reading choices, the visibility of authors and literary prestige?" Suomen Kirjailijaliitto. Tommi Melender and Elina Rouhiainen, interviewed by Markku Soikkeli.

    AA: Clickbait journalism is being infiltrated into journalism, incongruously even in quality media, also in cultural sections, including literary criticism.

    On the giant monitor of the editorial room you can follow the visitor count for each review and piece of journalism. The goal is to be number one. If you lose, you are fired.

    "Parody is no longer possible, they do it themselves".

    The fundamental error here is the faith in clickbait counters.

    They may be revelatory in sensation media and sensation elements in legacy media.

    However, a supreme resource in the media is the long-term subscriber, the lifelong return customer with a continuous, permanent subscription. Brand loyalty is of incalculable value, and each successful business wants to have a large amount of faithful followers.

    The one who values deep reading, focuses on print, leaving no clickbait trace.

    The one happy with shallow browsing, glances at the digital version, leaving a faint clickbait trace.

    Clickbaits take place both with return customers and accidental visitors.

    If a quality media pursues increasingly sensation, it may start to lose brand loyalty.

    After all, the long-term reader has probably a commitment to substance and quality.

    Trivial and superficial sensation fare will distance them.

    If there is no worthy option in quality media in their country, they may turn to media in other countries and languages.

    I hope the editors of the media think more about the big picture and not only instant rewards. Looking at clickbait victories you may win the battle but lose the war.

Helsinki Book Fair 24 Oct 2026. Language: Humour in Finnish. L to r: Jussi Lehmusvesi (moderator), Anna Brotkin, Eeva Vekki, Jarno Hietalahti. Photo: Omer Levin / Helsinki Book Fair.

12:00-12:30 SENAATINTORI

Kieli-teemakeskustelu: suomi huumorin kielenä / Theme Discussion on Language: Finnish as a language of humour. The comedian, author Eeva Vekki, the scholar on humour Jarno Hietalahti and the playwright Anna Brotkin. Hosted by Jussi Lehmusvesi.

12:30-13:00  KRUUNUNHAKA

Suomen Tietokirjailijat / The Association of Finnish Nonfiction Writers: 2026 Awards for Non-Fiction Books: Kai Ekholm, Jenni Räihä, Ilkka Taipale and Vappu Taipale (absent: Markku Heikkilä). Hosted by Timo Tossavainen (chairman) and Markus Hotakainen (vice-chairman).

KAI EKHOLM

"Professor Kai Ekholm, PhD, is a prolific non-fiction author who has published over 30 books. His professional career includes serving as the National Librarian of the National Library of Finland from 2001 until his retirement in 2018. He has also held leadership roles such as Chair of the Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression (FAIFE) committee of IFLA (the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions) and Chair of the Conference of Directors of National Libraries (CDNL).

Ekholm’s career as an author spans many years. Following his early work in the 1980s—which included overviews of science fiction and crime fiction—he turned his focus to the "banned books" removed from Finnish public libraries during the country’s post-war recovery. This research culminated in his doctoral dissertation, Kielletyt kirjat 1944–1946 – Yleisten kirjastojen kirjapoistot vuosina 1944–1946 ("Banned Books 1944–1946: The Removal of Books from Public Libraries, 1944–1946"; University of Oulu, 2020). Since then, he has explored themes of censorship and the mistreatment of libraries in several of his works. His pace of publication has only accelerated since his retirement; in recent years, he has further broadened his scope as an author by writing biographical works, among other projects. ...on Anselm Hollo (Anselm Hollo – Beatnik planeettamatkalla, Rosebud Books, 2022), Jörn Donner (Jörn Donner, kuinka te kehtaatte, Docendo, 2020), and Matti Klinge (Mies jolla oli Matti Klingen kasvot, Otava, 2024).

Kai Ekholm is known as a staunch advocate for freedom of expression and for researchers; when necessary, he is not afraid to take a spirited stand in defense of citizens’ literacy, the value of sivistys (Bildung), and the role of libraries as the memory of the nation. As a non-fiction author, Ekholm is precise and meticulous, and the personal touch in his writing is engaging."

MARKKU HEIKKILÄ

"Markku Heikkilä worked in various roles at the newspaper Kaleva from 1986 to 2010, during which time he closely followed the development of cooperation in the North and the Arctic. Since 2010, he has served as the Head of Science Communication at the Arctic Centre of the University of Lapland. In this capacity, he has worked to raise awareness of Arctic research and its societal significance, both in Finland and internationally.

As a non-fiction author, Heikkilä has documented the evolution of Arctic cooperation and Finnish Arctic thought. Arktiset visiot (Pohjoinen, 1998) offers a multifaceted, eyewitness account of the birth of international Arctic cooperation. In the work Jos menetämme Arktiksen ("If We Lose the Arctic"; Arctic Centre, 2019), he examines the evolution of Finland’s Arctic thinking from the 1980s to the present day. Arktinen kattaus ("An Arctic Spread"—co-authored with Marjo Laukkanen; Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Europe Information, 2016) portrays Finland as an Arctic nation and highlights individuals from across the country who possess expertise in everyday Arctic life. The book Arktisen maailman jäljillä ("On the Trail of the Arctic World"; Into, 2023)—also available in English—brings the Arctic knowledge Heikkilä has accumulated over decades to an international readership. Based on 25 years of travel across the eight nations of the Arctic region, the work weaves together personal observations, history, Arctic cultures, Indigenous peoples, and geopolitics into an accessible narrative.

Heikkilä’s achievement lies in his ability—sustained over decades—to combine the precision of a journalist, the insight of a non-fiction author, and the skill of a science communicator in making complex Arctic issues understandable. His body of work serves as a valuable record of an era when Arctic cooperation emerged and evolved—and which, amidst geopolitical shifts, has now entered a new phase."

JENNI RÄINÄ

"The work of Oulu-based author and journalist Jenni Räinä centers on nature, humanity, and the evolving relationship between the two. In her non-fiction books, Räinä moves fluidly between personal experience, journalistic research, and broad societal issues. Her works take a close look at Northern Finland in particular, shedding light on the changes taking place both in the environment and within individuals.

Reunalla – Tarinoita Suomen tyhjeneviltä sivukyliltä (Like, 2017) depicts life on the geographical and experiential fringes of Finnish society. Metsä meidän jälkeemme (Like, 2019)—created in collaboration with Pekka Juntti, Anna Ruohonen, and photographer Anssi Jokiranta—delves into the state of Finnish forests and how they are utilized. Kulkijat – naisia ​​metsissä, soilla ja tuntureilla (Like, 2021) examines women’s relationship with nature, while Veden ajat (Like, 2025) continues Räinä’s characteristic exploration of environmental change, viewed through the lens of her own childhood and broader societal shifts.

Jenni Räinä is a distinctive, expressive, and bold non-fiction author. Her work combines rigorous journalistic research with strong literary prose and an ability to focus on the individual amidst major societal and ecological transformations. Räinä writes about the great issues of our time from an intimate and deeply moving perspective. He knows how to confront pain and raw reality, infusing them with a touch of hope—a quality that makes complex themes more accessible to the reader. Räinä does not leave the reader alone. His body of work broadens our understanding of the Finnish natural world and invites us to reflect on our own relationship with nature and what we want it to become in the future."

ILKKA TAIPALE

"Ilkka Taipale, an Adjunct Professor of Social Medicine, is a psychiatrist, politician, and civic activist. His career has included roles as a Member of Parliament, chief physician, and professor. He has also been active in numerous non-governmental organizations, such as the Committee of 100 (Sadankomitea), the Peace Union of Finland, and Physicians Against Nuclear War.

In his writings, Ilkka Taipale has highlighted the problems faced by men—particularly those who are marginalized, such as the homeless, those struggling with alcoholism, and the lonely. His more recent works include Mielisairaalassa – Lääkärin muistelmat (In a Psychiatric Hospital – A Doctor’s Memoirs; Into, 2017), Pois puute, pois kurjuus – Pari kerppua kirjoituksia (Away with Want, Away with Misery – A Collection of Writings; Kustannus Kunnia, 2019), and Sinisilmäinen pasifisti – Kirjoituksia seitsemältä vuosikymmeneltä (The Naive Pacifist – Writings from Seven Decades; Rosebud Books, 2024), as well as a joint memoir with Vappu Taipale titled Taipaleella (Into, 2022). Among the dozens of works he has edited, 100 sosiaalista innovaatiota Suomesta (100 Social Innovations from Finland; Itämerikeskussäätiö, 2006; revised edition SKS, 2013; revised edition Into, 2017) is particularly noteworthy. With over 50 translations, it is the second most translated Finnish work, following only the Kalevala. Ilkka Taipale’s body of work is characterized not only by an expert approach but also by firm conviction and profound empathy. He has never been one to bow before icons or figures of authority. A courageous writer, he consistently stands on the side of the vulnerable and fights against social inequality. Ilkka Taipale’s works are written with high quality and a lively, engaging style; even his earlier publications have stood the test of time remarkably well."

VAPPU TAIPALE

"Professor Vappu Taipale is a physician, psychiatrist, and politician. She has served as Minister of Social Affairs and Health and has headed the National Board of Social Welfare, as well as its successors—the National Board of Social Welfare and Health and STAKES (the National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health). Taipale specializes in child and adolescent psychiatry and has held positions at the Helsinki University Central Hospital, as well as at the universities of Tampere and Kuopio.

Throughout her career, Vappu Taipale has authored numerous books in her field, ranging from medical publications and popular non-fiction to guides on life skills. The central theme of most of these works revolves around the well-being of children and young people, with a particular focus on mental health. Her very first book, co-authored with Eero Valanne, was titled Lastenpsykiatria (Child Psychiatry) (WSOY, 1971). Later works include, for example, Nuoruusiän kriisit (Adolescent Crises; co-authored with Tor-Björn Hägglund and Kari Pylkkänen, Gummerus, 1978), Lasten mielenterveystyö (Mental Health Work for Children, WSOY, 1992), and Rakas lapsi – Muistoja & ymmärrystä kasvamisesta (Dear Child – Memories & Understanding of Growing Up, Into, 2019). Older adults have also been a focus for Vappu Taipale; works directed at this demographic include Isoäitikirja (The Grandmother Book, WSOY, 2002; revised edition, Into, 2017) and Vanha ja vireä – Virkistyskirja vanhoille naisille (Old and Vibrant – A Book of Refreshment for Older Women, WSOY, 2011; revised edition, Into, 2017).

Vappu Taipale’s body of work combines solid professional expertise with a deep concern for the well-being of people—especially children, young people, and the elderly. She has addressed topics and problems that are far from easy, and for which there are no simple solutions—issues that, regrettably, have become increasingly relevant in contemporary society. A sense of human warmth permeates her work. Her books are written in an engaging, accessible style, skillfully weaving together personal experience and broader social phenomena."

AA: An engrossing event made even greater by an exceptional speech by Ilkka Taipale. I hope it can be made generally available. One of the great speeches of Finland.

    Edited by Ilkka Taipale, 100 Innovations from Finland: How Finland Became Finland (2006, 2017) is my candidate for the best Finnish book of all times (fiction and non-fiction). By 2023, it had been translated into 53 languages. It is the second most translated Finnish book after Kalevala.

Ilkka Taipale: Sata innovaatiota Suomesta / A Hundred Innovations from Finland (2006). Revised edition: Into 2017.

HORS D'ŒUVRE

Simon Sebag Montefiore: The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2026. On sale: 25 Aug 2026. 

Simon Sebag Montefiore: The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2026.

AA: On my way to the Helsinki Book Fair from the Academic Bookstore (where I read Hufvudstadsbladet and The Economist at Café Aalto), I bought from Rosebud Sivullinen at Yliopistonkatu my copy of Simon Sebag Montefiore's acclaimed The Cauldron. The history of the Middle East since the fall of the Ottoman Empire is the most complex subject in modern political history. I started reading from Churchill, whose long-running antisemitism is for me perhaps the great mystery in the death trap set for Israel and Palestine. Was the meaning from the start that they would destroy each other utterly? And are they unwittingly following a plot spun by the grand imperialist and antisemite (hating Jews and Arabs equally)? Sebag Montefiore certainly pursues no such vision. He has the rare talent of conveying the bigger picture in a lucid fashion.

Helsinki Book Fair, Friday 23 Oct 2026

 

Riitta Nelimarkka: Hiekanjyvässä kallio [A Bedrock Within a Grain of Sand]. Docendo 2026.

Helsingin Kirjamessut / Helsinki Book Fair. Helsingin Messukeskus / Messukeskus Helsinki, Expo and Convention Centre. Messuaukio, 00520 Helsinki (Pasila).

My trajectory:

FRIDAY 23 OCT 2026

16:00-16:30 ESPLANADI

Riitta Nelimarkka & Anna-Liisa Hämäläinen: Riitta Nelimarkka - hiekanjyvässä kallio.

In person: Riitta Nelimarkka, interviewed by Juha Roiha.

    HELSINKI BOOK FAIR: "The growing-up story of an uncompromising artist. The biography of Riitta Nelimarkka tells about the growth of a multi-talented child from Munkkiniemi to a unique artist and a human being, for whom freedom, the family and love are supreme." Docendo.

    AA: I have already blogged about Hiekanjyvässä kallio. It is a breathtaking story of the turbo-charged artist Riitta Nelimarkka. It was an impossible mission to condense the saga into the 20 minutes on disposal. Juha Roiha the interviewer did not succeed. Perhaps nobody could have. But I missed the sense of grandeur and essence. Nelimarkka is about a constant stream of creativity and joy of art. For me she is above all the pioneer of Finnish feature-length animation. "Anima vitae" means "life spirit". A synonym for "cinema" is "biograph", "the trace of life". This is the power essence always. A totem animal for Nelimarkka is the rabbit, familiar in the history of animation from Bugs Bunny ("what's up, Doc?"), also already Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, the predecessor of Mickey Mouse. The Frenchmen have the saying "Qui court deux lièvres, n'en prend aucun" / "Chase two rabbits, catch none", also familiar from the stories of Anton Chekhov. Riitta Nelimarkka catches them all.

Roland Barthes: Valoisa huone: merkintöjä valokuvasta / La Chambre claire: note sur la photographie (1980) new Finnish translation by Marjaana Kella and Hanna Weselius. Bokeh 2026. 

19:00-19:30 KALLIO

Roland Barthes: Valoisa huone / La Chambre claire (1980) new Finnish translation 2026 by Marjaana Kella and Hanna Weselius.

In person: Marjaana Kella, Janne Seppänen, interviewed by Antti Nylén.

    AA: Roland Barthes's modern classic is known in English by the name Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography. The first English translation by Richard Howard (1981) has remained the single one. In Finnish it was translated in 1985 by Martti Lintunen, Esa Sironen and Leevi Lehto. The dense and opaque book is an essay and a prose poem, awash with ideas and associations. The new translation by Marjaana Kella and Hanna Weselius is highly welcome. Following the author's guidelines, commentaries are not included. Instead, there is a separate volume called Varjokuvain ["Shadow Imager"]. La Chambre claire was originally commissioned by Jean Narboni for Les Cahiers du Cinéma, and in this perspective it is in direct lineage with André Bazin's classic essay "Ontologie de l'image photographique" (written in 1944, published in 1945 in the book Problèmes de la peinture, in Finnish "Valokuvan ontologia" in Filmihullu 1/1971 in a translation by Leena Kirstinä, republished in Kuvista sanoin 1, 1983). Marjaana Kella spoke about the art of translation in the most profound terms. Janne Seppänen had a fascinating comment on photography in Mars, the essence of the photographic experience surviving in the long distance digital transmission from Mars to the Earth. La Chambre claire is an art book with a formidable selection of photographs from Nièpce, Nadar and Stieglitz to Avedon, Mapplethorpe and Klein, also present in the Finnish editions.

Helsinki Book Fair, Thursday 22 Oct 2026

Helsingin Kirjamessut / Helsinki Book Fair. Helsingin Messukeskus / Messukeskus Helsinki, Expo and Convention Centre. Messuaukio, 00520 Helsinki (Pasila).

My trajectory.

THURSDAY 22 OCT 2026

Mikko Porvali: Kremlin näkymätön sota / [The Kremlin's Invisible War], 2026

Mikko Porvali. Photo: Hanne Manelius.

 Helsingin Kirjamessut: Hakaniemi, 22 Oct 2026. Mikko Porvali interviewed by Laura Niemi-Pynttäri. Photo: Omer Levin / Helsinki Book Fair.

16:00–16:30  HAKANIEMI

Mikko Porvali: Kremlin näkymätön sota: Venäjän tiedustelupalveluiden pitkä historia /  [The Kremlin’s Invisible War — The Long History of Russia’s Intelligence Services), Atena 2026.

    In person: Mikko Porvali, interviewed by Laura Niemi-Pynttäri.

    OFFICIAL: "An experienced historian of espionage recounts the origins of Russia’s intelligence services, how they have extended their reach everywhere, and how they have influenced the history of Finland as well.

    Assassinations, acts of sabotage, the violent silencing of the opposition—Russian intelligence services have always served as an extension of the ruler’s power: a fist used by those in charge to secure their own position.

    This authoritative work chronicles the blood-stained history of these espionage organizations—from the Tsarist Okhrana to the NKVD, the KGB, and today’s Russian intelligence agencies. Their operations have also reached Finland, as evidenced by poisonings, abductions, and numerous espionage cases.

    Delving deep into the history of this great power, the book sheds light on the methods Russia has employed throughout its long history to expand its influence." (Official).

    AA: My visit to this year's Helsinki Book Fair starts on a high note. In 20 minutes, Mikko Porvali gave us an overview of the Kremlin's devastating intelligence history from Nestor's Chronicles to the present day. Issues of great complexity he explained with exemplary clarity. Although we are dealing with issues of brutal autocracy / dictatorship, Porvali distances himself from Russophobia and confesses an affinity with Russian culture. In this he is like George F. Kennan, the great Russophile who was the father of the Cold War. I was also thinking about Sergei Loznitsa's remarks in 2023 at the Midnight Sun Film Festival. He talked about the dual power in the Russian power elite since Ivan the Terrible: the political rule and the intelligence machine. According to Loznitsa, in Putin's Russia for the first time the political leader is himself the intelligence officer. No more dual rule.

   I agree with Porvali that the most important year in Finnish history is 1704 - the founding of St. Petersburg.

Helsingin Kirjamessut: Hakaniemi, 22 Oct 2026. L to r: Jesse Hirvelä, Anni Reuter, Hannu Takala, hosted by Oula Silvennoinen. Photo: Omer Levin / Helsinki Book Fair.

17:30-18:00  HAKANIEMI

Three books about Ingria - Hannu Takala, Anni Reuter, Jesse Hirvelä - interviewed by Oula Silvennoinen.

Hannu Takala: Kirjasalon nousu ja tuho / [The Rise and Fall of Kirjasalo: the Attempts at Independence of the Ingrian Finns 1919-1920], Vastapaino 2026.

BOOK FAIR OFFICIAL ABOUT ALL THREE BOOKS: "Kirjasalon nousu ja tuho: a non-fiction book aimed at a general audience, focusing on the history of the Ingrian Finns—specifically their efforts to achieve self-governance between 1919 and 1920. Why did Ingria fail to attain independence, and why is so little known about this chapter of history?

The Dictators of Ingria: Who truly ruled Ingria in the decades following the Russian Revolution? Jesse Hirvelä’s *The Dictators of Ingria* uncovers the forgotten story of "Reds" who fled Finland, rose to become the Finnish elite in the Leningrad region, and used the Ingrian people as tools to create a "Soviet Finland." Their story is a compelling account of power, ideology, and individuals caught in the crushing grip of great-power politics.

The Land That Vanished: In the winter of 1942, Anni Reuter’s grandfather, Juhani, was sent from Finland on a secret reconnaissance mission to Ingria, then occupied by Nazi Germany. Juhani becomes an eyewitness to famine, terror, and a culture on the verge of extinction. He negotiates with SS leaders, searches for fellow Finns in camps and along the front lines, helps hundreds escape, and documents everything he sees. Juhani’s journey is a poignant tale of faith, survival, and people—crushed by the machinery of great-power politics—who refused to remain silent."

KIRJASALON NOUSU JA TUHO OFFICIAL: "In the aftermath of the First World War, countries such as Finland and the Baltic states gained their independence. The Ingrian Finns also harbored aspirations for independence. Why did Ingria fail to achieve independence, and why is so little known about this subject?"

Kirjasalon nousu ja tuho ("The Rise and Fall of Kirjasalo") by Hannu Takala is a non-fiction book aimed at a general audience; it focuses on the history of the Ingrian Finns, specifically their efforts to establish self-governance between 1919 and 1920.

The independence aspirations of the Ingrian Finns culminated in the village of Kirjasalo in North Ingria—located on the Karelian Isthmus—which has subsequently been referred to as the "Republic of Kirjasalo." What exactly was this short-lived republic, and what kind of goals for independence or autonomy were envisioned for it? Furthermore, what was the nature of the armed uprising by the Ingrian Finns, and why were their hopes for an independent Kirjasalo—or even for joining Finland—ultimately extinguished?

Hannu Takala is a Docent of Archaeology at the University of Turku. His research interests include the earliest post-glacial human settlement in Finland, Karelian cultural heritage, and the Finnish Civil War of 1918."

Anni Reuter: Maa joka katosi: isoisäni salainen tehtävä Inkerissä / [The Land That Vanished — My Grandfather’s Secret Mission in Ingria], SKS Kirjat 2026.

MAA JOKA KATOSI OFFICIAL: "What happened to the Ingrian Finns caught between Stalin and Hitler? In this gripping historical account, Anni Reuter recounts her grandfather’s secret journey into the occupied villages of Ingria—a land on the verge of disappearing.

In the winter of 1942, military chaplain Juhani Jääskeläinen is sent from Finland to Ingria—then occupied by Nazi Germany—right on the outskirts of besieged Leningrad. What begins as a secret investigative mission evolves into a struggle for survival, both spiritual and human. Juhani becomes the sole Lutheran pastor for more than 65,000 Ingrian Finns, as well as an eyewitness to famine, terror, and the erasure of a culture. He negotiates with SS commanders, searches for fellow Finns in camps and along the front lines, helps hundreds escape, and documents everything he witnesses.

In this book, Anni Reuter, PhD, follows in her grandfather’s footsteps, giving a voice to the Ingrian Finns swept up in the turmoil of war, forced relocations, and evacuations. Drawing on diaries, letters, photographs, and interviews, the work transcends a simple biography to become a collective history of human experience. At the same time, it is a moving story about faith, survival, and people caught in the machinery of great-power politics—people who refused to be silenced."

Jesse Hirvelä: Inkerin diktaattorit: Leningradin suomalaiset kommunistit 1918-1938 / [The Dictators of Ingria — The Finnish Communists of Leningrad, 1918–1938]. SKS Kirjat 2026.

INKERIN DIKTAATTORIT OFFICIAL: "A forgotten story about the Finnish elite in the Leningrad region.

Who truly ruled Ingria in the decades following the Russian Revolution?

In this work, Jesse Hirvelä uncovers the forgotten story of the "Reds" who fled Finland after the Civil War and rose to become the Finnish elite of the Leningrad region. They used the Ingrian people as a tool to create a "Soviet Finland."

The book presents new information regarding the experiences of the Ingrian Finns, as well as the rise and destruction of the Finnish community in Leningrad. Why did the Reds promote pro-Finnish activities that ultimately proved fatal? What transpired within the Finnish inner circle as Stalin’s purges began and the net of accusations tightened?

The Dictators of Ingria is a compelling account of power, ideology, and individuals caught in the grip of great-power politics.

Jesse Hirvelä holds a doctorate in political science; he has conducted research on the history of Finland and the Soviet Union and worked on the National Archives’ research project, "Finns in Russia 1917–1964.""

AA: A devastating 20 minutes symposium around three important books, by Hannu Takala, Anni Reuter and Jesse Hirvelä, about the destiny of Ingria after the fall of the Russian Empire, expertly moderated by Oula Silvennoinen. This story has been under-investigated until recently, but now much has been unearthed in the nick of time.

18:00-18:30  SENAATINTORI

Sirpa Kähkönen: Marius. Siltala 2026

Erotiikka, romaani, romantiikka.

In person: Sirpa Kähkönen, interviewed by Touko Siltala.

Sirpa Kähkönen: Marius. Siltala, 2026.

Sirpa Kähkönen: Photo: Helsinki Book Fair 2026.

MARIUS OFFICIAL: "Lili spends a sweltering August day in her garden pavilion on the grounds of an old manor—nestled in an ancient stream valley, through which a tram line runs. She is awaiting the arrival of Marius—a young Frenchman she admires—who is to visit her one last time.

  

During the day, Lili’s dear friend Paul stops by the pavilion, prompting Lili to reflect on the time they spent together in various European cities, as well as her own intense romance in Paris. She contemplates her erotic history, a female painter she once admired—who created radiant portraits of men—and the nature of death.

  

Evening falls, but Marius does not appear.

The world of the novel expands beyond the confines of a single day, evolving into a narrative about art, Europe, and a profound sorrow that exists alongside the burning intensity of love and passion.

“Surely one more day

could be endured—one could bear

the waiting, the joy, this

quiet, humming vibration”

AA: Sirpa Kähkönen has been in the forefront of the Finnish literary scene for a long time, as editor, translator and author, and in important functions in literary organizations. The versatile Kähkönen had her breakthrough in young adult literature, then created an epic series of historical novels, starting with a Kuopio cycle. Her most acclaimed novel is The Granite Man, the tragedy of Finnish Red exiles crushed in Stalin's Great Terror. She has also written non-fiction books of political history. Against this background, Marius is something new and different: a psychological novel about female desire. The protagonist is a red-blooded 60+ woman caught in an attraction to a younger man. "Love is a rebellious bird", sang Carmen. This is a gentle, subtle and tender account. Unafraid of vulnerability. This book could only have been written by a woman. It is necessary for men to read such books for several reasons. Foremostly because women have a higher emotional intelligence.

18:30–19:00  ARABIA STAGE

Leopoldina Fortunati: Uusintamisen salaisuus: kotirouvat, prostituoidut, työläiset ja pääoma / L’arcano della riproduzione: casalinghe, prostitute, operai e capitale, 1981. 2024, 2025, Finnish translation: Janne Löppönen. Tutkijaliitto 2026. The Secret of Reproduction. The author was not present. The discussion was conducted by Katri Jurvakainen with Janne Löppönen (the translator) and Juho Narsakka.

Leopoldina Fortunati: Uusintamisen salaisuus: kotirouvat, prostituoidut, työläiset ja pääoma / L’arcano della riproduzione: casalinghe, prostitute, operai e capitale, 1981. 2024, 2025, Finnish translation: Janne Löppönen. Tutkijaliitto 2026. 

BOOK FAIR OFFICIAL: "The Secret of Reproduction is a groundbreaking study by Italian feminist and theorist Leopoldina Fortunati. It examines the labor that takes place in the "hidden abode of production"—specifically, the realm of reproduction, where the labor force itself is produced. Originally published in 1981, this classic of Marxist feminism was among the first works to theorize immaterial labor, affective labor, and the role of technology in social reproduction. The book will be discussed by its translator, Janne Löppönen, alongside Katri Jurvakainen and Juho Narsakka—known for their work on the Barrikadi podcast."

TUTKIJALIITTO OFFICIAL: "The Arcana of Reproduction is a groundbreaking study of labor that takes place in a "site of production" even more hidden than the factory floor: the sphere of reproduction, where labor power itself is produced. Drawing on her experience in the Wages for Housework movement, Leopoldina Fortunati applies Karl Marx’s analysis of the logic of capitalist production to the realms of domestic labor, care work, and sex work. While this reproductive labor goes unpaid, it plays a vital role in the capitalist production of value.

Originally published in 1981, this classic of Marxist feminism was among the first studies to theorize immaterial labor, affective labor, and the role of technology in social reproduction. The analyses presented in the book remain essential today for understanding the internal division of labor within capitalism—a division structured by gender and race.

The volume also includes an afterword written by Leopoldina Fortunati in 2025—originally published alongside the new English edition, The Arcana of Reproduction (Verso, 2025)—as well as introductions by Silvia Federici and the Finnish translator, Janne Löppönen."

AA: The first Finnish publication of Leopoldina Fortunati's The Secret of Reproduction, an essential study about a hugely under-investigated moment in forces of production: the reproduction of the human labour power. 

    This neglect has been linked with a gross injustice regarding women's contribution to society. Women have been taken for granted, and economic studies have assumed the value of their unpaid work to be zero. Women's contribution is invaluable and priceless. Without it there would be nothing.

    Fortunati's ideas could contribute to an eighth volume of Das Kapital. The ninth volume could cover crypto, paradise islands and "AI'".

HORS D'ŒUVRE

PATRICIA NILSSON: GUILTY PLEASURE: THE PORNIFICATION OF THE INTERNET, THE ECONOMY, AND EVERYTHING ELSE

Patricia Nilsson: Guilty Pleasure: The Pornification of the Internet, the Economy, and Everything Else. Allen Lane, 2026.

ALLEN LANE OFFICIAL: "This is the story of one of the most influential – and least examined – industries on earth. Worth billions of dollars, and commanding a tenth of global internet traffic at peak times, it has quietly reshaped our world: it has transformed technology, work, culture, love and relationships, and even our sense of self. Most industries of this scale make daily headlines. This one rarely does.

In Guilty Pleasure, investigative journalist and FT reporter Patricia Nilsson turns her attention to an industry few have dared to confront, and tells the story of pornography in the online age. Drawing on more than five years of reporting, Nilsson reveals how the internet turned the business of erotic art into something else entirely: a vast, secretive industry dominated by obscure owners, platform logic and profit at almost any cost. She traces how porn helped to shape the online world, and then spilled far beyond it – restructuring everyday life and saturating society with its logic of stimulation, self-soothing and craving.

Whether we consume it or not, Nilsson argues, we are living in the world pornography made: one in which our desires and anxieties are relentlessly monitored and manipulated by unaccountable forces. And because this industry has escaped meaningful scrutiny for so long, the power to regulate it has increasingly fallen to political extremists and payment companies. The result is a system that has quietly revolutionized everything, while remaining – until now – hidden from view."

Sophia Chetin-Leuner: "A fascinating and terrifying read about the history of porn - and the unsettling ways it has come to shapy our everyday lives and desires, whether we realise it or not. Nilsson's thorough research illuminates dark corners of the internet, revealing truths that shouldn't be ignored."

About Patricia Nilsson

"Patricia Nilsson is a reporter with the Financial Times, where she has covered a broad range of industries such as retail, media, tobacco, cannabis and pornography. Her discovery that the world's biggest adult company had a secret owner led to a year-long investigation into the business of porn, which culminated in the FT's first narrative podcast series, Hot Money. Patricia grew up in Sweden but was raised Polish. She has lived and worked in Shanghai, Istanbul and London and now resides in Frankfurt. Guilty Pleasure is her first book."

AA: I bought his book from Rosebud Sivullinen (Kluuvin Kauppakeskus, Yliopistonkatu, Helsinki) on my way to the Helsinki Book Fair. I had been alerted by Amelia Gentleman's interview of the author Patricia Nilsson in The Guardian. She was struck by the paradox of some of the richest billionaires  of the world successfully hiding their identity as the owners of the main pornography companies while exploited sex workers have to bare it all and increasingly humiliate themselves, even to the point of torture. Her investigations led to a much greater revelation: online porn as the origin story of all online addiction.

Backrooms

 

Kane Parsons: Backrooms (US 2026). Renate Reinsve (Mary).

Tagline: A strange doorway appears in the basement of a furniture showroom.

    US © 2026 Backroom Rights LLC, PC Films, LLC.

    Cast (in order of appearance)

Chiwetel Ejiofor / Clark

Renate Reinsve / Mary

Mark Duplass / Phil

Finn Bennett / Bobby

Lukita Maxwell / Kat

    Crew

Directed by Kane Parsons

Written by Will Soodik

Produced by James Wan, Michael Clear, Roberto Patino, Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen, Dan Levine, Osgood Perkins, Chris Ferguson, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, Kori Adelson

Executive Producers Kane Parsons, Jesse Savath, Judson Scott, Chris White

Editing by Greg Ng

    Loc: Vancouver, British Columbia

    111 min

    Finnish premiere: 29 May 2026 - released by Oy Nordisk Film Ab

    Viewed on blu-ray at home, 14 Oct 2026

AA: Only now I see Backrooms. I have been aware of the good buzz, for instance from Axel Sirodeau, that this is one of the films of the year which is special, like nothing else.

Indeed. The last 12 years have been a period of rebirth and innovation in the genre of the horror movie. I am not surprised. Horror is one of the genres which has an innate capability to be reborn everywhere. 

Horror emerges from an encounter with death and madness. The same goes for poetry in general, in the Orphic sense. Orpheus descends into the land of Death to retrieve Eurydice. He fails in his mission. His only solace is a heightened sense of transience and eternity. One of the movies evoked by Backrooms is Jean Cocteau's Orpheus, with it magic special effects, mirrors and walls.

This is my first encounter with the work of Kane Parsons. From the production notes I learn that he is a "visionary YouTube creator making his feature-filmmaking debut":

"Set in 1990 and based on Parsons’ viral web series, BACKROOMS follows furniture salesman Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor) as he makes a startling discovery in the basement of his showroom — a portal, bathed in yellow fluorescent lights and littered with familiar objects, leading to an eerie maze of endless office space."

"Shaken by what he discovers there, Clark is also drawn to its anomalies. He enlists his skeptical employee Kat (Lukita Maxwell) and her boyfriend Bobby (Finn Bennett) to help chart its unsettling expanse of impossibly constructed rooms and corridors, where strange noises hint that something otherworldly may be lurking in the shadows."

"When Clark goes missing, his therapist Dr. Mary Kline (Renate Reinsve), confronting buried traumas of her own, finds herself lost in the BACKROOMS searching for answers, and a way out."

Initially vaguely reminiscent of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Kane Parsons' rabbit holes lead to other rabbit holes, usually arid, abandoned storage spaces until there is suddenly an abyss of a multi-story office building. Something has gone hideously wrong somewhere, and now nobody can fix it. This is a "maze that goes on and on".

Kane Parsons displays talent in the art of the point of view on his weird journey to the world beyond the looking-glass.

A key special effect is the slit on the wall: you can literally walk through a wall and enter another space. It is a magic effect of penetration with a gentle sexual undertone. But there is more. 

Mutations and mutilations like never seen before in the cinema emerge. From ordinary premises something hideous and desolate follows. In the core of the story we discover the genuinely moving characters of the furniture salesman Clark and the therapist Mary. The performances of Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve are excellent. Both face forces beyond belief. 

Until it is not gentle anymore. We turn into distorted imitations of ourselves. We turn into cannibals.  The film takes a turn into gore and splatter.

The mystery? "We used to make MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) machines." "Nothing in our liffetime, in our recorded history... I don't understand... I can't even describe it... there are doors opening everywhere".

We have built a world that is spiralling out of our control.

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma

 

Jane Schoenbrun: Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma (US/CA 2026). Gillian Anderson (Billy Presley) and Hannah Einbinder (Kris Williams).

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, AG/Mon 8:30PM, Robert Daniels (Telluride Film Festival 2026): "With their first two films—WE’RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD’S FAIR and I SAW THE TV GLOW—Jane Schoenbrun precisely mingled childhood memories with nostalgic media through a queer lens. Their latest, a playfully meta picture, moves with the same exacting force when Kris (Hannah Einbinder), an independent filmmaker, ventures to a defunct summer camp to interview a reclusive scream queen (Gillian Anderson). There, she undergoes a feverish, erotic awakening, inspiring her to shed sexual angst as she seeks artistic and bodily liberation." –RD (U.S./Canada, 2026, 112m)

    Finnish premiere: 7 Aug 2026 - distributed by Elke - subtitles by Juha Arola.

    Viewed at Finnkino Kinopalatsi 3, Helsinki, 14 Oct 2026

AA: Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is my first encounter with the work of Jane Schoenbrun, and I am profoundly impressed. The slasher film is a genre which might seem to have been exploited to death many times over... and over... and over again. It never seems to die.

Jane Schoenbrun (I am old school and have not yet interiorized the use of the gender neutral "they") has an approach to meta cinema like no one else. No one has done it better. Schoenbrun has an assured approach with all the tropes and traditions. Fun is to be had with the arcana, real or imagined. There is much more going on than a sense of play.

What is at stake? Identity, being seen, love and sex. "What a strange path I had to take to reach you at last" (Michel's last words in Pickpocket). It is as queer as can be.

In the center is one of the greatest love scenes in the history of the cinema. It is also one of the greatest sex scenes, because the sex flows from tenderness, discovery/self-discovery and the courage to let go.

The bloodbath of the attacks of the slasher from the deep hole in the bottom of the lake appear as an image of the loss of virginity. Also an inverted dream image of orgasm. The serial killer is, after all, Little Death. Frenchmen call the post-orgasm sensation "la petite mort".

Schoenbrun is at home in the dream world, the endless universe of the imagination where the ridiculous meets the sublime, and kitsch enhances reality. The digital transfer has been performed from 35 mm cinematography, contributing to the tactile warmth of the love scenes.

Excellent performances by Gillian Anderson and Hannah Einbinder.

I look forward to revisiting Camp Miasma and seeing other films by Schoenbrun. After seeing the film, I read Sight & Sound, the October 2026 issue, the excellent Schoenbrun cover story edited by Katie McCabe.

Jane Schoenbrun: Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma (US/CA 2026). Gillian Anderson (Billy Presley) and Hannah Einbinder (Kris Williams).

SOUNDTRACK LISTING

Okay Kaya – Nightswimming (originally by R.E.M.)

Mark Maxwell – Just My Imagination (originally by The Temptations)

Sergei Stern – Fashin Real Estate

M83 – I Guess I'm Floating

Sally Shapiro – Anorak Christmas

Counting Crows – A Long December

Sade – No Ordinary Love

Andy Shauf – Satan

Donna Lewis – I Love You Always Forever

R.E.M. – Supernatural Superserious

Loc: British Columbia, Canada (Nanaimo, Glenora, Vancouver, Victoria).

© 2026 MUBI

Film concert Don Q, Son of Zorro (2026 GCM Pordenone) Andrej Goričar score performed by RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra (2026 restoration The Danish Film Institute)

Donald Crisp: Don Q, Son of Zorro (US 1925). Douglas Fairbanks as Don Cesar de Vega.

Donald Crisp: Don Q, Son of Zorro (US 1925). Douglas Fairbanks as Don Cesar de Vega. Photo: Douglas Fairbanks Coll., AMPAS/Margaret Herrick Library, Beverly Hills

Opening Night 

    DON Q, SON OF ZORRO (Don X, il figlio di Zorro) (US 1925) dir: Donald Crisp. scen: Jack Cunningham, from the novel by Kate & Hesketh Prichard, Don Q’s Love Story (1909). scen. editor: Lotta Woods. photog: Henry Sharp; assoc. photog: E. J. Vallejo. ed: William Nolan (film cutter). des: Edward M. Langley (supv. art dir.), Francesc [Francis] Cugat, Anton Grot, Harold Miles (art dir.), Harry Oliver (consulting artist). cost: Paul Burns (master of wardrobe). asst. dir: Frank Richardson. technical effects: Ned Mann. prod. mgr: Theodore Reed. research dir: Dr. Arthur Woods. mus: Mortimer Wilson (1925 orig. score). Fairbanks’ trainer: Snowy Baker. 

    cast: Douglas Fairbanks (Don Cesar de Vega; Zorro, his father), Mary Astor (Dolores de Muro), Jack McDonald (General de Muro), Donald Crisp (Don Sebastian), Stella De Lanti (The Queen), Warner Oland (The Archduke), Jean Hersholt (Don Fabrique Borusta), Albert MacQuarrie (Colonel Matsado), Lottie Pickford Forrest (Lola), Charles Stevens (Robledo), Tote Du Crow (Bernardo), Martha Franklin (The Duenna), Juliette Belanger (The Dancer), Roy Coulson (Her Admirer), Enrique Acosta (Ramon).

    Uncredited: Princess María de los Dolores de Borbón de la Torre (Tavern Keeper’s Daughter), Manuel De Los Rios (The Bullfighter), Phil Gastrock (Man with Knife), Andre Lanoy (The Artist), Paul Luys (The Turkish Ambassador), Phil Sleeman (Guest at Archduke’s Ball), Hal Wilson (Gaspard), Baron Gosta Wreda (Man in Students’ Club), Carmen De Blasco, Fontaine La Rue, Elinor Vanderveer, Luis Alonso [Gilbert Roland], Francisco Madrid. 

    prod: Douglas Fairbanks, Douglas Fairbanks Pictures Corporation. dist: United Artists Corporation. première: 15.6.1925 (Globe Theatre, New York City). copy: DCP, 107'22", col. (from 35 mm pos. nitr. + dupl. neg. acet., tinted & toned, 24 fps); titles: ENG. source: Det Danske Filminstitut, København. 

    Score composed and conducted by Andrej Goričar; performed live by the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra; commissioned by the Slovenska kinoteka. 

    Le Giornate del Cinema Muto, Pordenone 2026: Special Events.

    Viewed at Teatro Verdi, 3 Oct 2026  

Tracey Goessel (GCM 2026): "Don Q, Son of Zorro is Douglas Fairbanks’ forgotten blockbuster. Announced as a project in January 1925, it combined his recent fascination with Spain with the sure-fire box-office draw of his Zorro character. He had been toying with the idea of a sequel to The Mark of Zorro as early as 1921. Apart from the Elmo Lincoln Tarzan films, sequels were then largely unheard of – certainly for big-budget productions with major stars. But the safety of a sequel seemed just the ticket. The Thief of Bagdad had a tremendously high gross, but its net profit was barely in the black. "

"Fairbanks was an ar tist , but also a businessman, willing to invest and risk, but not to the point of ruin. With Thief, he had pushed the envelope to it s limit . Now he needed to retrench – but not lose face. He was 1 years old, and about to produce a film less lavish than his last. Small wonder, then, that inter views began to appear that claimed just the opposite. “ ‘Don Q’ to Surpass ‘Thief of Bagdad’ ” barked Exhibitors Trade Review (21.2.1925), quoting Fairbanks: “ From the standpoint of costly production, this picture is very apt to more than rival ‘ The Thief of Bagdad’.” It was far from true. Don Q’s cost (including negative, print costs, commissions, and publicity) was $834,589 – less than half that of Thief."

"The story, involving a hand some (and characteristically cheery) American student , sent to Spain to round out his education, was derived from the pulp novel Don Q’s Love Story, written by Kate Prichard and her son Hesketh Prichard, a British explorer and war time sniper with a weakness for boy’s adventure fiction. The character of Zorro was simply shoehorned by Fairbanks into the plot as the hero’s American father. Armed with his wits (and wicked whip skills), young Don Cesar eludes a false charge of murdering a visiting archduke, woos the beautiful daughter of a General (who unwittingly plans her marriage to the actual murderer), and staging a fake suicide, becomes Don Q , an avenger cloaked in my stery and justice. "

"Fairbanks played both parts, repeating Mary Pickford s brilliant split-screen work from Little Lord Fauntleroy (1921). Donald Crisp not only played the film’s villain, but served as its director. Nineteen-year-old Mary Astor, who had co-starred with John Barrymore in 1924’s Beau Brummel, was tapped for the female lead. She was then embroiled in a torrid affair with Barrymore, and deemed the happily married Fairbanks disappointingly unromantic: “…I found the man himself to be less exciting than the legends. For one thing, I was put out by his attitude toward me. He was nice to me, in the way a sophisticated man about town would be nice to a small and reasonably well-behaved child. I felt that I merited more attention than that!” (Mary Astor, My Story : An Autobiography, 1959) "

"Still, she liked him. It was hard not to. “It was all fun for him,” she recalled near the end of her life. “He wasn’t an actor at all. To me, he was an effect; he was a wonderful effect .” (Mary Astor, interview with Kevin Brownlow, Slate 518, Take 1, recorded for Hollywood, 1980) She recalled particularly his intense training on the Australian bullwhip with expert Snowy Baker – six weeks of unceasing practice."

"Filming began on 26 January and was completed by late April – a brisker shooting schedule than any of his earlier swashbucklers. His sense of urgency, his desire to turn around a quick hit, was gratified in the end. Audiences and critics alike enthusiastically welcomed what they judged a return to form. “ Without doubt one of the best that Doug has had in some time from an all-around entertainment and picture house standpoint,” wrote Fred Schader in Variety (17.06.1925). Photoplay (August 1925) added: “…it is guaranteed to drive little boys into frenzies of stunts until they break an arm or a new fad comes along.” The verdict was clear: while many saw much to admire in Thief, what they really wanted from Fairbanks was to enjoy him. The grand settings, the thousands of extras, the glorious costumes were all well and good. But Don Q, everyone seemed to feel, was just more fun. The film returned $1,616,872 to his production company’s coffers, independent of its return to United Artists. Only Robin Hood had a greater profit. And, indeed, the film is a lot of fun, draped though it is under a heav y load of sets and costumes. But Fairbanks was peeking out from underneath the finery, wooing the fair lass, whipping his whip, and in general raising sunny hell. “Doug has never leaped so high, moved so quickly or kept in such constant motion so long before. The man isn’t human, that’s what he isn’t. He’s perpetual youth, a three-ringed circus, the personification of all juvenile heroes, all rolled into one…” wrote W. Ward Marsh in the Cleveland Plain Dealer (19.10.1925). Released in Italy as Don X, il figlio di Zorro, the film was a great hit, prompting accolades in La settima arte (12.1925), which quoted an unnamed “authoritative Italian critic”: “Don X, figlio di Zorro is cinema’s latest leap towards perfection: if the very pinnacle has not been reached, then it can’t be in our time. As for the actors, the cinematography, the sets – everything, everything reveals a subtle intuition and evident elegance. In the aristocracy of films, Don X is the king.” 

"Until now, the only available copies of Don Q were badly damaged 16mm prints. The Danish Film Institute’s beautiful new restoration returns the film to its original luster of a century ago." – Tracey Goessel 

The Music 

Andrej Goričar (GCM 2026): "Don Q, Son of Zorro captivated me with its undertone, which struck me as wonderfully, gently fantastic. Light-hearted, nonchalant, and slightly idealistic. Charming. Seeing the way these impressions merge with the film’s exceptional tempo, its comedic tone and adventurous nature, and its initially light-hearted story that takes a dramatic turn in an instant, I knew this was a film I’d love to compose music for. As I write this note, my Don Q score needs me to add only a few refined finishing touches regarding the orchestration – a compositional technique which I perceive very visually, like painting with an infinite spectrum of musical shades. Then it can finally come alive. Of course this is a score for an adventure film. I admire classical orchestral scores for adventure films despite their complexity and grandeur – or perhaps precisely because of that. My score approaches the subject in its (or my) own unique way, but still it is a “many notes” score. I, however, believe there are “just as many notes as are required”, to quote Mozart’s statement in the famous scene from Milos Forman’s Amadeus."

"When it comes to the music I compose for silent films, I believe both in its independent existence and musical invention, as well as in its meticulous and profound dialogue with the film itself. So how can the two co-exist? “Distant closeness” is an expression I’m particularly fond of in this context: just the right measure of closeness and just the right measure of apparent distance in the music. By “apparent distance” I mean that the music is close to the film in a different way. Perhaps it evokes memories, perhaps it interprets, perhaps it focuses more on what the film conveys between the lines … All with the aim of co-existing with the film in a unified artistic experience." – Andrej Goričar

AA: The opening night of Le Giornate offered a revival of a big hit film of one of our greatest heroes, complete with a rousing score, newly written for the relaunch. We had great fun in the humoristic swashbuckler, a genre largely launched for the cinema by Douglas Fairbanks himself with his unique irreverent and goofy panache, paving the way for the future bravado of Errol Flynn and Jackie Chan. The action is cinematic, and the heroes have a self-deprecating demeanour in the whole shebang.

The Mark of Zorro (1920) we saw in Pordenone 11 years ago. In it, Douglas Fairbanks already played a double role. His daytime character was the effete Don Diego Vega. In the nighttime he transformed into the intrepid Zorro. In the finale he changed from the first into the second without even needing a superhero costume anymore. "He fights like Zorro"... "and I love like Zorro".

In Don Q, Son of Zorro, there is again a double role. Fairbanks still plays the original Zorro, and now also his own son, Don Q. Sent from California to Spain to complete his education, Don Q becomes entangled in vicious intrigue. He must even stage a breathtaking suicide to avoid a death sentence. Where Zorro carved a "Z" mark on his adversaries with a sword, Don Q dons a "Q" brand with a whip. It is a childish story and slightly boring. Well cast, it is a pleasure to meet in the female lead Mary Astor, already a Hollywood veteran, although only 19 years old.

"Les héros sont fatigués" is an intriguing concept. Fairbanks was over 40 years old, and in The Iron Mask (US 1929) he bravely incarnated an ageing D'Artagnan. It has my favourite end title. Instead of The End: The Beginning. The Iron Mask is a masterpiece, but in Don Q, Son of Zorro, Fairbanks has not yet solved the art of the sequel.