“Krohn herself sometimes sees self-awareness as a kind of affliction. We don’t have anyone better at discussing the conflict between what is seen and what is known, what you want and what you must, discussing the irrational basis of reason, the impossibility of objective observation, and the connection between individual sovereignty and the cosmos.” “Leena Krohn presents a very rare combination of fantasy and thought in Finnish literature elsewhere in the world these themes have been explored by, for example, Italo Calvino and Jorge Luis Borges. The result is a captivating story of a man facing the problems of infinity, suffering and guilt in a world filled with disorder and chaos. With rich fantasy, allegories, and odd events Leena Krohn shows how even the strongest elements can fracture, and questions of free will, consciousness, moral and perception arise. In this setting, surrounded with strange characters, Umbra starts collecting the Paradox Archive, which consists of small and hugest imaginable puzzles. The reality in which Umbra lives is that of flesh and blood, but also of pure abstractions.

This distinction between the human chaos and a clear, artificial world of abstractions is one of the central themes of Umbra. In addition to Ceausescus, he gets to treat a neural computer which has learned to feel fear, like humans. Umbra is a doctor whose holiday in Romania turns into human rage and violence when the revolution starts. Rights sold: Japan, Shinhyōron Sweden, Sahlgren Reading material: Finnish original, English sample Human chaos and pure abstractions, narrated in the spirit of Borges and Calvino.

Leena krohn umbra