Finnish Reading Center’s Year 2024: Literature Creates Connection

In 2025, The Finnish Reading Center will be able to organise 100 author visits to public libraries across Finland. The visits, funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture, will enable author visits even in places where it has not been possible to organise a visit for years.

The libraries selected for the visits were chosen on the basis of applications. Libraries from Åland to Ilomantsi and as far as Utsjoki were selected to host visits. The applications clearly conveyed the importance of author visits for libraries and local people.

“In a small town, all events are Events, with a capital E. To have a writer come here would be a big deal.”

“An author visit brings people to the library that might not otherwise visit the library or borrow books. The audience gets a sense of belonging, and when this happens in the context of literature, it also supports a sense of shared emotional well-being, which is as necessary for people as, say, physical exercise.”

Last week we learned that Finnish adults are the best readers in the world. The PIAAC study measuring basic skills for adults showed that the reading skills of Finns aged 16 to 65 are among the best in the world.

What was interesting about the results was that the best readers also had the strongest feeling of well-being. Also, the better our reading skills, the stronger our trust in other people. So reading and literature are genuinely and demonstrably a source of well-being and connection to other people. What could be more important in these times of constant global turmoil and polarised online discourse.

The Finnish Reading Center will continue to work in the coming year to enable literary encounters, to create equal opportunities for literacy for all and to bring the joy of reading to as many people as possible! As the year draws to a close, we would like to thank all the supporters and funders of our work, all our partners and the wide network of literacy professionals with whom we are able to share our work.

Above all, we want to thank authors. Without the richness of Finnish literature, without authors with their own voices and without inspiring, touching and engaging stories to read, our work would be impossible.

We wish everyone a merry and bright Christmas, lots of time to enjoy good books and all the best for the new year!

On behalf of the entire staff of The Finnish Reading Center
Emmi Jäkkö, Director