Residency artists and researchers Literature Lotta Toivanen Finnish literary translator Kuva: Jussi Virkkumaa During her residency, Lotta Toivanen, a Finnish literary translator from Helsinki, is translating the French Édouard Louis’s novel “Histoire de la Violence” into Finnish. For her too, the Saari Residence offers an opportunity to focus on her own work. “This is the ideal tranquil setting for throwing yourself into creative work. While in Saari, I will try to achieve a fairly well polished version of my translation of Louis’s novel,” she says. At the Saari Residence, breaking away from everyday routines gives you the freedom to work at your own pace, and as an early riser, Lotta begins her literary work in the morning and continues for several hours. In the evening she spends time outside, reads and exchanges thoughts with the other artists at the residence. I have been interested in languages ever since I was a little girl and can speak several languages. As a literary translator, I dive deep inside the skin of the foreign author and convey the world they have created to Finnish readers. Through literature, I open new horizons of the world for Finns.