Kristian London

Literary Translator

I'm a literary translator -- I translate Finnish fiction into English. It’s creative work but at times achingly solitary; hence the Cloud Room. 

I made a little history in my field last year: one of my translations hit #11 on the NYTimes bestseller list. That hasn’t happened for a Finnish work since the 1950s. The book is The Witch Hunter, a fast-paced piece of airplane Nordic noir with a soupcon of the supernatural. In other words, it was written to sell. 

I also completed a masters degree in urban planning and design at the UW in 2020. Chophouse Row served as a precedent in my thesis project, which explores inserting not only greenspace and communal space into the right of way, but housing as well.  

I decided about ten years ago that I didn’t have to settle on one career for the rest of my life. Even if I decide not to prioritize urban design, going back to school had one unexpected side effect: it improved my translations. Funny how that works. Adapting books for the screen has been tugging at me for a while, so that’s probably next.