{"product_id":"the-red-book-of-farewells","title":"The Red Book of Farewells","description":"'A Finnish masterpiece of autofiction... a dreamy, complex and therefore so very human portrait of the formation of a great artist' Financial Times‘This is where she would like to belong, here in the kingdom of women, where words are sharp but gazes are soft.’In 1970s Helsinki, a revolutionary storm is blowing through Pirkko Saisio’s university. She has moved out of her family home, joined a communist theatre, and fallen in love for the first time. Her newly shaved head looks unmistakably modern, and Bertold Brecht lives on her windowsill to profess God-like words of wisdom.   Playful, moving and original, this autofictional coming-of-age story embeds the reader in a world where art and activism are irrevocably intertwined, and where queer love, still a crime, thrives in underground bars.   In her mesmerizing account of radical politics and sexual awakening, Pirkko Saisio offers a series of farewells, to her mother, to the idealism of youth, to friends and lovers, and finally to her grown daughter. The grand finale of the award-winning Helsinki trilogy, The Red Book of Farewells embraces the revolutionary potential of moving on.   Translated from Finnish by Mia Spangenberg","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57499192328565,"sku":"9780241730119","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780241730119.jpg?v=1786694508","url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/products\/the-red-book-of-farewells","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}