Sawt Falasteen - Finnish literary star Miki Liukkonen dies aged 33

In a statement, his publisher WSOY did not specify a cause of death.

Contacted by AFP, the publisher said it had no more details to share for the time being, adding that the writer's family "requests privacy".

Despite his young age, Liukkonen had already produced three poetry collections, a picture book for adults, and five novels.

Liukkonen's fifth novel "Vierastila" ("Guest Mode") will be published posthumously in the autumn, WSOY said.

His works have garnered critical praise and received several awards and nominations.

Liukkonen's first poetry collection, "Valkoisia runoja" ("White Poems"), was published in 2011 and was nominated for a prize awarded by the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat for the best debut literary work.

His 2017 novel "O" -- covering more than 800 pages and a hundred characters -- was nominated for the Finlandia prize, the country's most prestigious literature award.

Translated into French in 2021, "O" was praised as an "erudite labyrinth" by newspaper Le Monde.

Liukkonen's writing combined "the characteristics of international experimental literature with a superb command of the Finnish language", WSOY said in its statement, adding that his works were filled with "extravagant metaphor and obsessive characters trying to navigate through their chaotic present".

In addition to his writing, Liukkonen was a guitarist in the band The Scenes, and presented a TV programme where he met people whose life choices he sought to understand better.

The author also spoke openly about his mental health issues.

In an Instagram post published in late May, he described how he had been struggling recently: "All I can do is lie on the floor and breath the bad feeling out, only to have it come back in again in an instant".

Finland's Culture Minister Sari Multala said on Twitter: "Extremely sad news. My deepest condolences to the family and friends of author Miki Liukkonen."

Y.Zaher--SF-PST