The Akoya Team is thrilled to announce that we have a three book deal with the sensational Danish author Helle Helle.

As a four time nominee of the Nordic Council Literature Prize, Helle Helle is one of the most relevant contributors to contemporary Danish literature. Translated into 24 languages, she remains a significant contributor to literature in translation, deserving of recognition in the UK. 

Akoya has acquired UK rights to Helle’s three most recent novels: They, Hafni Says and Hey Hafni. They follows a mother and daughter as they wait for a diagnosis that will alter the course of their life. Hafni Says and Hey Hafni both follow Hafni in the aftermath of her separation, with the former novel taking us on a journey through Denmark as Hafni samples her country’s smørrebrød selection, and the latter bringing us to England as she visits her brother in Brighton.

Whilst delving into serious themes such as illness, death, divorce, identity, aging, heartbreak and grief, Helle approaches each topic with humor and warmth as well as sincerity and depth. She captures the quiet complexities of everyday life with an evocative and universal resonance that lingers far beyond the final page.

Helle has established herself as a major international voice whose writing has touched readers worldwide, and we are honored to bring her to the English literary market.