HEADLINER
Literature and Fiction
THE WINTER WARRIORS
163
In his new novel, Olivier Norek tells the story of the courage of one man: Simo Häyhä, alias The White Death. Häyhä was a simple Finnish farmer, who, during the Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union in 1939-1940, became the greatest sniper in history.
"Imagine a tiny country. Imagine another, gigantic one. Now imagine them fighting one another. These are the first words of this novel and the situation in 1939 when the Red Army invaded Finland. The Winter War was only supposed to last a few days, but against all odds, the Finns managed to stand up to Stalin for more than three months thanks to the extraordinary courage of its combatants. "They were defending their land and those they loved and that made them invincible. The opposition, the Soviets, why were they fighting? Because they were following orders. And orders are not a lot," says Olivier Norek. The author, a former policeman and field officer, spent more than three months in Finland and Lapland following the traces of this long forgotten European war, and brought its main hero, Simo Häyhä, back to life. Häyhä, a Finnish farmer and hunter, became the greatest sniper in history, killing more than 500 Soviet soldiers; a legend, whose will and tenacity make him a harbinger of Ukrainian soldiers today. Trying to put himself in this young soldier, his protagonist’s, shoes, Olivier Norek met with snipers and shot at a target under the same conditions: -40 °C and at a distance of 500 meters, "where the eye no longer sees anything". This experience helped him create ultra-realistic scenarios which transport the reader into the trenches. Published in August 2024, Les Guerriers de l'hiver was selected for the literary season’s principal awards and won the Prix Renaudot des Lycéens and the Prix Jean Giono. It has sold 250,000 copies in France to date (Gfk, February 2025). Finnish, English (UK), Spanish, Italian, Russian and Hebrew rights have been sold, no doubt because "it’s a profoundly pacifist war story. A book about fraternity, friendship and surpassing one’s limits," explains Olivier Norek. Katja PetrovicMarch 2025
In his new novel, Olivier Norek tells the story of the courage of one man: Simo Häyhä, alias The White Death. Häyhä was a simple Finnish farmer, who, during the Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union in 1939-1940, became the greatest sniper in history.
"Imagine a tiny country. Imagine another, gigantic one. Now imagine them fighting one another. These are the first words of this novel and the situation in 1939 when the Red Army invaded Finland. The Winter War was only supposed to last a few days, but against all odds, the Finns managed to stand up to Stalin for more than three months thanks to the extraordinary courage of its combatants.
"They were defending their land and those they loved and that made them invincible. The opposition, the Soviets, why were they fighting? Because they were following orders. And orders are not a lot," says Olivier Norek.
The author, a former policeman and field officer, spent more than three months in Finland and Lapland following the traces of this long forgotten European war, and brought its main hero, Simo Häyhä, back to life. Häyhä, a Finnish farmer and hunter, became the greatest sniper in history, killing more than 500 Soviet soldiers; a legend, whose will and tenacity make him a harbinger of Ukrainian soldiers today.
Trying to put himself in this young soldier, his protagonist’s, shoes, Olivier Norek met with snipers and shot at a target under the same conditions: -40 °C and at a distance of 500 meters, "where the eye no longer sees anything". This experience helped him create ultra-realistic scenarios which transport the reader into the trenches.
Published in August 2024, Les Guerriers de l'hiver was selected for the literary season’s principal awards and won the Prix Renaudot des Lycéens and the Prix Jean Giono. It has sold 250,000 copies in France to date (Gfk, February 2025). Finnish, English (UK), Spanish, Italian, Russian and Hebrew rights have been sold, no doubt because "it’s a profoundly pacifist war story. A book about fraternity, friendship and surpassing one’s limits," explains Olivier Norek.
Katja Petrovic
March 2025