Literary breakfast with Olivier Norek and Philippe Collin
Enjoy breakfast with our two famous French authors during a friendly get-together!
To mark the 2026 Book Fair, Olivier Norek and Philippe Collin will be visiting Helsinki in late October. The French Institute of Finland invites you to join them for an interactive breakfast on Saturday, October 24!
From 9.30 am onwards, join us at the Book Café at Suomalainen Kirjakauppa to enjoy a cup of coffee while chatting with these authors. You can also have your books signed during the event – bring your own books or buy your copies on site!
The event will be held in French. Registration is free, but we encourage you to purchase something at the café to support the venue. A selection of hot drinks and sweet and savoury treats will be available for purchase (card payments only). Please arrive at 9.30 am to allow the café staff time to prepare your orders. The discussion with the authors will begin at 10.00 am.
Act quick – the places are limited for this exclusive breakfast!
Olivier Norek is a French writer and former police lieutenant. After writing several crime novels directly inspired by his work environment, he published The Winter Warriors in 2024, a novel about the Finnish Winter War. Selected as a finalist for the Prix Goncourt des Lycéens, the novel also won the 2024 Prix Renaudot des Lycéens. In Finland, his novel has attracted media attention and sparked keen public interest. This fall, the author will be in Helsinki to present one of his crime novels, Guardians of the Deep (2019), which has very recently been translated to Finnish.
Philippe Collin is a French author, radio producer, comic book writer, and journalist. His literary work reflects his academic background in history, particularly his interest in World War II. His first novel, The Barman of the Ritz (2023), immerses readers in the world of the famous Parisian hotel during the German Occupation in France, blending fiction with historical reality. Praised for its immersive style and historical accuracy, the book was just recently translated into Finnish and will be featured at the Book Fair.
To view Olivier Norek and Philippe Collin’s full program in Helsinki, visit this page.
Several of the authors’ books are available in French and Finnish at the Institute’s library. For more details, check our online catalog.
Olivier Norek: Photo by © Pauline Darley / Publishing house: Otava
Philippe Collin: Photo by © Roberto Frankenberg / Publishing house: Siltala