J. Pekka Mäkelä

(Some biographical info)

Picture copyright © 2004 Sari Eronen-Mäkelä.
Click to enlarge.

Born May 1962, Jyri Pekka Mäkelä lived most of his early age in Eastern Helsinki suburban area. While the parents had planned to call their son Jyri, other relatives preferred the second first name Pekka (maybe because they knew Jyri came from the Soviet astronaut Yuri Gagarin), and it stuck. Both of his parents are eminent journalists and the home was full of books. As a loner he spent his teenage years mostly reading, developed an interest in astronomy and discovered the world of science fiction. He also wrote his first fictional stories.

Early eighties were a time of changes. Studying physics, astronomy and mathematics at Helsinki University, Pekka got involved in student life and student organizations. At the same time, new wave and blues music had hit him hard and he formed his first band as a bassist and a songwriter. That lead to his first four track cassette home studio, a brand new thing at the time. Later he switched to studying philosophy and cultural anthropology, subjects that seemed much more interesting at the time. Besides more and more sporadic studies, Pekka has worked in several fields: as a nurses aide, computer support specialist, music journalist and critic, joke book editor, graphic designer, localizer,... finally, more or less by change, he got involved in book translation, which remains his main occupation. During the last ten years, he has translated into Finnish more than twenty books, including several musical biographies and nine novels by Philip K. Dick.

(See the the list of publications)

All the while, there was the urge to write. As a child of two journalists, Pekka resisted the idea of becoming one for a long time, and when he finally tried the profession, he found out he didn't like it at all. Anyway, a series of music magazine columns about home studio techniques led to the first Finnish book about home studio recording, Kotistudio. Illustrated by a well known cartoonist Kivi Larmola, the guide book has been praised by critics and public alike.

All the while, there had been ideas for SF stories - in particular for a story about a time travel group from the future jumping into Roman times to rescue the books of legendary Library of Alexandria before they got destroyed by religious fanatics. By the early 2003, the story had evolved from a mere idea to a framework for a full lenght novel. After all that thinking and tinkering with the idea, the novel to be called 391 was born in just a few summer months of 2003. The book was finally published in Finnish by Like Kustannus Ltd. in February, 2004. 391 has been well received by the critics and buyers alike. Encouraged by all this, J. Pekka Mäkelä has written two more sf novels: critically acclaimed Alshain (2006), and the newest, Nedut (2007). Living in a quiet suburban area of Töyrynummi, Northern Helsinki, with his wife Sari, he has no plans to give up translating. "It's nice to have this great possibility to explore some other author's mind, not just my own." He also continues to make music - both songs and ambient soundscapes.

Authors influenced by: Ursula K. Le Guin, Philip K. Dick, Abilio Estévez, Tony Hillerman, Alessandro Baricco, Irja Sinivaara, Riku Korhonen, J. Michael Straczynski, Mika Waltari.

Other favourite authors: Stanislaw Lem, Gabriel García Márquez, Naiyer Masud, Raj Kamal Jha, Kurt Vonnegut, Karin Fossum, Mihail Bulgakov, China Miéville, J.R.R. Tolkien, Johanna Sinisalo, Pasi Jääskeläinen, Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Mary Douglas, Peter Guralnick, Sheri S. Tepper.

Favourite music: Habib Koité, Ali Farka Toure, Oumou Sangare (and other singer/songwriters from Mali), Ismo Alanko, Dave Lindholm, Richard Thompson, John Hiatt, Peter Gabriel, The Clash, Patti Smith, The Neville Brothers, Mick Karn, Japan, Bluesounds.