First of all we would like to acknowledge the passing of Clas Zilliacus, a dear friend:

On the Death of Clas Zilliacus (26 May 1943 – 2 May 2026):

Since the early 1980s Clas Zilliacus and I worked closely together as friends, having met in Straelen at the biannual editorial conference of the annual Trajekt, published jointly by Otava Publishers and the Stuttgart house Klett-Cotta. There Clas Zilliacus also served in an advisory capacity for the anthology of modern poetry from Northern, Eastern and Southern Europe covering the period 1910–1930, which appeared in 1992 in Switzerland under the title Auf der Karte Europas ein Fleck (A Spot on the Map of Europe).

For the German-speaking world, Clas Zilliacus was an immensely important mediator of Finnish-Swedish literature: among other things he paved the way for the five-volume bilingual edition of the avant-garde in 2014, featuring works by Edith Södergran, Gunnar Björling, Elmer Diktonius, Rabbe Enckell and Henry Parland.

From the very beginning of the virtual Baltic Sea Library, which presents the literatures of the region by language rather than by nation, in autumn 2008, Clas Zilliacus served as editor for Swedish literature. His first suggestions for content, after careful reflection, were accordingly texts from both Sweden and Finland: by Tove Jansson, Selma Lagerlöf and Tomas Tranströmer.

We are deeply grateful to Clas Zilliacus for everything he accomplished as a bridge between our cultures. We remain committed to his legacy, and will remember him as a warm-hearted friend.

— Klaus-Jürgen Liedtke

Clas Zilliacus has contributed a great deal in the BSL, including:

The Gnarled-Pine People: Humility as nobility in Finland-Swedish Letters (Essay)

Der knorrige Stamm. Demut als Edelmut in der finnlandschwedischen Literatur (Essay)

Den finska romanens vida rum. Om Volter Kilpis "Alastalon salissa" (Essay)

Jaan Kross som språkkonstnär (Essay)

Jaan Kross kui keelekunstnik (Essay)

Writ in Water. Reading Die Ostsee (Essay)

In Wasser geschrieben. Beim Lesen von "Die Ostsee" (Essay)

In other news, we have added the following texts and translations:

• Fontane, Effi Briest now also in Norwegian
• Thomas Mann, Wüste Küste (Vortrag): German 
• Thomas Mann, Tonio Kröger (short story): German
• Thomas Mann, Buddenbrooks (3 chapters) in German, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish
• Ferdinand Gregorovius, Idyllen vom Baltischen Ufer, 1856 (soon with a new commentary by Hans Peter Neureuter)
• Enel Melberg, Separator. Norwegian and Swedish
• Ishbel Szatrawska, Toń  / Die Tiefe. Polish and German 

As well as the following essays:

• Adolf Molnar, Bericht einer Flucht 1938/39 (in German, on his flight from Vienna and exile in Finland)
• Per Qvale, Om at omsette Tucholsky (Norwegian)
• Lida Starodubtseva, Ingermanländare (Swedish)

We will also soon publish: 

• Henrik Othman, Min morfar kolchosbonden. Om Ingermanland (in Swedish)

Furthermore, We now have biographies for the following authors/contributors:

• Åsmund Forfang, bio + photo © Studio G., Orkanger
• Kirsi Kunnas, bio + photo © Joni Pyysalo 
• Ilona Nykyri, bio + photo © Nuppu Nykyri
• Lida Starodubtseva, bio + photo © private 
• Andreas Volk, bio + photo © Pawel Mazur

For the admission of rights we have been co-operating with the following publishing houses:

Bonniers Stockholm, 
Gyldendal Oslo, 
Gyldendal Copenhagen,
Samlaget Oslo, 
Voland & Qvist Berlin & Leipzig, 
WSOY Helsinki, 
Wydawnictwo Cyranka Warsaw.

Thanks to all of them!