Beasts of the Sea: the tragic story of how the ‘gentle, lovable’ sea cow became the perfect victim

<p>Iida Turpeinen’s novel has been a sensation in her native Finland. On the eve of its UK publication, she talks about her compulsion to tell of the sociable giant’s plight</p><p>Iida Turpeinen is the author of Beasts of the Sea, a Finnish novel tracing the fate of a now-extinct species: the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/animal-magic/2016/mar/25/stellers-sea-cow-specimen-helsinki">sea cow</a>. Similar to dugongs and manatees, the sea cow was only discovered in 1741 by the shipwrecked German-born naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller but by 1768 it had already become the <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/stellers-sea-cow-first-historical-extinction-of-marine-mammal-at-human-hands.html">first marine species to be eradicated by humans</a>.</p><p>Translated into 28 languages and shortlisted for the country’s most prestigious literary award, the Finlandia Prize, Beasts of the Sea was described by the Helsinki Literacy Agency as the <a href="https://www.helsinkiagency.fi/2023/10/29/turpeinens-beasts-of-the-sea-nominated-for-the-best-debut-award/">most internationally successful Finnish debut novel ever</a>. Turpeinen, 38, a PhD student of comparative literature, is now a resident novelist at Finland’s Natural History Museum. Her book will be published in the UK on 23 October.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/21/beasts-of-the-sea-novel-iida-turpeinen-tragic-story-extinct-sea-cow-victim">Continue reading...</a>