New Books Network Iida Turpeinen, "Beasts of the Sea" (Little, Brown, 2025)
Feb 2, 2026
Iida Turpeinen, a Finnish novelist and literary scholar now writing amid museum skeletons, talks about the sea cow that inspired her debut Beasts of the Sea. She explores archival discoveries, narrating extinction through fiction. Short reflections touch on early naturalists, hidden women in collections, museum ethics, and the book recommendations that shaped her voice.
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Chance Encounter Sparked The Novel
- Iida Turpeinen discovered the stellar sea cow skeleton at the Helsinki Natural History Museum and became obsessed with its story.
- That chance encounter launched a seven-year archival expedition to write Beasts of the Sea.
Taste Doomed The Sea Cow
- Historical accounts described the stellar sea cow as extremely tasty, worse than Galapagos tortoise.
- That culinary appeal contributed directly to rapid overhunting and extinction.
Women Found In The Archives
- Archival research revealed Anna Furielm's prolific letters from Sitka and the unexpected role of Constance.
- Constance, sent to keep company, became curator of the governor's natural history collection.
