Set against the backdrop of the Finnish-Soviet Winter War of 1939, The Winter Warriors tells the story of a group of young conscripts from the village of Rautjärvi who are sent to face the might of the Red Army. Among them is Simo Häyhä, the legendary sniper whose skill in the frozen forests of Karelia will earn him the name “The White Death.”
Drawing on real-life figures and events, Norek delivers a gripping and impeccably researched epic that combines the tension of a thriller with the depth of historical fiction. First published in French as Les Guerriers de l’Hiver (Michel Lafon, Aug 2024), the novel has already sold more than 270,000 copies in France.
Published in English on 11 September 2025, The Winter Warriors confirms Olivier Norek as one of Europe’s most acclaimed contemporary novelists, bringing to light an extraordinary but little-known episode of the Second World War.
To mark the launch, Olivier Norek will take part in a public discussion at the French Institute on 16 September, in conversation with Andrey Kurkov.