Vatanen the journalist is feeling burnt out and sick of the city. One summer evening coming back from an assignment his car hits a young hare on a country road. He goes out into the wild in search of the injured creature...

This small incident precipitates Vatanen's break from the world. Nursing the Hare back to health, he quits his job, leaves his wife, sells his possessions and sets out for the Finnish wilds with his new-found friend. Their adventures take in forest fires, pagan sacrifices, military war games, killer bears and much more.

A long-time best-seller in Finland and in France, The Year of the Hare is Arto Paasilinna's masterpiece and best-loved of his works. It has also been translated into Italian, German, Dutch, Greek, Hungarian, Japanese, Swedish and many other languages. It is frequently dramatized for the stage and has twice been made into a movie.