Arto Tapio Paasilinna (born 20 April 1942 in Kittilä) is a Finnish writer, being a former journalist turned comic novelist. One of the most successful novelists of Finland,exVirtual Finland, 2007 Archived at Wayback Machine.
Paasilinna is best known for his 1975 novel The Year of the Hare (Jäniksen vuosi), a best-seller in France and Finland,The Year of the Hare (tr. Herbert Lomas), London: Peter Ownes Publishers, 1995, back-cover notes. languages, awarded three international prizes, and adapted twice into feature films.