Finnish publisher pulls multiple books by Harri István Mäki amid new plagiarism allegations

A Finnish publishing house has withdrawn four books by author Harri István Mäki from sale following fresh plagiarism accusations, public broadcaster Yle reports.

Helmivyö Publishing removed three of Mäki’s novels—Loitsu, Paras mahdollinen (The Very Best), and Peilipatsas (Mirror Pedestal)—along with his short story collection Enkeli tupakkasalongissa (Angel in the Smoking Lounge). While the first three titles face plagiarism allegations, the publisher did not specify concerns regarding the short story collection but pulled it as a precaution.

The publisher issued an apology for the disruption caused by the withdrawals. News of the allegations was first reported by Finnish tabloid Iltalehti.

Mäki, who lives in Ylöjärvi, has previously admitted to plagiarising two other works. His 2023 novel Pinkki knalli (Pink Bang) was found to be a direct plagiarism of Richard Brautigan’s Sombrero Fallout, while Kafka avaa grillikioskin (Kafka Opens a Grill Kiosk) contained plagiarised passages from multiple Brautigan texts. Two publishers withdrew those titles from sale in 2025 after the admissions.