News

The Victor, the fourth and final book in Karin Erlandsson’s magical series The Song of the Eye Gemstone is nominated for the Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize!

The jury stated about the book:

“The author has created a unique story for children, with almost exclusively women characters, using classic contrasts to build her fairy-tale world. Land against sea, rock against wood, black against white, adult traditionalism against the new thinking and experiences of children. (…) The author emphasises that although everyone is different, everyone is needed, and that everyone should use and hone their special talents.

(…) The children bear the responsibility for putting things right, in the true spirit of Greta Thunberg. This is a modern and, at times, cruel fairy tale, with traditional influences from several of the greats of literary history, such as Astrid Lindgren and J.R.R. Tolkien.“

Erlandsson was already nominated for the Nordic Council prize with her first book in the series, The Pearl Fisher (2017). It was awarded the prestigious Runeberg Junior Prize in 2018.

The Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize was first awarded in 2013. The prize was born out of the long-standing desire of the Nordic ministers for culture to strengthen and highlight literature for children and young people in the Nordic Region. The winner will be announced on the 27th of October.

Congratulations to the author and fingers crossed!

We are continuing our creative literary interviews series with HLA’s writers! This season’s most talked-about author Anu Kaaja reveals her fears over publishing Katie-Kate, the novel full of mainstream porn as well as feminist and social class commentary, and traces back the beginnings of her unusual style. Read the interview here.

We are continuing our creative literary interviews series with HLA’s writers! Sámi poet, musician and activist and the author of Underfoot Niillas Holmberg, recently nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize, discusses the rise of indigenous people, the most annoying stereotypes yet to be overturned and the greatest Sámi artists everyone should hear about. Read the entire interview here.

We are continuing our creative literary interviews series with HLA’s writers! Legendary Pirkko Saisio, a six-time nominee for the Finlandia prize and the winner in 2003 discusses writing processes, artistic stereotypes and irony, and tells the best curse word so far. Read the entire interview here.