Nordic Council Literature Prize 2012 – the Swedish candidates

The national members of the Adjudicating Committee have produced a list of candidates for the Nordic Council Literature Prize 2012. Among them are Swedish Katarina Frostenson and Eva-Marie Liffner.

"Flodtid", by Catherine Frostenson, rounds off her poetic trilogy which she started with "Karka" (2004) and continued with her "Speech and Rain" (2008). The author increased criticism of the utilitarian and, supposedly, ideology-free forces in a society that has replaced the welfare of optimization, interpersonal relationships with client relationships. It is hard to find a more challenging and talented poet in the Nordic poetry, with such considerably convincing efforts through a larger collection in the 2000s.

"Lacrimosa", by Eva-Marie Liffner, renewed the historical novel and, with her evocative portraits of Almquist, made a lively contribution to the discussion about the author's responsibility to the portrayed characters. With mastery of the language and virtuoso pastiche, the author joins together the freedom and responsibility, gender and emancipation, in a shade of rich, present and the past behind the mask of history.

The committee will choose the winner, who will receive the prize of 350, 000 Danish kroner, at its meeting in Reykjavik in the spring 2012.

The whole list of nominées:

Denmark: Vibeke Grønfeldt Livliner (Novel, Samleren, 2011); Janina Katz Skrevet på polsk (Poetry, Rosinante, 2011)

Finland: Gösta Ågren I det stora hela (Poetry collection, Söderströms, 2011); Saila Susiluoto
Carmen (Poetry, Otava, 2010)

Iceland: Bergsveinn Birgisson Svar við bréfi Helgu (Svar på brev frå Helga) (Novel, Bjartur, 2010) (Norwegian translation Johannes Gjerdåker); Gerður Kristný Blóðhófnir (Blodhov) (Poetry, Mál og menning, 2010 (Swedish translation John Swedenmark)

Norway: Øyvind Rimbereid Jimmen (A poem, Gyldendal, 2011); Merethe Lindstrøm Dager i stillhetens historie (Novel, Aschehoug forlag, 2011)

Sweden: Katarina Frostenson Flodtid (Poetry collection, Wahlström & Widstrand, 2011); Eva-Marie Liffner Lacrimosa (Novel, Natur & Kultur, 2011).

Faroe Islands: Hanus Kamban Gullgentan (Guldpigen) (Short stories, Mentunargrunnur Studentafelagsins, 2010) (Danish translation, Kirsten Brix)
The Sami Language Area: Rawdna Carita Eira ruohta muzetbeallji ruohta (løp svartøre løp)
(Poetry, Gyldendal, 2011)

Greenland: Tungutaq Larsen Nittaallatut (Poetry collection, Forlaget Atuagkat, 2011)

The Åland Islands: Leo Löthman Transportflotte Speer (Novel, PQR-kultur, 2011).