August Prize
The August Prize (Swedish: Augustpriset) is an annual Swedish literary prize awarded each year since 1989 by the Swedish Publishers' Association. The prize is awarded to the best Swedish book of the year, in three categories. The Swedish Publishers' Association also awards the Young August Prize (Lilla Augustpriset) to youth and young adults (until the age of 20).
August Prize | |
---|---|
Awarded for | the best Swedish books of the year that will increase public interest in Swedish contemporary literature |
Sponsored by | Swedish Publishers' Association (SvF), Elite Hotels of Sweden |
Date | 12 April 1988 (started awarding on 1989) |
Location | Stockholm |
Country | Sweden |
Presented by | Swedish Publishers' Association (SvF) |
Reward(s) | An August figurine and a monetary award of SEK 100,000 |
Highlights | |
Fiction | Eufori: en roman om Sylvia Plath by Elin Cullberg (2021) |
Non-Fiction | Dolda gudar – en bok om allt som inte går förlorat i en översättning by Nils Håkanson (2021) |
Children's Book | Nattkorpen by Joha Rundberg (2021) |
Website | augustpriset.se |
Prize
In the years 1989–1992, the prize was awarded in one general category. Since 1992, the prize has been awarded in the categories Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Children's and Youth Literature. The prize is named after the writer August Strindberg.[1]
Selection
All Swedish publishers may submit nominations for the award. In each category, a jury shortlists six titles each. These titles are then read and voted on by an assembly of 63 electors, 21 in each category. The electors come from across the country, and comprise booksellers, librarians and literary critics. The books receiving the largest number of votes in each category win the prize.[2]
The prizes are handed out at a gala in Stockholm. Winners receive 100,000 Swedish krona and a bronze statuette by the artist Michael Fare.[2]
Winners and nominees
Best book (1989–1991)
Year | Winner | Work | Shortlisted nominees | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1989 | Cecilia Lindqvist (b. 1932) |
Tecknens rike (lit. 'The Empire of Signs') |
Bonniers |
| |
1990 | Lars Ahlin (1915–1997) |
De sotarna! De sotarna! (lit. 'The Chimney Sweepers! The Chimney Sweepers!') |
Bonniers |
| |
1991 | Sven Delblanc (1931–1992) |
Livets ax (lit. 'Ear of Life') |
Bonniers |
|
Fiction
Year | Winner | Work | Shortlisted nominees | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1992 | Niklas Rådström (b. 1953) |
Medan tiden tänker på annat (lit. 'When Time Thinks About Other Things') |
Gedins |
| |
1993 | Kerstin Ekman (b. 1933) |
Händelser vid vatten (lit. 'Events by Water') (trans. Blackwater) |
Bonniers |
| |
1994 | Björn Ranelid (b. 1949) |
Synden (lit. 'The Sin') |
Bonnier Alba |
| |
1995 | Torgny Lindgren (1938–2017) |
Hummelhonung (lit. 'Bumblebee Honey') (trans. Sweetness) |
Norstedts |
| |
1996 | Tomas Tranströmer (1931–2015) |
Sorgegondolen (lit. 'The Sorrow Gondola') |
Bonniers |
| |
1997 | Majgull Axelsson (b. 1947) |
Aprilhäxan (lit. 'April Witch') |
Gedins |
| |
1998 | Göran Tunström (1937–2000) |
Berömda män som varit i Sunne (lit. 'Famous Men Who Have Visited Sunne') |
Albert Bonniers förlag |
| |
1999 | Per Olov Enquist (1934–2020) |
Livläkarens besök (lit. 'The Visit of the Royal Physician') |
Norstedts |
| |
2000 | Mikael Niemi (b. 1951) |
Populärmusik från Vittula (lit. 'Popular Music from Vittula') |
Norstedts |
| |
2001 | Torbjörn Flygt (b. 1964) |
Underdog | Norstedts |
| |
2002 | Carl-Johan Vallgren (b. 1964) |
Den vidunderliga kärlekens historia (lit. 'The Story of Monstrous Love') (trans. The Horrific Sufferings of the Mind-Reading Monster Hercules Barefoot) |
Albert Bonniers Förlag |
| |
2003 | Kerstin Ekman (b. 1933) |
Skraplotter (lit. 'Lottery Scratchcards') |
Albert Bonniers Förlag |
| |
2004 | Bengt Ohlsson (b. 1963) |
Gregorius | Albert Bonniers Förlag |
| |
2005 | Monika Fagerholm (b. 1961) |
Den amerikanska flickan (lit. 'The American Girl') |
Albert Bonniers Förlag |
| |
2006 | Susanna Alakoski (b. 1962) |
Svinalängorna (lit. 'The Swine Rows') (trans. Beyond) |
Albert Bonniers Förlag |
| |
2007 | Carl-Henning Wijkmark (1934–2020) |
Stundande natten (lit. 'Night Approaching') |
Norstedts förlag |
| |
2008 | Per Olov Enquist (1934–2020) |
Ett annat liv (lit. 'A Different Life') |
Norstedts förlag |
| |
2009 | Steve Sem-Sandberg (b. 1958) |
De fattiga i Łódź (lit. 'The Poor in Łódź') (trans. The Emperor of Lies) |
Albert Bonniers Förlag |
| |
2010 | Sigrid Combüchen (b. 1942) |
Spill. En damroman (lit. 'Spill: A Lady's Novel') |
Norstedts |
| |
2011 | Tomas Bannerhed (b. 1966) |
Korparna (lit. 'The Ravens') |
Weyler förlag |
| |
2012 | Göran Rosenberg (b. 1948) |
Ett kort uppehåll på vägen från Auschwitz (lit. 'A Brief Stop on the Road from Auschwitz') |
Albert Bonniers Förlag |
| |
2013 | Lena Andersson (b. 1970) |
Egenmäktigt förfarande – en roman om kärlek (lit. 'Abitrary Conduct – A Novel About Love') (trans. Wilful Disregard) |
Natur & Kultur |
| |
2014 | Kristina Sandberg (b. 1971) |
Liv till varje pris (lit. 'Life at Any Cost') |
Norstedts |
| |
2015 | Jonas Hassen Khemiri (b. 1978) |
Allt jag inte minns (lit. 'Everything I Don't Remember') |
Albert Bonniers Förlag |
| |
2016 | Lina Wolff (b. 1973) |
De polyglotta älskarna (lit. 'The Polyglot Lovers') |
Albert Bonniers Förlag |
| |
2017 | Johannes Anyuru (b. 1979) |
De kommer att drunkna i sina mödrars tårar[lower-alpha 1] (lit. 'They Will Drown in their Mothers' Tears') |
Norstedts |
| |
2018 | Linnea Axelsson (b. 1980) |
Ædnan[lower-alpha 2] (lit. 'Earth') | Albert Bonniers förlag |
| |
2019 | Marit Kapla (b. 1970) |
Osebol[lower-alpha 3] | Teg Publishing |
| |
2020 | Lydia Sandgren (b. 1987) |
Samlade verk[lower-alpha 4] (lit. 'Collected Works') |
Albert Bonniers Förlag |
| |
2021 | Elin Cullhed (b. 1983) |
Eufori: en roman om Sylvia Plath[lower-alpha 5] (lit. Euphoria: A Novel about Slyvia Plath) |
Wahlström & Widstrand |
| |
2022 | Ia Genberg (b. 1967) | Detaljerna (lit. The details) | Weyler Förlag |
|
Non-fiction
Year | Winner | Work | Shortlisted nominees | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1992 | Gunnar Broberg (b. 1942) |
Gyllene äpplen (lit. 'Golden Apples') |
Atlantis |
| |
1993 | Peter Englund (b. 1957) |
Ofredsår (lit. 'The Year of Unrest') | Atlantis |
| |
1994 | Leif Jonsson (b. 1933) |
Musiken i Sverige I–IV (lit. 'Music in Sweden I-IV') |
Fischer & Co |
| |
1995 | Maria Flinck (b. 1954) |
Tusen år i trädgården. Från sörmländska herrgårdar och bakgårdar (lit. 'A Thousand Years in the Garden: From Sörmland Manors and Backyards') |
Tiden |
| |
1996 | Maja Hagerman (b. 1960) |
Spåren av kungens män (lit. 'Traces of the King's Men') |
Prisma |
| |
1997 | Sven-Eric Liedman (b. 1939) |
I skuggan av framtiden (lit. 'In the Shadow of the Future') |
Bonnier Alba |
| |
1998 | Bengt Jangfeldt (b. 1948) |
Svenska vägar till S:t Petersburg (lit. 'Swedish Roads to St. Petersburg') |
Wahlström & Widstrand |
| |
1999 | Jan Svartvik (b. 1931) |
Engelska – öspråk, världsspråk, trendspråk (lit. 'English – Island Language, World Language, Trend Language') |
Norstedts |
| |
2000 | Dick Harrison (b. 1966) |
Stora döden (lit. 'Great Death') |
Ordfront Förlag |
| |
2001 | Hans Hammarskjöld (1925–2012), Anita Theorell (b. 1941), & Per Wästberg (b. 1933) |
Minnets stigar (lit. 'The Ladder of Memory') |
Max Ström |
| |
2002 | Lars-Olof Larsson (1934–2020) |
Gustav Vasa – landsfader eller tyrann? (lit. 'Gustav Vasa – Father of the Country or Tyrant?') |
Prisma |
| |
2003 | Nils Uddenberg (b. 1934) |
Idéer om livet (lit. 'Ideas About Life') |
Natur & Kultur |
| |
2004 | Sverker Sörlin (b. 1956) |
Europas idéhistoria 1492–1918: Världens ordning och Mörkret i människan (lit. 'History of Europe's Ideas 1492–1918:The Order of the World and the Darkness in Man') |
Natur & Kultur |
| |
2005 | Lena Einhorn (b. 1954) |
Ninas resa (lit. 'Nina's Journey') |
Prisma |
| |
2006 | Cecilia Lindqvist (b. 1932) |
Qin | Albert Bonniers Förlag |
| |
2007 | Bengt Jangfeldt (b. 1948) |
Med livet som insats (lit. 'With Life at Stake') |
Wahlström & Widstrand |
| |
2008 | Paul Duncan (b. 1964) & Bengt Wanselius (b. 1944) |
Regi Bergman (lit. 'Directed by Bergman') |
Max Ström |
| |
2009 | Brutus Östling (b. 1958) & Susanne Åkesson (b. 1964) |
Att överleva dagen (lit. 'To Survive the Day') |
Symposion |
| |
2010 | Yvonne Hirdman (b. 1943) |
Den röda grevinnan (lit. 'The Red Countess') |
Ordfront förlag |
| |
2011 | Elisabeth Åsbrink (b. 1965) |
Och i Wienerwald står träden kvar (lit. 'And in Wienerwald the Trees Remain') |
Natur & Kultur |
| |
2012 | Ingrid Carlberg (b. 1961) |
Det står ett rum här och väntar på dig – Berättelsen om Raoul Wallenberg (lit. 'There's a Room Waiting for You – The Story of Raoul Wallenberg') |
Norstedts |
| |
2013 | Bea Uusma (b. 1966) |
Expeditionen. Min kärlekshistoria (lit. 'The Expedition. My Love Story') (trans. The Expedition: The Forgotten Story of a Polar Tragedy) |
Norstedts |
| |
2014 | Lars Lerin (b. 1954) |
Naturlära (lit. 'Natural Science') |
Bonniers |
| |
2015 | Karin Bojs (b. 1959) |
Min europeiska familj. De senaste 54 000 åren (lit. 'My European Family. The Last 54,000 Years') |
Albert Bonniers Förlag |
| |
2016 | Nina Burton (b. 1946) |
Gutenberggalaxens nova. En essäberättelse om Erasmus av Rotterdam, humanismen och 1500-talets medierevolution (lit. 'The Gutenberg Galaxy's Nova. An essay on Erasmus of Rotterdam, Humanism and the 16th-century Media Revolution') |
Albert Bonniers Förlag |
| |
2017 | Fatima Bremmer (b. 1977) |
Ett jävla solsken: En biografi om Ester Blenda Nordström (lit. 'Fucking Sunshine: A Biography of Ester Blenda Nordström') |
Forum |
| |
2018 | Magnus Västerbro (b. 1971) |
Svälten. Hungeråren som formade Sverige (lit. 'Famine: The Years of Hunger that Shaped Sweden') |
Albert Bonniers förlag |
| |
2019 | Patrik Svensson (b. 1972) |
Ålevangeliet. Berättelsen om världens mest gåtfulla fisk[lower-alpha 6] (lit. 'The Gospel of the Eel. The Story of the World's Most Enigmatic Fish') |
Albert Bonniers förlag |
| |
2020 | Elin Anna Labba (b. 1980) |
Herrarna satte oss hit. Om tvångsförflyttningarna i Sverige[lower-alpha 7] (lit. 'The Gentlemen Put Us Here. About the Forced Relocations in Sweden') |
Norstedts |
| |
2021 | Nils Håkanson (b. 1975) |
Dolda gudar – en bok om allt som inte går förlorat i en översättning[lower-alpha 8] (lit. 'Hidden Gods. A Book about Everything that is not Lost in a Translation') |
Nirstedts/litteratur |
| |
2022 | Nina van den Brink (b. 1966) | Jag har torkat nog många golv (lit. I have mopped enough floors) | Norstedts |
|
Children and Young Adult
Year | English title | Original title | Author | Publisher |
---|---|---|---|---|
1992 | I Miss You, I Miss You! | Jag saknar dig, jag saknar dig! | Peter Pohl & Kinna Gieth | Rabén & Sjögren |
1993 | Vinterviken | Vinterviken | Mats Wahl | Bonnier Carlsen |
1994 | The Master and the Four Printers | Mästaren och de fyra skrivarna | Ulf Nilsson | Natur & Kultur |
1995 | The Girl Who Did Not Want to Kiss | Flickan som inte ville kyssas | Rose Lagercrantz | Brombergs |
1996 | My Sister is an Angel | Min syster är en ängel | Ulf Stark & Anna Höglund | Alfabeta Bokförlag |
1997 | Truth or Dare | Sanning eller konsekvens | Annika Thor | Bonnier Carlsen |
1998 | The Journey to the End of the World | Resan till världens ände | Henning Mankell | Rabén & Sjögren |
1999 | Plays Dead | Spelar död | Stefan Casta | Opal |
2000 | Gittan and the Gray Wolves | Gittan och gråvargarna | Pija Lindenbaum | Rabén & Sjögren |
2001 | Are U 4 Real? | Sandor slash Ida | Sara Kadefors | Bonnier Carlsen |
2002 | Goodbye, Mr. Muffin | Adjö, herr Muffin | Ulf Nilsson & Anna-Clara Tidholm | Bonnier Carlsen |
2003 | In the Ceiling the Stars Are Shining | I taket lyser stjärnorna | Johanna Thydell | Natur & Kultur |
2004 | Is Elias Dancing? No! | Dansar Elias? Nej! | Katarina Kieri | Rabén & Sjögren |
2005 | Eddie Bolander & I | Eddie Bolander & jag | Bo R. Holmberg & Katarina Strömgård | Rabén & Sjögren |
2006 | Svenne | Svenne | Per Nilsson | Rabén & Sjögren |
2007 | Where's My Sister? | Var är min syster? | Sven Nordqvist | Opal |
2008 | The Legend of Sally Jones | Legenden om Sally Jones | Jakob Wegelius | Bonnier Carlsen |
2009 | Write Again and Again | Skriv om och om igen | Ylva Karlsson, Katarina Kuick, Sara Lundberg & Lilian Bäckman | X Publishing |
2010 | Me On the Floor, Bleeding | Här ligger jag och blöder | Jenny Jägerfeld | Gilla Böcker |
2011 | Girls Lost | Pojkarna | Jessica Schiefauer | Bonnier Carlsen |
2012 | ABC to All About It | ABC å allt om det | Nina Ulmaja | Bonnier Carlsen |
2013 | The String, The Bird and Me | Snöret, fågeln och jag | Ellen Karlsson & Eva Lindström | Hippo bokförlag |
2014 | The Murderer's Ape | Mördarens apa | Jakob Wegelius | Bonnier Carlsen |
2015 | When the Dogs Come | När hundarna kommer | Jessica Schiefauer | Bonnier Carlsen |
2016 | Ten Past One | Tio över ett | Ann-Helén Laestadius | Rabén & Sjögren |
2017 | The Bird in Me Flies Wherever It Wants | Fågeln i mig flyger vart den vill | Sara Lundberg | Mirando Bok |
2018 | Gropen | Gropen | Emma Adbåge | Mirando Bok |
2019 | Wait for the Wind | Vänta på vind | Oskar Kroon | Brombergs |
2020 | Humlan Hansson's Secrets | Humlan Hanssons hemligheter | Kristina Sigunsdotter & Ester Eriksson | Hippo bokförlag |
2021 | We're Just Going to Cycle Past | Vi ska ju bara cykla förbi | Ellen Strömberg | Rabén Sjögren and Schildts & Söderströms |
References
- Landes, David (November 24, 2009). "Jewish ghetto tale scoops 2009 August Prize". The Local. Archived from the original on 2011-11-08. Retrieved 2011-10-22.
- "Om Augustpriset". Augustpriset (in Swedish). Retrieved November 27, 2012.
- "Augustpriset 2017". The August Prizes (augustpriset.se). Retrieved 22 November 2021.
- "Augustpriset 2018". The August Prizes (augustpriset.se). Retrieved 22 November 2021.
- "Augustpriset 2019". The August Prizes (augustpriset.se). Retrieved 22 November 2021.
- "Augustpriset 2020". The August Prizes (augustpriset.se). Archived from the original on 12 January 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
- "Augustpriset 2021". The August Prizes (augustpriset.se). Retrieved 22 November 2021.
- "Augustpriset 2019". The August Prizes (augustpriset.se). Archived from the original on 23 December 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
- "Augustpriset 2020". The August Prizes (augustpriset.se). Archived from the original on 25 October 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
Notes
- "With an original and fate-saturated dramaturgy, Johannes Anyuru depicts the chain of events where the fabric of society in a contemporary and future Sweden breaks down and leaves open to terror and repression. With poetic delay, the individual vulnerability is embodied in a world with shrinking life prospects and a provocative wonder about the effect of human actions.."[3]
- "In Linnea Axelsson's poetic fragments, another side of the emerging twentieth century is depicted. The loss of the Sami aednan's rhythm of life is captured in two family stories where generations' repressed belonging to language and nature has left existential tears."[4]
- "With unfailing feeling and respect, Marit Kapla creates an entire universe of her literary reportage about Osebol. Individuals' testimonies become lyrical songs where different voices are interspersed. The talk about the place reflects both painful change and uncertain future. The fate of sparsely populated areas and the world is shaped by life in a Värmland village."[5]
- "Lydia Sandgren builds and populates her own literary universe filled with living details. Gothenburg, with black clubs, sunkhak and university libraries, becomes the scene of a triangle drama where the missing Cecilia is the black hole around which the novel characters gravitate. Collected works are a declaration of love for literature."[6]
- "In her literary imagination, Elin Cullhed lets the reader get really close to the creative, living person Sylvia Plath. Life-affirming and furious prose depicts how a poetic genius wrestles with a housewife existence where dreams and desperation give birth to each other. With Euphoria , an author icon takes its place in our time – in the beating heart of the text, the reader also sees himself."[7]
- "A dizzying story with philosophical and existential signs about the extinction of the endangered eel and its place among humans and myths that take the reader out into deep water, both literally and figuratively. Patrik Svensson lets us follow the eel from the Sargasso Sea, via a smorgasbord right into his soul where, thanks to his father, it has been given a very special place. Because it is also a story about a father and son, and how the love for the eel tied them together in an often wordless relationship."[8]
- "Elin Anna Labba describes reindeer skins as "so soft that it feels like the hand should melt when you iron them". With the same quiet poetic power in the language, she makes visible Sweden's forced relocations of the Sami, forced relocations that have divided ancient family ties, networks and relocation routes. By also weaving in testimonials, archive photographs, maps, yoiks and government papers, she sheds new light on a dark part of Sweden's history in this very beautifully designed book."[9]
- "Fyodor Dostoevsky, Jane Austen, Karl Marx and Toni Morrison all have in common that they have been translated from other languages into Swedish. It also has Harlequin books and the Bible. In Hidden Gods, Nils Håkanson takes us on a dizzying tour of the translation landscape and puts the translator at the center. With finesse, humor and an infectious interest in language and style, he shows how the view of translation and the role of the translator has changed throughout history, but that one thing is constant – translation is an indispensable part of the text's path to the reader, purely its own form of literature."[7]
External links
- Official website (in Swedish)