Nordens hus i Reykjavik RSS (Engelsk)

The winners of the Nordic Council Prizes for 2023

Congratulations to all of the winners of the Nordic Council prizes! The Nordic Council’s prizes for 2023 were presented at a grand ceremony in the Norwegian Opera & Ballet in Oslo on Tuesday evening, 31 October. Music, dance and the joy of the award winners were in the foreground when the awards were handed out live from Oslo. The Norwegian crown prince couple were present as well as Nordic ministers, members of parliament and representatives of art and industry to congratulate the nominees. Rán Flygenring received a Nordic Council prize Icelandic Rán Flygenring won the Children’s and Youth Literature Prize for the picture book Eldgos.
Photo: Fartein Rudjord/norden.org The Film Prize went to the Danish film “Empire”.

The Environment Prize went to the project Renewcell from Sweden.

The Swedish author Joanna Rubin Dranger won the Literature Prize for the graphic novel “Ihågkom oss till liv”.

The Music Prize went to the Finnish folk musician, singer-songwriter, and kantele artist Maija Kauhanen.

You can read more about the prizes and the comments from the juries here.

Congratulation to them all!

Photos: Fartein Rudjord/norden.org and Magnus Fröderberg, norden.org

INTERNSHIP POSITIONS IN THE NORDIC HOUSE

För våren 2024 söker vi tre praktikanter inom tre separata program. 

Som praktikant i Nordens hus är du en del av ett dynamiskt team, som arbetar med kulturutbyte mellan Island, Norden och de baltiska länderna i form av samarbetsprojekt med kulturinstitutioner, konstnärer och forskare i hela regionen. Nordens hus har en bred verksamhet och arrangerar kontinuerligt utställningar, evenemang, konferenser och festivaler med inriktning på konst, kultur och litteratur samt samhälls- och miljöfrågor. Arbete med tillgänglighet och mångfald är centralt för oss.

Som praktikant i Nordens hus får du en bred erfarenhet av projektplanering, -utveckling och genomförande. Du har ett brett ansvar och möjlighet att med din input och dina initiativ vara med om att utveckla organisationen. Därtill har du goda möjligheter att utvecklas inom ditt eget område och införskaffa värdefull professionell erfarenhet och goda kontaktnät inför framtiden.

Sista ansökningsdatum är 29.10.2023.  

Läs mer om de lediga praktikant stallningar och hur du ansöker här.

 

Bild: Lukas Olson, bibliotekpraktikant och Paula Spjelavik kommunikationspraktikant 

The Nordic Council’s Literature Prize

Today, the jury for the Nordic Council’s Literature Prize had its final meeting to select the winner for the year 2023. The book that is chosen as the winner will be announced on October 31st!

Yesterday, the jury visited the Nordic House for a tour of the library followed by dinner at Sónó restaurant here in the Nordic house. Below jury chairman Stefan Kjerkegaard, from Denmark, and jury member Sanna Klein, from Faroe Islands, share their thoughts on the process of selecting the winning book for 2023:

This award consistently upholds a standard of quality and serves as a platform to showcase Nordic literature to both regional and international audiences. Yet, its most crucial function lies in fostering connections among Nordic literary works.
It was striking to observe that books from both Norway and Denmark this year approached a documentary style within the realm of literature, even as they resisted conventional literary norms. Their recognition as nominees was noteworthy. Additionally, I was pleasantly surprised by the diverse range of literary genres represented.
Style and thematic exploration, or the interplay between form and content, have always been pivotal factors in evaluating literary works. Presently, there seems to be a lean towards prioritizing thematic depth and content. In today’s literary landscape, fiction that lacks a grounding in reality may encounter more challenges.
Being a part of this prestigious literary prize is a source of great honor, and engaging in discussions with fellow committee members about literary developments in their respective nations is incredibly stimulating. Above all, my hope is that the prize fosters greater visibility and encourages more cross-Nordic literary exploration, connecting readers across the Nordic countries.
– Stefan Kjerkegaard, chairman, (DEN)

Det er en vigtig rolle at være med i udvælgelsen af Nordisk Råds Litteraturpris. Det er en spændende proces, hvor man som læser og jury får nye oplevelser hver gang. Nordisk Råds Litteraturpris har en stor betydning, fordi den er både med til at styrke det nordiske samarbejde og det nordiske fællesskab, men den er også vigtig, fordi den er med til at skabe bevidsthed om dette fællesskab. Især i en tid hvor det engelske sprog fylder mere og mere, er det vigtigt at styrke den nordiske identitet, og Litteraturprisen får derfor en stor sproglig og litteraturhistorisk betydning. Juryen får mulighed for at se, hvad der rører sig i de andre lande, og hvilke tendenser afspejles i de andre landes litteratur.
–  Sanna Klein, jury member, (FAE)

All of the nominated books are available at the Nordic House library!

The Nordic Council’s Children and Youth Literature Prize

Today, the jury for the Nordic Council’s Children and Youth Literature Prize is holding its meeting to select the winner for the year 2023. The book that is chosen as the winner will be announced on October 31st!

Yesterday, the jury visited the Nordic House for a tour of the library and followed by dinner at Sónó restaurant here in the Nordic house. Below, some of the jury members share their thoughts on the process of selecting the winning book for 2023:

It’s a great honor to be part of this jury and I’m both thankful and proud to be a part of it.
Maybe it’s not really a surprise, but more of a positive fact, that the Swedish and other Nordic children’s and youth literature holds such a high standard that this job is really difficult.

It’s always a hard task, but regardless of age group we always look for high quality and artistic standard within each unique book we evaluate. – Alle Eriksson, jury member, (SE)

Jag tycker det känns väldigt intressant, spännande och hedrande att få vara med i juryn för nordiska rådets barn och ungdomslitteraturpris. Det är alltid roligt när de olika böckerna börjar droppa in i brevlådan. Det här året märkte jag att flera av böckerna handlar om barn som lever med en ensamstående förälder. Det gör förstås att barnet och föräldern får ett särskilt band men det kan vara extra tufft om föräldern tex träffar någon, eller om föräldern lider av psykisk ohälsa. Det är flera böcker som handlar om sorg och döden men även humor och livet. – Annica Andersson, jury member, (ÅL)

Når det gjelder arbeidet i den nordiske juryen, er det spennende å se på hva de andre nasjonale juryene legger vekt på i sine nominasjoner. Det er et spennende arbeid å diskutere seg frem til en vinner, siden jeg ut ifra mitt ståsted av og til kan ha problemer med å se hvorfor noen av bøkene er blitt nominert. Å være med i juryen er ikke bare for å kåre en vinner. For meg er det også en læringsprosess. – Hans Petter Laberg, jury member, (NO)

This year I was really surprised by the high quality of the books, there are several really beautiful and personal books that would deserve the prize. In many books the child and the experience and feelings of the child are in the center. We can see Nordic children as curious, vivid, deeply feeling persons who are dependent on adults but can also question the adult world. – Kaisa Laaksonen, jury member, (FIN)

It is, indeed, a challenge to choose between so many different categories: picture books, YA novels, graphic novels, baby books, children’s books, fact, and fiction etc., but that’s part of the job and, in the end, we focus on discussing the nominated works until we all agree on the one that stands out as the most qualitative, intriguing, and challenging. As to common themes this year, we did discuss in the Finnish jury group how many of this year’s nominated works focus on exploring how to deal with difficult feelings (such as envy, grief, or family issues) and how to understand oneself and others better. On the other hand, this is hardly strange since literature as an artform often deals with existential matters. – Maria Lassén-Seger, jury member, (FIN)

It´s a great honour and responsibility. You are not in the jury to fight for the books from your own country, you really want the best book to win. Every year I am fascinated by the fact that the books can be so different, the sum of them is always very rich. – Mats Berggren, jury member, (SE)

Noe av utfordringen ved å sitte i juryen er at de store landene, som Norge, Sverige, Danmark og Finland, gir ut langt flere bøker per år enn for eksempel Færøyene, Åland og Grønland. Dette gjør at det er betydelig vanskeligere å bli nasjonalt nominert hvis man (som forfatter) kommer fra et av de større landene enn fra de mindre. Og det blir også vanskeligere for de mindre landene å vinne selve hovedprisen. Prisen fremstår derfor ikke (for meg) utelukkende som en ren litteraturpris, men også som et viktig symbol på et felles-nordisk samarbeid innenfor litteratur og kultur. – Synne Sun Løes, jury member, (NO)

All of the nominated books are available at the Nordic House library!

Subscribe to our newsletter