Fourteen works nominated for this year’s Nordic Council Literature Prize
Swedish writers Lotta Lotass and Andrzej Tichý are nominated for the 2025 Nordic Council Literature Prize. The winner will be announced on 21st October.
Excerpt from norden.org
The fourteen works nominated for this year’s Nordic Council Literature Prize are characterised by a multitude of circumstances, all revolving around what it means to be human – exposed to a world where the possibilities and limitations of compassion are also put to the test.
Lotta Lotass: Rubicon / Issos / Troja, poetry collection, Ekphrasis förlag, 2024
In Rubicon / Issos / Troja (not translated into English), the reader is transported to places and times in history that, through historiography and a good dose of fictionalisation, have become almost unreal fairy tales: the morning Caesar crosses the Rubicon, Alexander’s battle against the Persians at Issos and the Trojan War which may or may not have happened. The stones of closure emerge as more important than a tradition of historiography as a beloved battle. Even warlords are eventually forgotten.
Rubicon / Issos / Troja shows Lotta Lotass’ great courage as a poet: She chooses something seemingly worn and looks at it from a completely new and unique perspective. In doing so, she breathes new life into a literary history that badly needs it. This collection is also a testament to a rarely seen lyrical craftsmanship.
Andrzej Tichý: Händelseboken, novel, Albert Bonniers förlag, 2024
Andrzej Tichý has always stood on the side of the marginalised and vulnerable, on the side of children. With Händelseboken (not translated into English), he brings them and their stories directly into the centre. The language is relentless – at times bordering on fury – and it persistently directs the reader’s attention to the underclass, racism, and societal hierarchies without ever losing momentum. Instead of a traditional narrative arc or a clear sequence of events, Händelseboken offers the reader a myriad of voices – some named, some anonymous, some historical, some fictional – all illustrating a fractured era, defined primarily by its failed humanity.
With Händelseboken, Andrzej Tichý shows that we are all deeply interconnected; even when we stand at the edge of the abyss, our experiences remain shareable. His urgent novel reminds us that, despite everything, there is a radical potential and beauty even in this.
About
The Nordic Council Literature Prize, awarded since 1962, goes to a literary work written in one of the Nordic languages, such as a novel, drama, poetry collection, or a collection of short stories or essays that meets high literary and artistic standards.
The purpose of the Nordic Council’s five prizes is to raise interest in the Nordic cultural community and Nordic co-operation on the environment, as well as to recognise outstanding artistic and environmental efforts.
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Meet the nominees for the 2025 Nordic Council Literature Prize