August Prize Explained

August Prize
Awarded For:the best Swedish books of the year that will increase public interest in Swedish contemporary literature
Sponsor:Swedish Publishers' Association (SvF), Elite Hotels of Sweden
Date:12 April 1988 (started awarding on 1989)
Location:Stockholm
Country:Sweden
Presenter:Swedish Publishers' Association (SvF)
Reward:An August figurine and a monetary award of SEK 100,000
Website:augustpriset.se

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).

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.[1] The prize is named after the writer August Strindberg.[2]

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.[3] [4]

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.[3]

Winners and nominees

Best book (1989–1991)

YearWinnerWorkShortlisted nominees
1989Cecilia Lindqvist
(b. 1932)
Tecknens rike
(lit. 'The Empire of Signs')
Bonniers
1990Lars Ahlin
(1915–1997)
De sotarna! De sotarna!
(lit. 'The Chimney Sweepers! The Chimney Sweepers
')Bonniers
1991Sven Delblanc
(1931–1992)
Livets ax
(lit. 'Ear of Life')
Bonniers

Fiction

YearWinnerWorkShortlisted nominees
1992Niklas Rådström
(b. 1953)
Medan tiden tänker på annat
(lit. 'When Time Thinks About Other Things')
Gedins
1993Kerstin Ekman
(b. 1933)
Händelser vid vatten
(lit. 'Events by Water')
(trans. Blackwater)
Bonniers
1994Björn Ranelid
(b. 1949)
Synden
(lit. 'The Sin')
Bonnier Alba
1995Torgny Lindgren
(1938–2017)
Hummelhonung
(lit. 'Bumblebee Honey')
(trans. Sweetness)
Norstedts
1996Tomas Tranströmer
(1931–2015)
Sorgegondolen
(lit. 'The Sorrow Gondola')
Bonniers
1997Majgull Axelsson
(b. 1947)
Aprilhäxan
(lit. 'April Witch')
Gedins
1998Göran Tunström
(1937–2000)
Berömda män som varit i Sunne
(lit. 'Famous Men Who Have Visited Sunne')
Albert Bonniers förlag
1999Per Olov Enquist
(1934–2020)
Livläkarens besök
(lit. 'The Visit of the Royal Physician')
Norstedts
2000Mikael Niemi
(b. 1951)
Populärmusik från Vittula
(lit. 'Popular Music from Vittula')
Norstedts
2001Torbjörn Flygt
(b. 1964)
UnderdogNorstedts
2002Carl-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
2003Kerstin Ekman
(b. 1933)
Skraplotter
(lit. 'Lottery Scratchcards')
Albert Bonniers Förlag
2004Bengt Ohlsson
(b. 1963)
GregoriusAlbert Bonniers Förlag
2005Monika Fagerholm
(b. 1961)
Den amerikanska flickan
(lit. 'The American Girl')
Albert Bonniers Förlag
2006Susanna Alakoski
(b. 1962)
Svinalängorna
(lit. 'The Swine Rows')
(trans. Beyond)
Albert Bonniers Förlag
2007Carl-Henning Wijkmark
(1934–2020)
Stundande natten
(lit. 'Night Approaching')
Norstedts förlag
2008Per Olov Enquist
(1934–2020)
Ett annat liv
(lit. 'A Different Life')
Norstedts förlag
2009Steve Sem-Sandberg
(b. 1958)
De fattiga i Łódź
(lit. 'The Poor in Łódź')
(trans. The Emperor of Lies)
Albert Bonniers Förlag
2010Sigrid Combüchen
(b. 1942)
Spill. En damroman
(lit. 'Spill: A Lady's Novel')
Norstedts
2011Tomas Bannerhed
(b. 1966)
Korparna
(lit. 'The Ravens')
Weyler förlag
2012Göran Rosenberg
(b. 1948)
Ett kort uppehåll på vägen från Auschwitz
(lit. 'A Brief Stop on the Road from Auschwitz')
Albert Bonniers Förlag
2013Lena Andersson
(b. 1970)
Egenmäktigt förfarande – en roman om kärlek
(lit. 'Arbitrary Conduct – A Novel About Love')
(trans. Wilful Disregard)
Natur & Kultur
2014Kristina Sandberg
(b. 1971)
Liv till varje pris
(lit. 'Life at Any Cost')
Norstedts
2015Jonas Hassen Khemiri
(b. 1978)
Allt jag inte minns
(lit. 'Everything I Don't Remember')
Albert Bonniers Förlag
2016Lina Wolff
(b. 1973)

(lit. 'The Polyglot Lovers')
Albert Bonniers Förlag
2017Johannes Anyuru
(b. 1979)
De kommer att drunkna i sina mödrars tårar
(lit. 'They Will Drown in their Mothers' Tears')
Norstedts
2018Linnea Axelsson
(b. 1980)
(lit. 'Earth')Albert Bonniers förlag
2019Marit Kapla
(b. 1970)
OsebolTeg Publishing
2020
(b. 1987)
Samlade verk
(lit. 'Collected Works')
Albert Bonniers Förlag
2021Elin Cullhed
(b. 1983)
Eufori: en roman om Sylvia Plath
(lit. Euphoria: A Novel about Slyvia Plath)
Wahlström & Widstrand
2022Ia Genberg
(b. 1967)
Detaljerna
(trans. The Details Wildfire Books, London: 2023)
Weyler Förlag
2023
(b. 1976)
Jävla karlar
(lit. Bloody men)
Bokförlaget Polaris

Non-fiction

YearWinnerWorkShortlisted nominees
1992Gunnar Broberg
(b. 1942)

(lit. 'Golden Apples')
Atlantis
1993Peter Englund
(b. 1957)
(lit. 'The Year of Unrest')Atlantis
1994
(b. 1933)

(lit. 'Music in Sweden I-IV')
Fischer & Co
1995
(b. 1954)

(lit. 'A Thousand Years in the Garden: From Sörmland Manors and Backyards')
Tiden
1996Maja Hagerman
(b. 1960)

(lit. 'Traces of the King's Men')
Prisma
1997Sven-Eric Liedman
(b. 1939)

(lit. 'In the Shadow of the Future')
Bonnier Alba
1998
(b. 1948)

(lit. 'Swedish Roads to St. Petersburg')
Wahlström & Widstrand
1999Jan Svartvik
(b. 1931)

(lit. 'English – Island Language, World Language, Trend Language')
Norstedts
2000Dick Harrison
(b. 1966)

(lit. 'Great Death')
Ordfront Förlag
2001Hans Hammarskjöld
(1925–2012),

(b. 1941),
& Per Wästberg
(b. 1933)

(lit. 'The Ladder of Memory')
Max Ström
2002
(1934–2020)

(lit. 'Gustav Vasa – Father of the Country or Tyrant?')
Prisma
2003
(b. 1934)

(lit. 'Ideas About Life')
Natur & Kultur
2004Sverker Sörlin
(b. 1956)

(lit. 'History of Europe's Ideas 1492–1918:The Order of the World and the Darkness in Man')
Natur & Kultur
2005Lena Einhorn
(b. 1954)
Ninas resa
(lit. 'Nina's Journey')
Prisma
2006Cecilia Lindqvist
(b. 1932)
QinAlbert Bonniers Förlag
2007
(b. 1948)

(lit. 'With Life at Stake')
Wahlström & Widstrand
2008
(b. 1964)
&
(b. 1944)

(lit. 'Directed by Bergman')
Max Ström
2009
(b. 1958) &
Susanne Åkesson
(b. 1964)

(lit. 'To Survive the Day')
Symposion
2010Yvonne Hirdman
(b. 1943)

(lit. 'The Red Countess')
Ordfront förlag
2011Elisabeth Åsbrink
(b. 1965)

(lit. 'And in Wienerwald the Trees Remain')
Natur & Kultur
2012Ingrid Carlberg
(b. 1961)

(lit. 'There's a Room Waiting for You – The Story of Raoul Wallenberg')
Norstedts
2013Bea Uusma
(b. 1966)

(lit. 'The Expedition. My Love Story')
(trans. The Expedition: The Forgotten Story of a Polar Tragedy)
Norstedts
2014Lars Lerin
(b. 1954)

(lit. 'Natural Science')
Bonniers
2015
(b. 1959)

(lit. 'My European Family. The Last 54,000 Years')
Albert Bonniers Förlag
2016Nina Burton
(b. 1946)

(lit. 'The Gutenberg Galaxy's Nova. An essay on Erasmus of Rotterdam, Humanism and the 16th-century Media Revolution')
Albert Bonniers Förlag
2017
(b. 1977)

(lit. 'Fucking Sunshine: A Biography of Ester Blenda Nordström')
Forum
2018
(b. 1971)
Svälten. Hungeråren som formade Sverige
(lit. 'Famine: The Years of Hunger that Shaped Sweden')
Albert Bonniers förlag
2019
(b. 1972)
Ålevangeliet. Berättelsen om världens mest gåtfulla fisk
(trans. The Book of Eels: Our Enduring Fascination with the Most Mysterious Creature in the Natural World (Ecco Press))
Albert Bonniers förlag
2020Elin Anna Labba
(b. 1980)
Herrarna satte oss hit. Om tvångsförflyttningarna i Sverige
(trans. The Rocks Will Echo Our Sorrow: The Forced Displacement of the Northern Sámi (University of Minnesota Press))
Norstedts
2021
(b. 1975)
Dolda gudar – en bok om allt som inte går förlorat i en översättning
(lit. 'Hidden Gods. A Book about Everything that is not Lost in a Translation')
Norstedts
2022Nina van den Brink
(b. 1966)
Jag har torkat nog många golv
(lit. I have wiped enough floors)
Norstedts
2023
(b. 1956)
Zorn Albert Bonniers förlag

Children and Young Adult

YearEnglish literal translationOriginal Swedish titleAuthorPublisher
1992I Miss You, I Miss You! Jag saknar dig, jag saknar dig! Peter Pohl & Kinna GiethRabén & Sjögren
1993Vinterviken Bonnier Carlsen
1994The Master and the Four Printers Natur & Kultur
1995The Girl Who Did Not Want to Kiss Brombergs
1996My Sister is an Angel Min syster är en ängel Alfabeta Bokförlag
1997Truth or Dare Bonnier Carlsen
1998The Journey to the End of the World Rabén & Sjögren
1999Plays Dead Opal
2000Gittan and the Gray Wolves Rabén & Sjögren
2001Are U 4 Real? Sandor slash Ida Bonnier Carlsen
2002Goodbye, Mr. Muffin Bonnier Carlsen
2003In the Ceiling the Stars Are Shining I taket lyser stjärnorna Natur & Kultur
2004Is Elias Dancing? No! Rabén & Sjögren
2005Eddie Bolander & I & Rabén & Sjögren
2006Svenne Rabén & Sjögren
2007Where's My Sister? Opal
2008The Legend of Sally Jones Bonnier Carlsen
2009Write Again and Again Ylva Karlsson,, Sara Lundberg & X Publishing
2010Me On the Floor, Bleeding Jenny JägerfeldGilla Böcker
2011Girls Lost Pojkarna Bonnier Carlsen
2012ABC and All Dat Bonnier Carlsen
2013The String, The Bird and Me Hippo bokförlag
2014The Murderer's Ape Jakob Wegelius Bonnier Carlsen
2015When the Dogs Come Jessica Schiefauer Bonnier Carlsen
2016Ten Past One Rabén & Sjögren
2017The Bird in Me Flies Wherever It Wants Sara Lundberg Mirando Bok
2018The Pit Mirando Bok
2019Wait for the Wind Brombergs
2020Humlan Hansson's Secrets & Hippo bokförlag
2021The Night Raven NattkorpenNatur & Kultur
2022We're Just Going to Cycle Past Vi ska ju bara cykla förbiRabén & Sjögren and Schildts & Söderströms
2023Wood anemones and piss rats Vitsippa och pissråttor & Hanna KlinthageRabén & Sjögren

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Sweden’s August Prize for Literature. November 23, 2020. The Booktrail..
  2. Web site: Landes . David . November 24, 2009 . Jewish ghetto tale scoops 2009 August Prize . . 2011-10-22 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111108092300/http://www.thelocal.se/23446/20091124/ . 2011-11-08 .
  3. Web site: Om Augustpriset. sv. November 27, 2012. Augustpriset.
  4. Web site: August Prize winner: "In 20 years, we forget everything". November 24, 2015. Sveriges Radio.