Nordic Literature at the Helsinki Book Fair

We have invited the nominees for the Nordic Council Literature Prize and the Nordic Council Children’s and Young People’s Literature Prize to the Helsinki Book Fair in collaboration with the embassies of Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Sweden and the secretariat of the Nordic Council Literature Prizes.

You can hear the authors in five different discussions on the fair, both in English and Swedish/Norwegian

The nominees will also speak at an event at Nordic Culture Point on Saturday October 27th

11.30 am-12.00pm
Töölö stage

Nominees for the Nordic Council’s literature prize 2018 from Finland, the Faroe Islands and Iceland

Olli-Pekka Tennilä (FI), Jóanes Nielsen (FO), Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir (IS)

The authors write in a deeply personal way. Olli-Pekka Tennilä’s aphorisms in Ontto harmaa play with language and meaning. The poetry of Jóanes Nielsen in Gudahøvd touches the themes of bodily, decay and passing. The male subject in Auður Ólafsdóttirs Ör has decided to commit suicide, but starts to see his life in a new light after the decision. Moderator: Sirpa Kähkönen

12.00pm-12.30pm
Töölö stage

Nominees for the Nordic Council’s children’s and young people’s prize 2018 from Iceland, Norway and Denmark

Kristín Helga Gunnarsdóttir (IS), Torun Lian (NO),  Jesper Wung-Sung (DK), Rasmus Meisler (ill) (DK),  Mette Vedsø (DK)

Children today grow up in different worlds. There is the Syrian refugee boy in Vertu ósyniligur, there is the introverted child, who finally meets someone like her in Alt du ikke vet og gott er det. The girl whose only experience of friendship is with/through horses in Hest, Horse, Pferd, Cheval, Love and the teenage boy who really does not want to do anything, but becomes a writer in Lynkineser.Moderator: Karri Miettinen/Paleface.

12.30pm-1.00pm
Töölö stage

The Nordic Council children and young people’s literature prize 2018 Nominees from Finland, Åland, Iceland and the Sami region

Karin Erlandsson (AX), Magdalena Hai (FI), Teemu Juhani (FI), Áslaug Jónsdóttir (IS), Kalle Güettler (SE),  Rakel Helmsdal (FO),  Anne-Grethe Bientie (Sápmi), Vekterli Meerke (Sápmi)

Existential challenges in the world of children and from a young person’s perspective. In these picture books and novels the child/monster needs to be both brave and smart, but first and foremost has to do the right thing. Moderator: Karri Miettinen/Paleface.

3.00pm-3.30pm
Fiskehamnen stage

Nominerade till nordiska rådets litteraturpris 2018, Norge, Finland och Sverige

Agneta  Pleijel (SE),  Roskva Koritzinsky (NO), Susanne Ringell (FI)

Relationer ur kvinnoperspektiv – en feministisk utvecklingsroman, en novellsamling om familj, relationer, studier och arbete och ett kortprosa-verk om parrelationen som en ständigt pågående performance. Moderator: Annelie Bränström-Öhman

3.30pm-4.00pm
Blåbärslandet stage

Nominerade till nordiska rådets litteraturpris och nordiska rådets barn- och ungdomslitteraturpris 2018, Åland och Norge

Carina Karlsson (AX), Hans Petter  Laberg (NO)

Karlssons historiska roman och Labergs ungdomsroman kretsar kring samma fråga, en ung man hamnar på samhällets och lagens skuggsida. Varför? Gemensamt har de båda romanerna också, att huvudpersonen har kontakter i omvärlden som också ser människan i honom. Moderator: Annelie Bränström-Öhman.