Oliver Lovrenski’s smashing debut, Back in the Day, has been shortlisted for one of the most prestigious literary awards in Norway, the Norwegian Radio’s Literary Award. The prize is awarded by NRK and the winner will be announced in March, 2024. Previous winners include Linn Ullmann, Karl Ove Knausgård and Matias Faldbakken.

“Oliver Lovrenski takes us inside a story told from within. /…/ But above all, it’s the incredible energy that emanates from this text that stays with me. He has cracked the code. He speaks to everyone,” wrote Knut Hoem at NRK about Back in the Day and gave it a top rating.

Annette Bjergfeldt’s Mr Saito’s Traveling Cinema features on the Danish newspaper Politiken’s ‘Best books of the Year’ for 2023. The books included on the list in question are curated by Danish literary critics selecting their favourite reads of the past year. The listing is accompanied by the following motivation:

“Annette Bjergfeldt’s second novel invites its readers along for yet another breathtaking world tour in the company of Lita, who was conceived in an intimate tango and then grows up among puffins, apparitions, lethal ocean conditions and the traveling cinema of the aforementioned title on the isolated Upper Puffin Island. A fantastic, fateful tale about adventure and love in unexpected places, told in a fabulous language that will infuse the dark winter days with light and colours.”

Johanna Holmström has received The Karin Boye Literary Prize, which is given to an author who has published a work in the spirit of Karin Boye. The jury’s motivation reads: “for an ability to empathize and portray people’s concerns on an increasingly devastated planet, where violence and darkness are constantly present. However, without extinguishing the hope that the end is the beginning of a new reality.” 

Yvonne Philipsson, chairman of the association, describes Holmström as “an intense and multifaceted Finnish-Swedish authorship, with clear parallels to Karin Boye.” 

Martin Nick’s acting journey is a vibrant tale of passion, courage, and artistic exploration. He eagerly anticipates continuing to tell stories and exploring new dimensions of his artistry.

Brought up in Stenungsund, north of Gothenburg, Nick’s acting journey began at a young age. He decided to pursue his dreams of acting and began his studies between 2008 and 2010 at Frihems residential college.

After his studie, he explored various performing arts, including self-produced theater shows and short films. Simultaneously, he developed interests in diverse training methods and dance styles, enriching his artistic expression.

In 2016, Martin collaborated with the SRSLYyours theater group in Cyprus, co-creating the acclaimed monologue performance Egoland, which was awarded The Grand Prix Award at the Stockholm Fringe Festival in 2020.The same year, after a decade in theater freelancing, Martin ventured into film, landing a significant role as the antagonist in Huss: Hostage.

Accepted into the Academy of Music and Drama in Gothenburg in 2020, Martin continued his artistic journey. After graduating in 2023, he participated in productions such as Riding in Darkness (2022), Amina (2023), and Doktrinen (2024).

Up next, Nick is set to play an important role in an upcoming drama series for SVT, directed by Sanna Lenken, yet to be officially disclosed.

Anders Rydell and Jesper Huor have both been assigned a reward from The Swedish Academy’s own funds. The authors names will be acknowledged at the academy’s formal gathering on December 20th.

Their latest work is the critically acclaimed Destroy the False Gods.

Kristina Ohlsson claims the No. 1 spot on the paperback list also this week, featuring at the top with Dimmed Lights, the third August Strindberg novel. She is also the No. 1 most sold on the paperback list for the month of November.

Sofi Oksanen has just been awarded the Finland National Prize of 2023.

Oksanen is being honored for her rich body of work with a motivation which reads:

“Sofi Oksanen is one of the most internationally successful Finnish writers, whose works have been translated into 40 languages. Oksanen writes about war, humanity, the position of women and the problems of society in an analytical and perceptive way. Oksanen made her breakthrough with the novel Purge, which she wrote based on a play she had written for the Finnish National Theatre. In her most recent essay, Same River Twice – Putin’s War Against Women, the author describes the logic of Russia’s warfare and especially its relationship with women: sexual violence, child deportations and disinformation campaigns, offering new information and a fresh perspective on a current topic that affects us all.”

The Finland National Prize is a cultural award conferred by the Ministry of Education and Culture of Finland and has been handed out annually since 1993 to Finnish artists of great importance.

Staffan Lindberg is director and writer of the coming Netflix feature film Love fårever which was filmed on Gotland this summer.

In Love fårever, Hanna and Samuel from Stockholm plan a low-key and intimate wedding on Gotland, but everything ends with chaos. Hanna runs away from the wedding and a fight breaks out. Out of this turmoil a new day is rising. A day that will be the start of a happier future.

In the cast we see Matilda Källström, Charlie Gustafsson, Kjell Bergqvist, Anja Lundqvist, Barbro “Babben” Larsson, Claes Malmberg, Julia Heveus and Philip Oros.