Meet the nominees for the 2023 Nordic Council Literature Prize

This year’s nominated works can all be read as a kind of tribute to life – the tragic, magical, and wonderful life that unfolds between individuals, society, and nature. Several works examine the many faces of violence, with historical, literary, and realistic references to trauma and conflict.

Some of the nominees touch on rituals, while the entire field demonstrates linguistic mastery in multi-faceted stories that transcend genres.
 

Here are the nominees for the 2023 literature prize:

The works have been nominated by the national members of the adjudication committee for the 2023 Nordic Council Literature Prize.

The winner of the 2023 Nordic Council Literature Prize will be announced at an awards ceremony on 31 October in Oslo in conjunction with the Session of the Nordic Council. The winner will receive the Nordlys statuette and DKK 300,000.  

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.