Fourteen works have been nominated for the 2019 Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize. Eight Nordic languages are represented among this year’s nominations, which were presented at the international book fair in Bologna on 2 April, reports Norden.org.
Among the 14 nominees is Rakel Helmsdal’s children’s book “Miljuløtur”.
Rakel Helmsdal (born 25 September 1966) is a Faroese writer. Her mother is the Faroese poet Guðrið Helmsdal. Rakel was born in Tårnby, Denmark, but has lived in Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands for most of her life. She lived for five years in France, where she wrote four of her books. She has taught creative writing and drama, and has also been involved in youth theatre.
Together with Áslaug Jónsdóttir from Iceland and Kalle Güettler from Sweden, she has written a series of books about the little and the big “skrímsl” (fantasy creatures similar to trolls). The first book, “Tey kalla meg bara Hugo”, was translated into Norwegian. Books in the series have been published in the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Sweden, France, Finland, Spain and Norway.
The winner of the 2019 Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize will be announced on 29 October in Stockholm in conjunction with the Session of the Nordic Council. The winner will receive the Northern Lights statuette and DKK 350,000.
