The Hamsun Centre Congratulations to Sigbjørn Skåden on being awarded the Nordic Council Literature Prize.
He is awarded the prize for the novel Planterhaug/Láŋtdievvá – a book the author himself describes as a love letter to his homeland. It is the first time in 35 years that a Sami-language novel has won the prize.
Taken from the jury's reasoning:
“Láŋtdievvá / Planterhaug is a poetic and melancholic novel, which with its enormous wealth of detail is characterized by a strong literary surplus. At 185 pages, the work is a force field that draws the reader in from the first sentence. The novel was published in parallel in Sami and Norwegian, and in the Norwegian edition the author alternates between Torne Sami, Nynorsk and Bokmål – a dynamic that highlights the characters' affiliation, distance and the different positions of power that are outlined in the small village. Who gets to tell, and who is it that carries the truth?”
This summer, Skåden visited Hamsundagene, where he had a book talk with Britt Kramvig about the performing arts project Golden Ája Lapland Casino & Motel .
Photo: Martin Losvik