The August Prize shortlists were presented at a press conference in Stockholm on Monday, and the year's most talked-about novel is not among them. Aftonbladet reports that "Ultravåld" was passed over by the fiction jury, a decision that has already drawn comment from other Swedish outlets. Six titles were nominated in the fiction category, alongside six each in non-fiction and children's and young adult literature, plus five contenders for the Lilla Augustpriset.
Why it matters
The August Prize is Sweden's most prominent literary award, and the nomination itself typically drives attention and sales. Mikaela Zabrodsky, chair of the Swedish Publishers' Association, told the press conference that the prize was created to highlight the best Swedish literature, according to Aftonbladet. She later argued that the three jury groups have a better overview of the year's output than anyone else.
Max Edenborg, a librarian who chairs the fiction jury, declined to explain the omission of "Ultravåld." He said the jury had settled on six titles it felt it could not get past and was satisfied with, while acknowledging that some readers will have different favourites.
A fourth nod for Östergren
Klas Östergren is nominated for the fourth time, this time for "Inkokt ruda." He told the press conference that compared with his earlier novels he struggles to see why this particular book was singled out. The novel examines the boundary between humans and AI robots, featuring what he described as a suffering Werther 2.0.
Östergren said the idea of an artificial person that does not quite function appealed to him, comparing it to a hormonal teenager in the house who won't close the fridge properly and has only one thing on his mind. He stressed, however, that the book is primarily about people. He also noted that it ends with a poem he has worked on for 25 years and which has finally found its proper place — a picture of a marriage, as he put it.
Inger Edelfeldt, nominated for "Skönheten," said she hopes the recognition will give her whole body of work a lift. She described herself as long-established but noted that real attention has only come with this book. The novel follows Laura, approaching 60, and explores what Edelfeldt calls a double shame: the pressure to be very attractive combined with the embarrassment of trying too hard. She called it, at heart, a novel of ideas about identity and existence, and said she often points readers to chapter 39, where she offers a suggested way out of the dilemma — though not everyone notices it.
Climate, poetry and fish
Magnus Dahlström, nominated for "Vinter," said he did not set out to write a climate novel. He described the extreme cold of minus 49 degrees as a force majeure and a metaphor for a spiritual climate in society. Edelfeldt told the press conference she expects Dahlström to take this year's fiction prize.
The fiction list is completed by Maxim Grigoriev for "Adrian" and Karolina Ramqvist for "Nattsäsong." Poet Ingela Strandberg, nominated for the collection "Under sjöarna," said the nomination means a great deal because it lets people know she exists — poets, she noted, need to be visible amid the noise.
In non-fiction, Lina Gustafsson is nominated for "Ur djupet," a book on the inner lives of fish, fishing and a growing food industry. She said researchers she spoke with gave a strikingly consistent picture: fish feel as much as other animals, can experience pain and become stressed. In the salmon industry, she said, there are problems with some fish becoming depressed.
The non-fiction shortlist also includes Tomas Eriksson's "Syndabocken," about the rise and fall of police chief Liljensparre; Patrik Hadenius on the history of the Swedish language; Simon Sorgenfrei on Islam's growth in Sweden and the rise of the Sweden Democrats; Per Svensson's "När jag dog"; and Michael Verdicchio's "Pojken med nallen," about hidden children and the campaign that changed Sweden.
For the children's and young adult award, Viveka Sjögren is nominated for "Sång för Valencia," about a ship that runs aground. She described it as a comment on the present moment, with hope carried through the story by cooperation: the characters do not even share a language but still want to help one another. Stranded for a long time, the sad captain builds an organ, and when he plays it, whales arrive to free them.
The other children's nominees are Moa Backe Åstot, Emelie Franc and Hanna Klinthage, the trio of Malin Kivelä, Martin Glaz Serup and Linda Bondestam, Aron Landahl and Johan Rundberg. The Lilla Augustpriset shortlist comprises Lea Andersson, Signe Firpo, Fia Koné, Stina Salzer, Edith Svärd and Alma Åhrén.
The winners will be announced at the August Prize ceremony later this autumn, when the fiction jury's choice will be measured against the debate stirred by the book it left off the list.
