Karolina Ramqvist receives Selma Lagerlöf Literature Prize

Karolina Ramqvist has been awarded this year's Selma Lagerlöf Literature Prize. In her tribute, critic Birgitta Holm observed that even the simplest parts of Ramqvist's writing delve into existential themes, focusing on the act of choosing one's life or, more fundamentally, choosing life itself.

Holm noted that Ramqvist's titles, such as "Alltings början" (The Beginning of All Things), "Den första boken" (The First Book), and "Bröd och mjölk" (Bread and Milk), suggest an author preoccupied with origins. This preoccupation extends to the origins of places and the feelings tied to them. For Ramqvist, Stockholm, particularly in the 1990s, serves as a key location. Holm describes a Stockholm teeming with bars, cafes, and clubs that emerged during that era, a milieu that even an "aged Stockholmer" like herself was largely unaware of.

Holm drew a parallel between Ramqvist's "Alltings början" and Hjalmar Söderberg's "Doktor Glas," noting that Ramqvist's novel was selected for the "Stockholm Reads" project, similar to Söderberg's work a century earlier. This connection underscores Ramqvist's engagement with the city's literary and cultural landscape.