The Nordic Council Children and Young People's Literature Prize 2016 awarded to Icelandic author Arnar Már Arngrímsson for “Sölvasaga unglings”

The Icelandic writer and teacher Arnar Már Arngrímsson has been awarded the Nordic Council Children and Young People's Literature Prize 2016 for his debut novel Sölvasaga unglings at the Nordic Council prize award ceremony in Copenhagen. 

The adjudication committee writes:

The winning work is about a modern teenager and the challenges he faces. Although the problems seem familiar, this young lad is someone rather special. In this debut novel, the author succeeds in creating a person who is at once interesting, entertaining, annoying, searching, and fascinating. Cultures collide in the language of the narrative, making the text a lively mix of youth jargon and the written language of older generations. The reader follows the protagonist through stormy existential crises, which portray just how difficult it is to navigate puberty without running aground.

The author, Arnar Már Arngrímsson, manages to convey the story in a way that is sincere and loyal to the young people in Sölvasaga unglings.s to navigate puberty without running aground.

Sölvasaga unglings is published by Sögur útgáfa.

 

• Find out more about Arnar Már Arngrímsson on the dedicated page for the Nordic Council Children and Young People's Literature Prize
• Find out more about the Nordic Council Prizes