Monika Ulrika Ann-Helén Laestadius (born 1971) is a Swedish Sámi journalist and bestselling writer. In 2016, her novel Tio över ett (Ten Past One) won the Swedish August Prize as the best submission in the children and young adult category.[1][2] She wrote her first adult novel in 2021 titled Stolen,[3] translated to English in 2023 by Rachel Willson-Broyles and became a number 1 paperback bestseller.[4] Netflix released a film adaptation, Stolen, in 2024.[5]
Biography
editBorn on 3 December 1971 in Jukkasjärvi in the far north of Sweden, Monika Ulrika Ann-Helén Laestadius is the daughter of the municipal employee Ivar Jan-Erik Laestadius (born 1951) and his wife Ellen Sara Kristina née Marainen (born 1948), a shop assistant.[6] Now living in Solna near Stockholm, she has worked as a journalist since 1990.[7] The About the Author section of her novel Stolen[3] says "she is an author and journalist from Kiruna, Sweden. She is Sámi and of Tornedalian descent, two of Sweden's national minorities."[citation needed]
In 2007, she published her first children's novel, Sms från Soppero (Sms from Soppero). It was followed by five others. Her Tio över ett (Ten Past One) won the August Prize for Swedish children's literature in 2016.[7][1] The jury commented: “It is about the collective grief of a changing community, about civil society and local politics, and about love and friendship. In energetic prose, Laestadius intertwines place, politics and psychology.”[8] She was also awarded the Norrland Literature Prize (Norrlands litteraturpris) for the same work in 2017.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b "Pristagare 2016" (in Swedish). Augustpriset. Archived from the original on 19 August 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
- ^ "Om Ann-Helén Laestadius" (in Swedish). Sveriges Radio AB. 24 October 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
- ^ a b "Ann-Helén Laestadius". Simon & Schuster. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
- ^ Lee, Joseph (January 20, 2023). "In this Swedish bestseller, a young Sámi woman fights for survival". Grist. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- ^ Giertz, Elias (September 1, 2023). "Ann-Helén Laestadius' Acclaimed Novel Stolen to Come to Netflix". Netflix. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- ^ "Laestadius, Monika Ulrika Ann-Helen". Laestadius friends. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
- ^ a b "Ann-Helén Laestadius" (in Swedish). Författarcentrum. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
- ^ "Ann-Helen Laestadius Awarded The Nordic Literature Prize 2017". Hedlund Literary Agency. 3 July 2017. Archived from the original on 2 February 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
- ^ "Årets pristagare av Norrlands litteraturpris är Anna Jörgensdotter och Mia Öström!" (in Swedish). Norrländska Litteratur Sällskapet. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
External links
editEnglish
edit- Abend, Lisa (Jan 31, 2023). "Her Culture Was Suppressed for Centuries. Now It Powers Her Best Seller". The New York Times. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- Skea, Dr Ann (n.d.). "Ann-Helén Laestadius Stolen. Reviewed by Ann Skea". The Newtown Review of Books. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- Lee, Joseph (January 20, 2023). "In this Swedish bestseller, a young Sámi woman fights for survival". Grist. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- Giertz, Elias (September 1, 2023). "Ann-Helén Laestadius' Acclaimed Novel Stolen to Come to Netflix". Netflix. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
Swedish
edit- Ann-Helén's page at Författarcentrum in Swedish