The 2026 Bjørnson Prize is awarded to Swedish author Sara Stridsberg for her literary works, which are marked by high literary quality and characterized by a deep and enduring commitment to human vulnerability, the structures of power, and the dark sides of society.
– I can’t imagine anything more beautiful than being honored for precisely those dark sides. I always think about what we writers use our freedom for, and I don’t know how well I personally have managed that freedom, but I’m thinking about it particularly intensely right now when the world around us is crumbling in so many ways,” says Sara Stridsberg.
From the Jury’s Statement
Sara Stridsberg is one of the Nordic region’s most significant literary voices of our time. With novels such as Valerie, or The Faculty of Dreams—her international breakthrough— Darling River, Beckomberga/The Gravity of Love, and Antarctica of Love, she has established a body of work characterized by high literary quality and a deep, enduring commitment to human vulnerability, the structures of power, and the dark sides of society. Through novels, plays, and essays, she gives voice to experiences that are often repressed or marginalized.
With poetic and precise language, Stridsberg addresses power, gender, desire, and existence, bringing difficult themes such as violence, psychological pain, care, and responsibility into literature and public discourse. She writes about complex lives without simplifying them, and insists on the moral and social significance of literature.
Stridsberg’s social commitment is evident not only in her writing but also in her public actions. She was elected to the Swedish Academy and took seat number 13, as one of the youngest members in modern times, but she chose to resign in protest against the institution’s handling of a serious crisis of trust and values. Her resignation was a clear expression of her literary and ethical integrity and marked an important moment in Swedish public life where artistic authority was used to challenge power, silence, and a lack of accountability.
Sara Stridsberg is one of the most prominent Swedish authors of her generation. Her books have been translated into more than 25 languages. With her international impact, broad readership, and clear commitment, Stridsberg embodies literature’s role as a social force. Her writing is clearly in the spirit of Bjørnson: a reminder that literature can expand the public sphere, sharpen our ethical awareness, and make room for voices that would otherwise go unheard.
Sara Stridsberg’s books have been translated into Norwegian by Monica Aasprong.
Facts About the Bjørnson Prize
▪ The Bjørnson Prize is awarded to a Nordic author for literary work and social engagement in the spirit of Bjørnson.
▪ The jury consists of Joakim Hammerlin, The Nansen Humanistic Academy, Birger Emanuelsen, The Norwegian Authors’ Union, Cathrine Strøm, Lillehammer UNESCO City of Literature, Linn T. Sunne, Innlandet County Library, Gunnar Klinge, University of Inland Norway, Kristin Brandtsegg Johansen, Stiftelsen Lillehammer museum and Parisa Vaziri, The Norwegian Festival of Literature.
▪ Recent winners:
2018: Johannes Anyuru (SE)
2019: Carsten Jensen (DK)
2020: Maja Lunde (NO)
2021: Sara Omar (DK)
2022: Niviaq Korneliussen (GL)
2023: Åsne Seierstad (NO)
2024: Caspar Eric (DK)
2025: Sofi Oksanen (FI)
2026: Sara Stridsberg (SE)
▪ The prize is NOK 100,000.
Bjørnson events in English during the Norwegian Festival of Literature
The Bjørnson Prize is awarded at the opening of the Norwegian Festival of Literature on Tuesday, June 2. The prize is part of a series of events and outreach projects rooted in the spirit of Bjørnson, where literature’s transformative power and the value of democracy and freedom of expression take center stage.
Photo: Saramackey.com