Scandinavian literature

Scandinavian literature or Nordic literature is the literature in the languages of the Nordic countries of Northern Europe. The
Nordic countries include Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway (including Svalbard), Sweden, and Scandinavia's associated
autonomous territories (Åland, Faroe Islands and Greenland). The majority of these nations and regions use North Germanic
languages. Although majority of Finns speak Uralic languages, Finnish history and literature are clearly interrelated with those of
both Sweden and Norway who have shared control of various areas and who have substantial
Sami populations/influences.

These peoples have produced an important and influential literature. Henrik Ibsen, a Norwegian playwright, was largely responsible
for the popularity of modern realistic drama in Europe, with plays like The Wild Duck and A Doll's House. Nobel prizes for literature
have been awarded to Selma Lagerlöf, Verner von Heidenstam, Karl Adolph Gjellerup, Henrik Pontoppidan, Knut Hamsun, Sigrid
Undset, Erik Axel Karlfeldt, Frans Eemil Sillanpää, Johannes Vilhelm Jensen, Pär Lagerkvist, Halldór Laxness, Nelly Sachs, Eyvind
Johnson, Harry Martinson, and Tomas Tranströmer.

Contents
Medieval Scandinavian literature
Danish literature
Faroese literature
Finnish literature
Icelandic literature
Norwegian literature
Swedish literature
Recognition
International Prizes
Nobel Prize in Literature
Regional Prizes
The Nordic Council's Literature Prize
National Prizes
Finland
Norway
Sweden

See also
References and notes

Medieval Scandinavian literature

In medieval times Scandinavia shared first Proto-Norse and then Old Norse as a common language. The earliest written records from
Scandinavia are runic inscriptions on memorial stones and other objects. Some of those contain allusions to Norse mythology and
even short poems in alliterative verse. The best known example is the elaborate Rök runestone (ca. 800) which alludes to legends
from the migration age. The oldest of the Eddic poems are believed to have been composed in the 9th century, though they are only
preserved in 13th-century manuscripts. They tell of the myths and heroic legends of Scandinavia. Skaldic poetry is mostly preserved
in late manuscripts but was preserved orally from the 9th century onwards, and also appears on runestones, such as the Karlevi
Runestone.
The advent of Christianity in the 10th century brought Scandinavia into contact with European learning, including the Latin alphabet
and the Latin language. In the 12th century this was to bear literary fruit in works such as the Danish Gesta Danorum an ambitious
historical work by Saxo Grammaticus. The 13th century was a golden age of Icelandic literature with Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda
and Heimskringla.

Danish literature
The 16th century brought theLutheran Reformation to Denmark and a new period in the nation's literature. Major authors of the time
include the humanist Christiern Pedersen, who translated the New Testament into Danish, and Poul Helgesen who vigorously
opposed the Reformation. The 16th century also saw Denmark's earliest plays, including the works of Hieronymus Justesen Ranch.
The 17th century was an era of renewed interest in Scandinavian antiquities with scholars like Ole Worm at the forefront. Though
religious dogmatism was on the rise the passionate hymns ofThomas Kingo transcended the genre with personal expression. External
struggles with Sweden and internal rivalries among the nobility leading to Denmark's absolute monarchy in 1660 are chronicled from
a royal prisoner's redemptive perspective in the heartfelt prose of Leonora Christina of the Blue Tower. Later Danish authors include
Hans Christian Andersen, Søren Kierkegaard, Johannes V. Jensen, and Karen Blixen.

Faroese literature
Faroese literature in the traditional sense of the word has only really developed in the past 100–200 years. This is mainly because of
the island's isolation, and also because the Faroese language was not written down in a standardised format until 1890. In the Middle
Ages many Faroese poems and stories were handed down orally. These works were split into the following divisions: sagnir
(historical), ævintyr (stories) and kvæði (ballads, often set to music and dance). These were eventually written down in the 19th
century, providing the basis for a late but powerful literature.

Finnish literature
The history of Finland has been tumultuous. During much of recorded history the language of the government was different from that
of the majority of the population. This had a strong influence on 'Finnish literature' with many of the greatest works revolving around
achieving or maintaining a strong Finnish identity
.

The most famous collection of folk poetry is by far theKalevala. Referred to as the Finnishnational epic it is mainly credited to Elias
Lönnrot although he worked more as an editor and compiler. It was first published in 1835 and quickly became a symbol of Finnish
nationalism. The first novel published in Finnish wasSeven Brothers (1870) by Aleksis Kivi (1834—1872): still generally considered
to be one of the greatest of all works of Finnish literature.

Icelandic literature
The Icelanders' sagas (Icelandic: Íslendingasögur)—many of which are also known as family sagas—are prose histories describing
mostly events that took place in Iceland in the 10th and early 11th centuries. They are the best known of specifically Icelandic
literature from the early period. In late medieval timesrímur became the most popular form of poetic expression. Influential Icelandic
authors since the reformation includeHallgrímur Pétursson, Jónas Hallgrímsson, Gunnar Gunnarsson and Halldór Laxness.

Norwegian literature
The period from the 14th century up to the 19th is considered a dark age in Norway's literature though Norwegian-born writers such
as Peder Claussøn Friis and Ludvig Holberg contributed to the common literature of Denmark-Norway. With the advent of
nationalism and the struggle for independence in the early 19th century a new period of national literature emerged. The dramatist
Henrik Wergeland was the most influential author of the period while the later works of Henrik Ibsen were to earn Norway an
influential place in Western European literature. In the 20th century notable Norwegian writers include the three Nobel Prize–
winning authors Knut Hamsun, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnsonand Sigrid Undset.
Swedish literature
Sweden ranks third in the list of countries with most Nobel Prize laureates in literature. Famous Swedish writers include Astrid
Lindgren, Gustaf Fröding, Carl Jonas Love Almqvist, Vilhelm Moberg, August Strindberg, and Tomas Tranströmer.

Recognition

International Prizes

Nobel Prize in Literature

The Nobel Prize in Literaturehas been awarded to a number of Scandinavians, including:

Denmark

Johannes Vilhelm Jensen, 1944

Karl Adolph Gjellerup, 1917
Henrik Pontoppidan, 1917
Finland

Frans Eemil Sillanpää, born in the Grand Duchy of Finland, a part of the Russian Empire in 1809–1917, 1939
Iceland

Halldór Kiljan Laxness, 1955

Norway

Sigrid Undset, 1928

Knut Hamsun, 1920
Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, 1903
Sweden

Tomas Tranströmer, 2011

Eyvind Johnson, 1974
Harry Martinson, 1974
Nelly Sachs, born in Germany, 1966
Pär Lagerkvist, 1951
Erik Axel Karlfeldt, 1931
Carl Gustaf Verner von Heidenstam,1916
Selma Lagerlöf, 1909

Regional Prizes

The Nordic Council's Literature Prize

The Nordic Council's Literature Prize is awarded by a Nordic adjudication committee for literature (novel, a play, a collection of
poetry, short stories or essays) written in one of the Nordic languages. The committee is appointed by the
Nordic Council and consists
of 10 members:[1]

Two from Denmark,

Two from Finland (1 Finnish speaking and 1 Swedish speaking)
Two from Iceland,
Two from Norway and
 Two from Sweden.

National Prizes

Finland

The Finlandia Literature Prize

Thanks for the Book Award is a literary prize presented by the Organization of the Booksellers’ Association of
Finland
Atorox Award for science fiction

Norway

The Norwegian Critics Prize for Literature

Halldis Moren Vesaas Prize
NBU-prisen
The Norwegian Academy Prize in memory of Thorleif Dahl
The Norwegian Academy of Literature and Freedom of Expression

Sweden

The Selma Lagerlöf literature prize

The Svenska Dagbladet Literary Prize
The August (Strindberg) Prize
Sveriges Radio's listeners' prize for literature
Samfundet De Nio Prize
Dobloug Prize – a Swedish Academy literature prize for Swedish and Norwegian fiction.

See also
Nordic noir, Scandinavian crime fiction
Project Runeberg, a project that publishes freely available electronic versions of Nordic books.

References and notes

1. About the Nordic Council's Literature Prize(http://www.norden.org/en/nordic-council/the-nordic-council-prizes/literatu
re-prize)

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