Nordic Council Prizes to Faroese Literature and Film
"I would like to thank the Nordic Council and the jury for believing that great and important literature can be written in a small language. My hope is that this prize can help shed more light on the literature being written in the Faroe Islands today," says the prize-winning writer Vónbjørt Vang. (Photo: Melker Dahlstrand/the Swedish Parliament)
This year's Nordic Council literature prize has been awarded to the Faroese writer Vónbjørt Vang for the poetry collection Svørt orkidé. The council's film prize was also awarded to a Faroese production for the very first time: Seinasta paradís á jørð.
"I stand before you, moved and grateful. To me, this is not merely a recognition of a book, but of a language, of a life, and of the people who have carried it forward," says writer Vónbjørt Vang from the Faroe Islands.
On Tuesday night, she received the Nordic Council's literature prize for the poetry collection Svørt orkidé ('Black Orchid'). The award ceremony took place in the Swedish parliament in connection with the Nordic Council's annual session, which is taking place in Stockholm this week.
"Svørt Orkidé was written at a time when the world felt fragile, and I had to find a place for what hurt when silence became too heavy. I wrote to survive, but also to remind myself and others that there is beauty even in the darkness. That grief and love follow each other. And that the difficult things in life should not be hidden, but made room for," says Vang.
"Literature can provide something that life cannot always give. It can be a place where we can put what we cannot carry alone. And give voice to what would otherwise be silent," she adds.
A mother's fear and longing
Svørt orkidé is Vang's third poetry collection. The work depicts a mother's fear of losing a teenage son who is growing up and embarking on his own path, and perhaps even about to go astray.
When is the son his own person and no longer hers? And when is she her own person and not just a mother? These are among the questions the poems are addressing.
The pages are also decorated with collages of text and photos, giving the work a strong visual expression, writes the jury, and continues:
"This use of fragments and visual elements underscores the fractured and searching nature of the mother’s experience – her attempts to find language for the unspeakable. Svørt Orkidé thereby puts into words the interplay between identity and praxis: Who is a mother when their child distances themselves? And who is the author when language falls silent?”
“The work is part of a current wave of motherhood literature, which it both discusses and refers to. This literature creates a starting point for the work’s search for form and meaning in grief. At the same time, the collection of poems touches on topical issues of parenting in today’s society; on a system that is failing and young people who are increasingly having a bad time in life.”
The creators of the film Seinasta paradís á jørð: Director and screenwriter Sakaris Stórá (center), flanked by screenwriters Tommy Oksen (left) and Mads Stegger (right). The Speaker of Sweden's parliament, Andreas Norlén (far left), and Heléne Björklund, President of the Nordic Council, presented the film award. (Photo: Magnus Fröderberg/norden.org)
Storytelling in Faroese
While Faroese literature has qualified for a Nordic Council prize before, this is the first instance a film from the Faroese Islands has won such a Nordic award.
This feat was achieved by Seinasta paradís á jørð (‘The Last Paradise on Earth’) by director and screenwriter Sakaris Stórá, screenwriters Mads Stegger and Tommy Oksen, and producer Jón Hammer.
"This is very big for us. We wanted to make a film in Faroese, not because it is easy, but because seeing one's own community and hearing one's own language through film is necessary. We aim to be equal with our neighboring countries and show that we can tell our story on film," says Stórá.
The film, a Danish-Faroese co-production shot on the island of Suðuroy, deals with topics such as identity, loss, and longing.
"With calm yet courageous vision, this story captures the essence of lonely island life. It goes far beyond the question of staying or leaving – it delves into personal grief, emotional paralysis, and the urgent challenges of an ecological crisis," the jury writes.
Quiet, yet powerful battle
"After the main character Kári’s mother passes away, his family loses both direction and compassion, while dwindling fish stocks hint that Mother Earth herself is faltering. Through poetic contrasts – women swimming freely in the ocean set against the relentless rhythm of the factory – the film emphasizes the vital need for reconnection with nature," the jury considers and continues:
"Rather than relying on dramatic twists, the narrative gently unveils the quiet yet powerful struggle for survival and for family relations. With impressive performances from young talents supported by experienced actors, alongside breathtaking cinematography and a haunting score, the film stands as a landmark in Faroese – and Nordic – cinema."
During the award ceremony, Stórá also extends a big thank you to the actors and rounds off his acceptance speech with the following words:
"This little film tells a story about how important it is to see and listen to those around you, and take care of what you have."
The Nordic Council's cultural prizes are awarded to increase interest in the Nordic countries' literature, languages, film, and music. The winners receive the 'Nordlys' statuette and DKK 300,000.
