“Transformative, a door-opener for my work, something that brings more attention to the important and powerful literature being written in the Faroe Islands,” answered Vónbjørt Vang when asked what it feels like to win the Nordic Council Literature Prize. In 2025, it had been 39 years since the prize last went to a Faroese author.
A warm thank-you to the author and prizewinner Vónbjørt, who took part in an author conversation with Professor Gísli Magnússon at the Nordic House on Saturday, 17 January. In a reflective and engaging discussion, Vónbjørt and Gísli explored themes such as motherhood in literature, the meeting points between writing and family life, shame, the writing process, and what a critical literary scholar must do to be less strict with themselves and their own texts.
Thanks also to everyone who attended and, through their questions and engagement, helped make the event memorable. Svørt Orkidé, Vónbjørt’s poetry collection that won the Nordic Council Literature Prize 2025, will be translated into Icelandic and published by Skriða Publishing.