Meet the author: Joanna Rubin Dranger

We are proud to present a literature night with the recipient of the 2023 Nordic Council Literature Prize, Joanna Rubin Dranger, in conversation with Tinna Ásgeirsdóttir. Together they will discuss Dranger’s rich body of artistic and literary work, and dive deeper into her award-winning 2022 graphic novel Ihågkom oss till liv.

The conversation will be held in Swedish.

Joanna Rubin Dranger (b. 1970) is a writer, illustrator and graphic novelist based in Stockholm. She debuted in 1989 as co-author and illustrator of the children’s book ARG! Nittiotalets argaste bok, and has since published numerous acclaimed works for both children and adults. Her works have been translated into eight languages, received several prestigious awards, and been adapted into an animated film, a stage play and illustrations on Swedish stamps, among other things. Her 2022 documentary graphic novel Ihågkom oss till liv combines historical research and family saga in its portrayal of the fate of the author’s Jewish family during the Second World War and the Holocaust. In 2023, Ihågkom oss till liv was awarded the Nordic Council Literature Prize for its ‘almost devastatingly effective story’ of remembrance and intergenerational trauma.

Dranger graduated from Konstfack in 1995, and became Sweden’s first female Professor of illustration there in 2007. Alongside her artistic and academic career, she’s also been engaged as an educator and lecturer on the topic of visual stereotypes and the power of images.

The conversation with Dranger will be led by Tinna Ásgeirsdóttir, who has studied creative writing and translation at the University of Iceland and graduated with degrees in both philosophy and editing and publishing. Tinna has been a jury member for the Icelandic Translation Prize and Reykjavik City Children‘s Literary Prize, and she has worked as a project manager in The Nordic House and at The Writers’ Union of Iceland.

The event is organized by The Nordic house, the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Nordic Council.

Accessibility to Elissa is good. Accessible and gender neutral restrooms are on the same floor.