She had to wait until her seventh novel to be August-nominated, and now Karolina Ramqvist is awarded Sweden's Radio novel prize for the same book.
It feels clearly honoring, I was called by the listener jury and very surprised on a Saturday afternoon, it was nice, she says.
To receive a prize for just this book "frames in something" for Karolina Ramqvist. Just like her debut "More fire" from 2002, it deals with a love relationship, and takes place in Jamaica, where Karolina Ramqvist lived on and off for five years. Now she felt that she had written enough books to return.
It was a freedom that I took. As an author, you always feel like you're repeating yourself, you have images and themes that recur. This was a bit more flagrant, she says.
A world
The most common reader reaction to the book has been that readers feel like they "are there". Evoking the environment was exactly what Karolina Ramqvist aimed for. She wanted to depict how the tracks of colonialism are everywhere in Jamaica, in language and everyday life.
What was difficult for me was to depict it in this organic way.
Even the love relationship is about a power balance, where the woman from Europe can move freely while the same does not apply to the man from Jamaica. At the same time, they engage in the same power struggle as all couples, emphasizes Karolina Ramqvist.
She is now in an early stage with a novel about something new – but so far, it's only notes.
Framing in
The reactions to the novel also show, according to Karolina Ramqvist, how Sweden has changed. Now there is a greater understanding of colonialism affecting us as well.
When I wrote about this in the 90s, it was considered quite provocative to write about racism.
Elin Swedenmark/TT
Facts: Sweden's Radio novel prize
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Sweden's Radio novel prize was established in 1993 and is awarded every year to "a prominent Swedish novel from the past year's production". The prize amount is 30,000 kronor. Last year, the prize went to Annika Norlin for "Stacken".
This year's other nominees: Martin Engberg with "Allätaren", Bengt Ohlsson with "Helga", Jessica Schiefauer with "Tänkarens testamente".
