It means a great deal! Actually, I was already shocked to be nominated, so getting the prize makes me incredibly, incredibly happy, he says to TT.
For William Älgebrink, the prize is an important confirmation. He has been writing for a long time, but it was not until "Huset vid Pärlälvens slut" that it really took off.
In some way, the book was like a kind of metamorphosis, where I found my way to where I wanted to be as a writer.
The book is about the sorrowful bus driver Dylan who is convinced that his heart is shrinking – and that he needs another person's blood to survive. "A cinematic and linguistically skilled debut that is genuinely original", the jury states in its motivation.
William Älgebrink had listened to many true crime podcasts before he started writing the novel – and reacted to what he perceived as a kind of glorification of violence and violent men.
I was sitting and listening to a podcast and felt why am I listening to this, why are there so many of us who listen to it for entertainment value and how is it that one almost sees these men as icons of violence, that one elevates them to something cool, exciting and mysterious, he says.
William Älgebrink also works as a filmmaker, in 2023 his short film "Så låt sorgen komma" premiered. He notes that the cinematic element is also evident in his upcoming book, a novel that will be published in the fall of 2026.
It is so strongly connected to how I think about writing and novels, for me it is natural to think in images and moving scenes, he says.
The prize has been awarded since 2015 and went to Tina Trender for "En bra man" last year. William Älgebrink received it at the Book Fair in Gothenburg.
