Tarjei Vesaas' debutantpris

Jan Erik Vold, second winner of Tarjei Vesaas’ debutantpris
Sylvelin Vatle won the 1991 prize
Tore Renberg won the 1995 prize
Trude Marstein won the 1998 prize

Tarjei Vesaas's debutantpris is a prize awarded annually for the best first literary work in Norwegian. It is awarded by the Norwegian Authors' Union, and the organisation's 9-member Literary Caucus constitutes the jury for the prize. They choose the winner based on a free and independent evaluation on aesthetic criteria.

In accordance with an agreement between the Authors' Union and the Norwegian Publishers' Association, all newly published Norwegian literature is sent to all members of the Literary Caucus. The members thus choose the year's winner without there being any direct application for the prize. The winner is chosen at the Literary Caucus' annual 3-day January meeting, at which the caucus performs most of the tasks within its mandate, concerning stipends, guaranteed income and prizes. The prize is usually awarded in March.

The prize was instituted in 1964 by Tarjei Vesaas with the money he received as winner of the Nordic Council's Literature Prize that year. Reflecting his intent, the literary merit of the work is the most important criterion, but if possible the prize is awarded to a young writer, 35 at the most.[1][2] Vesaas and his wife Halldis Moren Vesaas (who were not themselves involved in the judging) were delighted that in its second year the prize went to Jan Erik Vold, who had been their lodger in summer 1964 at the 'writer's hut' Juvstøyl.

Winners

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Year Author Work
2022 Svisdal M. Seppola Simonsen Hjerteskog // Syđänmettä
2021 Svisdal Kristin Vego Se en siste gang på alt vakkert
2020 Svisdal Karoline Brændjord Jeg vil våkne til verden
2019 Svisdal Hanna Stoltenberg Nada
2018 Svisdal Lars Svisdal Seg til inkjes
2017 Shakar Zeshan Shakar Tante Ulrikkes vei
2016 Dale Jan Kristoffer Dale Arbeidsnever
2015 Moe Kenneth Moe Rastløs
2014 Lerstang Amalie Kasin Lerstang Europa
2013 Pedersen Gine Cornelia Pedersen Null
2012 Strassegger Peter Franziskus Strassegger Stasia[3]
2011 Mariussen Lina Undrum Mariussen Finne deg der inne og hente deg ut[4]
2010 Flatland Helga Flatland Bli hvis du kan. Reis hvis du må[5]
2009 Evjemo/Skomsvold Eivind Hofstad Evjemo
Kjersti Annesdatter Skomsvold
Vekk meg hvis jeg sovner
Jo fortere jeg går, jo mindre er jeg[6]
2008 Sveen Lars Petter Sveen Køyre frå Fræna[7]
2007 Smith Nils Henrik Smith Manhattan Skyline
2006 Blatt Thomas Marco Blatt Slik vil jeg måle opp verden
2005 Karlsvik Mette Karlsvik Vindauga i matsalen vender mot fjorden
2004 Ness Ole Asbjørn Ness Det er natt
2003 Løvåsen Sigmund Løvåsen Nyryddinga
2002 Kriznik Heidi Marie Kriznik Applaus
2001 Tiller Carl Frode Tiller Skråninga
2000 Kristensen Mirjam Kristensen Dagene er gjennomsiktige
1999 Wærness Gunnar Wærness Kongesplint
1998 Marstein Trude Marstein Sterk sult, plutselig kvalme
1997 Ramslie Lars Ramslie Biopsi
1996 Opstad Steinar Opstad Tavler og bud
1995 Eeg Harald Rosenløw Eeg Glasskår
1995 Renberg Tore Renberg Sovende floke
1994 Grøndahl Cathrine Grøndahl Riv ruskende rytmer
1993 Besigye Bertrand Besigye Og du dør så langsomt at du tror du lever
1992 Lund Thure Erik Lund Tanger
1991 Vatle Sylvelin Vatle Alle kjenner vel presten?
1990 Versto Stein Versto Ho blei borte i trappene
1989 Hollup Anne Grete Hollup Maria og knivmakeren
1988 Lian Torun Lian Tre skuespill
1987 Vinterbo-Hohr Aagot Vinterbo-Hohr Palimpsest
1986 Lie Sissel Lie Tigersmil
1985 Olsen Morten Harry Olsen For alt vi er verdt
1984 Bøe Anne Bøe Silkestein
1983 Gjerseth Kjell Gjerseth Chakoo
1982 Jacobsen Roy Jacobsen Fangeliv
1981 Jenssen Frank A. Jenssen Saltbingen
1980 Eggen Jo Eggen Ting og tings skygger
1979 Herbjørnsrud Hans Herbjørnsrud Vitner
1978 Bjugn Sissel Solbjørg Bjugn Den første avisa på Lofotveggen
1977 Rønning Bjarne Rønning Bjarne Huldasons sjøreise
1976 Christensen Lars Saabye Christensen Historien om Gly
1975 Moe Ingvar Moe Løktastolpefrø
1974 Mathisen Karin Mathisen (Karin Fossum) Kanskje i morgen
1973 Lem Steinar Lem Signaler
1972 Pedersen Erling Pedersen Rottenes konge
1971 Reinertsen Eivind Reinertsen Lukk opp dørene, krigen er over
1970 Aremk Joachim Aremk (Karl Halvor Teigen) Tapetdører
1969 Sande Hans Sande Strime
1968 Sagen Rolf Sagen Dørklinker
1967 Grøgaard Johan Fredrik Grøgaard Dyvekes grav
1966 Obrestad Tor Obrestad Kollisjon (poem), Vind (novellas)
1965 Vold Jan Erik Vold Mellom speil og speil
1964 Jakobsen Sigmund Jakobsen Gjennom brend by

References

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  1. ^ Anne Oterholm, "Tarjei Vesaas Debutantpris 2009!", Den norske Forfatterforening 2 March 2010 (in Norwegian)
  2. ^ Halldis Moren Vesaas wrote of the establishment of the prize in her memoir, Båten om dagen (1976):
    Så snart Tarjei fekk visst at han skulle få denne prisen, hadde han sagt at han ville gje bort dei pengane. Dei skulle settast av til eit stipendfond, det som seinare fekk namnet Tarjei Vesaas' debutantlegat. Det skulle delast ut kvart år til ein talentfull og ung – helst ikkje over 30 år – debutant. Dette at dei som fekk legatet skulle vere unge, grunngav givaren med at han mintest frå si eiga første skrivetid kor mykje ei oppmuntring kunne ha å seie for ein debuterande ung forfattar. Heile ideen viser òg kor positivt innstilt han var til ungdommen og til alt det leitande og eksperimenterande som no tok til å prege den unge diktinga her til lands. (As soon as Tarjei learnt that he was to receive that prize, he had said that he wanted to pay back the money. It was to be put aside for a stipend fund that would later receive the name 'Tarjei Vesaas' debutantlegat' (debut endowment). It was to be paid out annually to a talented and young - at least not over 30 - first-time author. That those who should receive the stipend should be young contributors at the beginning of their careers, since he remembered from his own first time writing how much encouragement could mean to a young author publishing for the first time. The whole idea also shows how positively disposed he was towards youth and towards all the seeking and experimenting which was now beginning to characterise young people's writing here in this country.) Cited from p. 218 in her memoirs, issued together under the title I Midtbøs bakkar (1979 and 1995).
  3. ^ Elise Hellem Ratvik and Jonas Sætre, "Dette er årets forfatterdebutant: Den Norske Forfatterforeningen gir Tarjei Vesaas debutantpris til den nyutdanna psykologen Peter Franziskus Strassegger for boken Stasia", NRK, 3 March 2013 (in Norwegian)
  4. ^ "Tarjei Vesaas Debutantpris til Lina Undrum Mariussen" Archived 2012-03-28 at the Wayback Machine, Den norske Forfatterforening 3 March 2013 (in Norwegian)
  5. ^ "Tarjei Vesaas Debutantpris til Helga Flatland" Archived 2012-02-20 at the Wayback Machine, Den norske Forfatterforening 20 March 2011 (in Norwegian)
  6. ^ Stein Versto, "Delt debutantpris for 2009" (Split debutant prize for 2009), Den norske Forfatterforening 14 March 2010 (in Norwegian)
  7. ^ Bjarte Breiteig, "Tarjei Vesaas Debutantpris til Lars Petter Sveen", Den norske Forfatterforening 21 March 2009 (in Norwegian)