KIRSTINE REFFSTRUP WINS THE STIG SÆTERBAKKEN MEMORIAL PRIZE 2023

23.08.2023
Congratulations to Kirstine Reffstrup, who has been awarded this year’s Stig Sæterbakken Memorial Prize. The prize is given by the publishing house Cappelen Damm to a writer with impressive literary qualities, originality, and courage to create their own projects, and who has published 2-4 literary works.
An excerpt from the jury statement:
“… this is not realistic literature. Nonetheless, it is entirely possible to discern contemporary trends that make the book strikingly relevant … But, as with all good literature, Reffstrup’s books transcend the current moment; the novels develop their own logic and their autonomous language to express what they need to say. The descriptions encompass the entire spectrum of sensory impressions, and above all, Kirstine Reffstrup shows a particular sensitivity to the power of bodily sensations, and manages to convey both pleasure and repulsion. Because this is also an author who does not shy away from the horrifying, the repulsive, and the incomprehensible. The beautiful mingles with the grotesque in alloys that challenge the reader but also shine with a unique radiance.
The courage to stand for one’s own projects and challenge the reader’s endurance, both in form and content, was a virtue in Stig Sæterbakken’s body of work. It is also one of the key criteria for awarding the prize bearing his name. Therefore, we can congratulate a very deserving winner as Kirstine Reffstrup receives the Stig Sæterbakken Memorial Award 2023!”
– Ingrid Svennevig Hagen (Norwegian Library Association), Thomas Lundbo (The Literary Council, Elise Winterthun (The Critics’ Association)
Author’s photo: Sofie Amalie Klougart