Katarina Kieri
About
Born: 1965 i Luleå
Currently lives in: Uppsala
Jury member since: 2014
Katarina Kieri is a novelist, poet and short story author who writes for children, young adults and adults alike. She received the August Prize for the young adult novel Dansar Elias? Nej! (Does Elias Dance? No!) and is a recipient of VI Magazine’s Literature Prize and the Astrid Lindgren Prize. She has written for newspapers and for the radio. In 2015 she received an honorary doctorate from the Luleå University of Technology.
What’s the most fun thing about being on the jury?
"At the risk of sounding sanctimonious, it actually is the opportunity to learn more about children’s and young people’s literature from all over the world. That’s a gift. And of course, it’s quite lovely to get to know the other jury members and to work together with them."
And what’s the hardest thing?
"Honestly – the feeling that I should always be reading more. And more. And more."
How does it feel each year as the award announcement approaches?
"I look forward to it with anticipation. It feels a bit like we’ve run a long race, and now we’re at the finish line. The difference is that it isn’t us getting the medal, but the laureate. When it’s time to make the call to the laureate and break the news, we all sit there, palms sweating, hearts pounding, worrying that no one will pick up the phone – which, miraculously enough, they always do. Then when Boel says why we’re calling, I always cry."
You wrote your first poem at age six. Did you know even as a child that you wanted to become a writer?
"No. It seemed outside the realm of possibility. For an alarmingly long time, I believed a person – especially me – couldn’t just choose to become a writer. I was twenty-five with two children before it struck me that actually, I could."
