Mikael Yvesand has won Sveriges Radios romanpris for 2026, according to multiple reports. His novel 'Våran pojke' was selected by a listener jury, and the prize sum is 30,000 SEK. Last year's award went to Karolina Ramqvist for 'Den första boken'.
The other nominees for the prize were Alex Schulman for '17 juni', Frans Wachtmeister for 'Förlorad mark', and Monika Fagerholm for 'Döda trakten/Kvinnor i revolt', according to major media. The novel 'Våran pojke' is inspired by the double murder in Linköping in 2004, major media reports. Yvesand, born in 1986 in Luleå, made his debut with 'Häng city', which won Borås Tidnings debutantpris.
Freaking cool. But I almost feel ashamed, in a way.
According to SVT Kultur, Yvesand described winning the prize as 'freaking cool' but also expressed a sense of shame, saying he almost felt the prize should not be given to him. He also joked about feeling like a 'lightweight' in literary circles, but noted that his day job at the copyright organization Stim allows him to write without commercial pressure. 'Writing is not my livelihood, so I don't need to take into account what I think people will like,' he told SVT Kultur, adding that he is terrified of replicating past success.
Yvesand works full-time at the copyright organization Stim, according to major media. The third book in his trilogy is set to be published in autumn 2026, though the exact title and publication date have not been announced. The prize ceremony date has also not been confirmed, and it is unclear what other awards 'Våran pojke' has been nominated for.
I usually try to think that you shouldn't care at all about what people think, but it's hard not to feel very honored. At the same time, I think, you shouldn't give this prize to me.
Lightweights.
If I'm sitting in a boring meeting, I can think, this is crap anyway, I'm a writer, a big and important person. In a literary context where I don't feel at home, I think this is silly, I'm just a regular working stiff.
Writing is not my livelihood, so I don't need to take into account what I think people will like. I'm terrified of feeling that I've tried to replicate what was good. It just feels cheap, embarrassing, and pathetic.
I know no one will like it. I've said it before, but now I know for sure.