Mikael Yvesand has been awarded the Swedish Radio Novel Prize for 2026 for his novel 'Våran pojke', receiving a prize sum of 30,000 Swedish kronor. The prize is decided by a listener jury, which described the book as a story about a boy 'stuck in life's hollow hour', portrayed with a unique language of humor, empathy, and depth. Last year's prize went to Karolina Ramqvist for 'Den första boken'.
Yvesand, who has a conflicted relationship with praise and attention, expressed mixed feelings about the award, noting that while it is fun, it also feels almost shameful. He added that he tries not to care about others' opinions but finds it hard not to feel honored, and he questioned whether he should receive the prize.
Damn fun. But you almost feel ashamed in a way.
Among the nominees for this year's prize were Alex Schulman for the novel '17 juni' and Monika Fagerholm for 'Döda trakten/Kvinnor i revolt'. Yvesand's debut 'Häng city' won the Borås Tidning debutant prize, and his follow-up 'Våran pojke', inspired by the double murder in Linköping in 2004, has been nominated for several awards including the August Prize.
Yvesand works full-time at the copyright organization Stim and writes in the evenings, on weekends, and during vacations. He described his dual identity, noting that in a boring meeting he might think of himself as a writer and important person, but in literary contexts where he feels out of place, he sees himself as just a regular working person. His third book, the concluding part of a trilogy, will be published in autumn 2026. Yvesand noted that writing is not his livelihood, so he does not need to consider what readers might like. He expressed fear of trying to replicate what was good, calling it cheap and pathetic. He also joked that he knows no one will like his future work.
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 really give this prize to me.
Lightweights.
If I'm sitting in a boring meeting I can think, this is crap, 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 consider 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 that no one will like it. I've said it before, but now I know for sure.