Tarjei Vesaas' debutantpris

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

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

^ Anne Oterholm, "Tarjei Vesaas Debutantpris 2009!", Den norske Forfatterforening 2 March 2010 (in Norwegian)
^ 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).
^ 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)
^ "Tarjei Vesaas Debutantpris til Lina Undrum Mariussen" Archived 2012-03-28 at the Wayback Machine, Den norske Forfatterforening 3 March 2013 (in Norwegian)
^ "Tarjei Vesaas Debutantpris til Helga Flatland" Archived 2012-02-20 at the Wayback Machine, Den norske Forfatterforening 20 March 2011 (in Norwegian)
^ Stein Versto, "Delt debutantpris for 2009" (Split debutant prize for 2009), Den norske Forfatterforening 14 March 2010 (in Norwegian)
^ Bjarte Breiteig, "Tarjei Vesaas Debutantpris til Lars Petter Sveen", Den norske Forfatterforening 21 March 2009 (in Norwegian)

[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)

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