Swedish author Mikael Yvesand has been nominated for the prestigious August Prize for his novel “Våran pojke,” a work loosely inspired by the unsolved 2004 double murder in Linköping. Yvesand, who debuted in 2022 with “Häng city,” admits surprise at the nomination given the book’s unconventional subject matter and his own self-doubt. The author’s unique creative process, fueled by a fascination with police investigation reports and the music of slipknot, offers a glimpse into the mind behind this critically acclaimed and darkly humorous portrayal of societal alienation.
Mikael Yvesand, uppvuxen i Luleå, trivs i Stureby där han bor med sin tjej och hunden Max. “Jag blir varm i hjärtat när jag går till tunnelbanan och ser gymnasister sitta på något elskåp eller bara gå omkring och ha tråkigt. Det är lite småstadskänsla över det”.
Mikael Andersson
Author Mikael Yvesand, Inspired by Slipknot and Police Reports, Nominated for Prestigious August Prize
“There was absolutely no way I expected to be nominated. Not just because I don’t have a lot of faith in myself, but also because the book is… pretty strange. I would have thought my first one had a better shot,” says Mikael Yvesand, a resident of Stureby and the author nominated for the August Prize for his latest novel, “Våran pojke.” He previously debuted in 2022 with the critically acclaimed “Häng city,” which earned him Borås Tidning’s debutant prize.
The nomination is a significant recognition for Yvesand, whose work is gaining attention within the Swedish literary scene.
“Of course, it’s incredibly fun and an honor to be nominated. But I’m terrified of starting to care about that sort of thing – of being disappointed if I don’t win a prize or get a good review,” Yvesand admits.
Surprisingly, the author confesses he rarely reads books himself.
“It’s not a statement – it’s more depressing. Reading is fantastic, but I spend my limited free time on quicker forms of entertainment.”
“Våran pojke” is loosely based on the 2004 double murder in Linköping, which wasn’t solved for 16 years. Mikael Yvesand has read the police investigation report numerous times.
Mikael Andersson
What he *does* enjoy reading, cover to cover, are police investigation reports. He revisits certain cases repeatedly, like the 2013 Boden murder, watching them “over and over again, like rewatching the same film.”
“But I’m not wallowing in evil. It’s primarily the locations and descriptions that interest me – the clinical and detailed accounts. There’s no ambition to write something nostalgic,” Yvesand explains, adding that he’s attempted to mimic the language used in the reports.
“I’m not particularly interested in describing plots or how people reason; I want readers to create those images themselves. Sometimes it surprises me when someone says they identify with something I’ve written.”
“Terrible Music”
The August Prize jury notes that “Våran pojke” “is a disturbingly accurate and sharply humorous portrayal of a societal outcast.”
The book is very loosely based on the 2004 double murder in Linköping.
“I didn’t think, ‘now I’m going to write about this event.’ But I was obsessed with the murders in Linköping. So I think I wrote about the event in the same way you might accidentally write about yourself a lot.”
While writing “Våran pojke,” Yvesand listened extensively to Slipknot and Limp Bizkit.
“Pretty terrible music. I often mishear lyrics and steal my own ‘mishearings.’ But I also write based on the feelings I get when I hear music,” he says.
He continues:
“At the same time, I can’t assume the reader is hearing the same song. It’s a little disheartening. Almost to the point where I’d like to write something that resembles those bird books where you can listen to the birds’ songs while you read about them.”
Taking Time Off
Yvesand is currently taking a two-week leave of absence from his full-time job at Stim to focus on writing.
“Otherwise, I write on Friday nights after work, in some bar with AirPods in my ears. It can be difficult to find time to write, but it’s still nice to have a steady income. To feel that what I write doesn’t have to be commercially viable.”
He also enjoys having two parallel worlds, two identities.
“If I’m sitting in a boring meeting at Stim, I can think ‘I don’t care about this, I’m a writer.’ If I get tired of something in the writing world, I can instead think ‘I’m actually just a regular worker.’”
August Prize Nomination
“Våran pojke” is nominated in the category of Swedish Fiction Book of the Year. Other nominees in the same category include “En inre angelägenhet” by Kristian Fredén, “Tomhet och ömhet” by Isabella Nilsson, “Artens överlevnad” by Lydia Sandgren, “Ett år av apokalyptiskt tänkande” by Linda Spåman, and “Liken vi begravde” by Lina Wolff.
The jury’s reasoning: In Våran pojke, a young man’s alienation leads to a sudden and senseless act of violence. With a unique and insightful language, Mikael Yvesand secures the story where fantasy and reality merge. It is a disturbingly accurate and sharply humorous portrayal of a societal outcast.
The prize will be awarded on November 24 by the Swedish Publishers Association.
Source: Augustpriset
