Monika Kristina Fagerholm (born 26 February 1961 in

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

) is a Swedish-speaking Finnish

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

living in Ekenäs,

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. She is the daughter of professor Nils-Erik Fagerholm and library amanuensis Kristina Herrgård. Fagerholm has studied

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

and

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

at the

University of Helsinki The University of Helsinki (, ; UH) is a public university in Helsinki, Finland. The university was founded in Turku in 1640 as the Royal Academy of Åbo under the Swedish Empire, and moved to Helsinki in 1828 under the sponsorship of Alexander ...

. In 1987, she received her

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in psychology and literature. Fagerholm made her debut in 1987 with ''Sham'' but her real breakthrough in the literary scene was in 1994 with ''Underbara kvinnor vid vatten''. (Wonderful women by the water). The novel is set in early 60's, and details the couple Isabella and Kajus, who together with their son Thomas, rent a house by the sea. Suddenly, the arrival of new neighbors changes Isabella's life. The Ängel family has lived in the States, and together with wife Rosa Ängel, Isabella turns into something like Jackie Kennedy. The novel has been called a generational novel for anyone growing up in the 60's. The book was nominated for the

Finlandia Prize The Finlandia Prize (; ) is a set of Finnish literary prizes awarded by the Finnish Book Foundation to "celebrate reading and highlight new Finnish first-rate literature." Considered the most prestigious in the nation, they are awarded annually in ...

, which is the biggest literary prize in Finland. It was also nominated for the

August Prize The August Prize () is an annual Swedish literary prize awarded each year since 1989 by the Swedish Publishers' Association. The prize is awarded to the best Swedish book of the year, in three categories. The Swedish Publishers' Association also ...

in 1995, in Sweden and also the

International Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award (), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. It promotes excellence in world literature and is solely ...

in 1998. In 1994, she received the Runeberg Award in Finland. The movie adaptation of the novel by Claes Olsson premiered in 1998. Fagerholm received the August prize in 2005 for ''

Den amerikanska flickan ''The American Girl'' () is a 2005 novel by author Monika Fagerholm. It won the August Prize The August Prize () is an annual Swedish literary prize awarded each year since 1989 by the Swedish Publishers' Association. The prize is awarded to ...

'' (''The American Girl'').

Bibliography

*''Sham'' (short stories) 1987 *''Patricia'' (short stories) 1990 *''Underbara kvinnor vid vatten'' 1994 *''Diva'' 1998 *''

'' 2005 *''Glitterscenen'' 2009 * ''Lola uppochner'' 2012 * ''Vem dödade bambi?'' 2019 * ''Döda trakten/kvinnor i revolt'' 2025

Prizes and awards

* Runeberg Award (1995), in Finland for ''Underbara kvinnor vid vatten'' *

Thanks for the Book Award The Thanks for the Book Award, (''Kiitos kirjasta -mitali'' in Finnish and ''Tack för boken-medaljen'' in Swedish), is a Finnish literary prize that has been presented since 1966 by the Organization of the Booksellers’ Association of Finland (Kir ...

(''Tack för boken-medaljen'') (1995) for ''Underbara kvinnor vid vatten'' *

(2005) for ''Den amerikanska flickan'' * Aniara prize (2005) * Göteborgs-Postens literary award (2005) * The Swedish Literature Society Award (2005) *

Swedish Academy Nordic Prize The Nordic Prize (''Swedish'': nordiska pris) is a literary award presented annually by the Swedish Academy. The recipient is someone from the Nordic countries who has done significant work in any of the Academy's areas of operations or interests. ...

(2016) In addition, ''Den amerikanska flickan'' was shortlisted for the

Nordic Council Literature Prize The Nordic Council Literature Prize is awarded for a work of literature written in one of the languages of the Nordic countries, that meets "high literary and artistic standards". Established in 1962, the prize is awarded every year, and is worth ...

2004 and the Runeberg Award 2004.

References

External links

Monika FagerholmThe Salomonsson Agency
1961 births Living people Writers from Helsinki Finnish writers in Swedish August Prize winners University of Helsinki alumni Swedish-speaking Finns {{Finland-writer-stub