Lydia Sandgren

“I see the novel as the perfect vessel for all that is ambiguous and multifaceted, nuanced and complex.”

To say that author and psychologist Lydia Sandgren made a major breakthrough with her debut novel Samlade verk would almost be an understatement. The nearly 700-page novel, partly set in 1980s Gothenburg, quickly found a wide readership and was awarded the August Prize in 2020. Her second novel, the equally substantial Artens överlevnad, was published in 2025. Once again, Gothenburg provides a setting, primarily in the 1970s, while the narrative moves back and forth in time and place, interweaving the city with contemporary Rome.

Motivation

Author and psychologist Lydia Sandgren made her literary debut in 2020 with the novel Samlade verk, which was awarded the August Prize that same year. Her second book, Artens överlevnad, was published in 2025 and is a novel about the conditions of artistic creation, music, love and literature. It too was nominated for the August Prize.

Through richly detailed portrayals of Gothenburg across several decades, we follow her characters from the political movements of the 1970s to the present day, against the backdrop of a city in constant transformation. Through fiction, Lydia Sandgren returns again and again to Gothenburg, with such skill that the city itself becomes a protagonist.

For her rich and compelling storytelling, the musicality of her language and her ability to portray people’s lives and dreams, Lydia Sandgren is awarded a 2026 scholarship from the Sten A Olsson Foundation for Research and Culture.