Lenin Award (Sweden)

The Lenin Award is a Swedish cultural award that is given out annually by Lasse Diding to a writer or artist in Sweden who operates with social criticism and in a rebellious leftist tradition.[1] 2009–2015, the Lenin Award was called "Jan Myrdal's great prize – the Lenin Award". In 2016, the award was called “the Jan Myrdal Library’s big prize – the Lenin Award”.[2]

For the prize awarded in the Soviet Union, see Lenin Prize.
Lenin Award
LocationVarberg
CountrySweden
Presented byLasse Diding
Reward(s)100,000 SEK
First awarded2009
Websiteleninpriset.se

Background

With its 100,000 SEK, the award is one of Sweden's largest literary awards.[3] The award winner, who can be nominated by anyone and until 2017 was chosen by the board of the Jan Myrdal Society, should, when the Jan Myrdal Society gave out the award, be a Swedish "writer or artist working in Jan Myrdal's critical and rebellious tradition". This tradition was called "refractory" by the Jan Myrdal Society.

The award was instituted in connection with the founding of the Jan Myrdal Society in 2008, on the initiative of, among others, the entrepreneur Lasse Diding before Jan Myrdal's and Andrea Gaytan Vegas's wedding. The original name of the award was "Jan Myrdal's big prize - the Lenin Award".

During the period 2016–2018, the Jan Myrdal Society carried out a change of its statutes with the aim of separating the award from the person of Jan Myrdal and from the Jan Myrdal Society. As a first step, the award was referred to as "the Jan Myrdal Library's big prize – the Lenin Award" in 2016 at Jan Myrdal's request. In 2017, the award was referred to solely as “the Lenin Award". This change took several years to finish, as two AGM resolutions are required to amend the statutes of the Jan Myrdal Society.[4]

The choice to name the award after Vladimir Lenin has been controversial; among others, Peter Englund has criticized the choice of name on his blog.[5] In 2013, author Susanna Alakoski declined the award because she did not want to be associated with "totalitarian ideologies or regimes".[6] In the same year, the award and the 2013 laureate Maj Sjöwall were criticized by Carl Bildt.[7]

Laureates

2009–2015: Jan Myrdal's great prize – the Lenin Award

2016: the Jan Myrdal Library’s big prize – the Lenin Award
  • 2016 – Mikael Nyberg, author and editor

From 2017: The Lenin Award

See also

References
  1. "The Lenin Award". Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  2. "Festligt som vanligt i Varberg vid prisutdelning och stämma". Jan Myrdalsällskapet. 19 April 2016. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  3. Svanell, Adam (3 April 2009). "Kulturelitens kärlek till Lenin". Fokus. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  4. "Sällskapets stadgar". Jan Myrdalsällskapet. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  5. "Gardell får Pol Pot-priset!". 6 April 2009. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  6. Gustavsson, Matilda (24 January 2014). "Alakoski tackade nej till Leninpris". Dagens Nyheter. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  7. Elfström, Josefine (14 February 2013). "Bildts hårda kritik mot Maj Sjöwall på Twitter". Expressen. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
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