In connection with Runeberg Day last Saturday, the jury announced Quynh Tran’s Shade and Breeze as the winner of the prestigious Runeberg Prize, in honour of the Finnish national poet. The jury described the book as polyphonic and linguistically elegant, as well as a subtle and poetically charged unity. The award has been given annually since 1986 and previous winners include internationally renowned writers such as Monika Fagerholm, Sofi Oksanen and Katja Kettu.
Tran’s debut novel has previously been awarded Svenska Yle’s Literature Prize and is currently shortlisted for both the Katapult Prize and Borås Tidning’s Debutant Prize.