Rakel Helmsdal (born 25 September 1966) is a Faroese author and artist. She writes novels, short stories, plays, poems for all age groups, as well as being a visual artist who illustrates some her books. She is the current chair person for the Association of Writers of the Faroe Islands ().
Many of her books have been translated into other languages, and have won a number of literary awards. She has received multiple grants from the Faroese government through the Mentanargrunnur Landsins, and in 2024 she received a three-year working grant.
Her work includes collaboration with two other authors, Áslaug Jónsdóttir from Iceland and Kalle Güettler from Sweden on a series of 10 "Monsters" books starting with (No! Said Little Monster) in 2004. They are published simultaneously in the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Sweden and have been translated into many other languages.
Biography
Rakel Helmsdal was born in Tårnby near Copenhagen in 1966 by a Faroese mother and a Danish father. Her mother, Guðrið Helmsdal, an author as well, was the first Faroese woman who published a poetry collection in the Faroese language and was also the first Faroese author of either gender who published a modernistic poetry collection. Her parents moved to Leynar in the Faroe Islands in the 1970s, where her father, Ole Jacob Nielsen, has been working as a sculptural woodturner, working with Faroese wood. Helmsdal lived in France in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and during this period she wrote her first novels. Her first novel was "" (The just call me Hugo), and the following year she published her first short story collection titled (Stories from Port Janua). She has published books for people of all ages: children, youth and adults. Some of her books are illustrated by herself, and others by other artists such as the Faroese artist Edward Fuglø, who illustrated her book series and her short story collection with fairy tales about dragons etc. "".
Helmsdal has written a screenplay to a short film, co-writing the screenplay to the short film Brother Troll (), which was directed by her brother Gudmund Helmsdal. The screenplay was written by Gudmund Helmsdal, Rakel Helmsdal and Torfinnur Jákupsson. The film won the Faroese audience film award named Geytin and later it won several awards from various film festivals around the world, such as at the Darbhanga International Film Festival in India, where Brother Troll won a total of five awards, including Best Script.
Bibliography
Novels 1995 – (2nd edition 2011) 1997 – 2003 – 2007 – 2008 – , illustrated by Edward Fuglø 2009 – , illustrated by Edward Fuglø 2014 – bokaklubbin.fo 2020 – ', illustrated by Katrina Skarðsá 2023 – 2023 – 2024 – illustrated by Katrina Skarðsá
Short Stories - Collections 1996 – 1998 – , with illustrations by Edward Fuglø 2018 – , with illustrations by Kathrina Skarðsá
Illustrated Books 2004 – (with Áslaug Jónsdóttir and Kalle Güettler) 2006 – (with Áslaug Jónsdóttir and Kalle Güettler) 2007 – (with Áslaug Jónsdóttir and Kalle Güettler) 2008 – (with Áslaug Jónsdóttir and Kalle Güettler) 2010 – (with Áslaug Jónsdóttir and Kalle Güettler) 2011 – (with Áslaug Jónsdóttir and Kalle Güettler) 2011 – (musical work, book and CD. author: Rakel Helmsdal, composer: Kári Bæk, illustrator: Janus á Húsagarði. Has been performed by the Faroe Islands Symphony Orchestra, the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra)Snar.fo, Veiða vind 2011 – 2013 – (with Áslaug Jónsdóttir and Kalle Güettler) 2014 – (with Áslaug Jónsdóttir and Kalle Güettler) 2017 – (with Áslaug Jónsdóttir and Kalle Güettler) 2019 – , illustrations by Rakel Helmsdal 2021 – , illustrations by Rakel Helmsdal 2022 – (with Áslaug Jónsdóttir and Kalle Güettler)
Translations Several of Rakel Helmsdals books have been translated into other languages. 2022 – , Dziwny Potmysl, Poland 2019 – , Torgard, Denmark 2019 – , Torgard, Denmark 2018 – , Orkana, Norway 2014 – (in Faroese, Icelandic, Swedish, Chinese, Arabic) 2013 – . Translated into Icelandic by Thórarinn Eldjárn (Forlagið) 2012 – (in Faroese, Icelandic, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian (nynorsk), French, Chinese) 2010 – (in Faroese, Icelandic, Swedish, Chinese, Arabic) 2009 – . Translated into Norwegian by Lars Moa (Kapabel) 2009 – (in Faroese, Icelandic, Swedish, Danish, French, Chinese, Arabic) 2008 – (in Faroese, Icelandic, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian (nynorsk), French, Chinese, Arabic) 2007 – (in Faroese, Icelandic, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian (nynorsk), French, Chinese, Arabic) 2006 – (in Faroese, Icelandic, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian (bokmål & nynorsk), French, Chinese, Spanish, Catalan, Galician, Basque, Lithuanian, Arabic, Czech, Latvian, Japanese) 2004 – (in Faroese, Icelandic, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian (bokmål & nynorsk), French, Chinese, Spanish, Catalan, Galician, Basque, Lithuanian, Arabic, Czech)
Recognition
1996 – (Faroese award) for her children's book Tey kalla meg bara Hugo.BBS.fo, Rakel Helmsdal Barnabókaheiðursløn Tórshavnar Býráðs 1996 2004 – Dimmalim (Icelandic award) for Nei! segði lítla skrímsl, which was written together with Áslaug Jónsdóttir and Kalle GüettlerGoodreads.com 2007 – Barnabókaverðlaun Menntaráðs Reykjavíkur (Icelandic award) for , which was written together with Áslaug Jónsdóttir and Kalle GüettlerBorgarbokasafn.is 2008 – Won an award in a short story competition, stories for Faroese youthEik.fo Vinnararnir í stuttsøgukappingini kosnirBFL.fo, Rakel Helmsdal 2009 – Várferðin til Brúnna – nominated for the West Nordic Council's Children and Youth Literature Prize.Vestnordisk.is 2011 – nominated for the Fjörðuverðlaun (Icelandic award).farlit.fo 2013 – Nominated to the ALMA Award 2013 - Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award 2013 – nominated for the Nordic Children's Book Prize (called Nordisk Skolebibliotekarforenings Børnebogspris or Nordisk Børnebogspris in Danish and Norwegian).BFL.fo 2013 – Children's Cultural Prize of Tórshavn City Council (Faroese cultural award for children's literature and other cultural achievements), she won the award for and for the books about the (Monsters) and the plays made of these books 2013 – Nominated by Iceland for the Nordic Council Children and Young People's Literature Prize together with Áslaug Jónsdóttir and Kalle Güettler for the book 2014 - Nominated to the ALMA Award 2014 - Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award 2016 – Nominated for the West Nordic Council's Children and Youth Literature Prize for . 2016 – Received the West Nordic Council's Children and Youth Literature Prize for . 2017 – Nominated for the Nordic Council Children and Young People's Literature Prize for 2018 – Nominated by Iceland for the Nordic Council Children and Young People's Literature Prize together with Áslaug Jónsdóttir and Kalle Güettler for the book 2019 – Nominated to the ALMA Award 2019 - Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award 2019 – Nominated for the Nordic Council Children and Young People's Literature Prize for 2020 – Nominated to the ALMA Award 2020 - Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award 2020 – Children's Cultural Prize of Tórshavn City Council for 2020 – Nominated for the Nordic Council Children and Young People's Literature Prize for 2020 – Nominated for the West Nordic Council's Children and Youth Literature Prize for 2024 – Nominated for the Nordic Council Children and Young People's Literature Prize for
References
External links
Bókadeild Føroya Lærarafelags - publisher Sprotin - publisher Farlit - Literature from the Faroe Islands - agent for Faroese literature