Birgitta Lillpers

Acclaimed poet and master of language, celebrated for a unique and beautiful voice that has earned her numerous prizes and distinctions.

Birgitta Lillpers made her debut as a poet with the poetry collection Stämnoja in 1982. She was soon recognised for her spellbinding language, which characterises her 13 poetry collections as well as her six novels. She has also written a local history book about workhorse keeping in Orsa from earliest times up to 1950.

Her writing has brought her many prizes and honours, including Aftonbladet’s Literature Prize, Swedish Radio’s Poetry Prize, De Nio’s Grand Prize, the Ferlin Prize and the Ekelöf Prize, to name just a few.

A sign of her integrity is that she has also declined an award she was offered. In 2018, she was awarded the Gerhard Bonnier Prize (presented by the Swedish Academy), but chose to decline it, citing the turbulence within the organisation.