Gospodinov and translator Sandborgh share Stockholm literary prize
Georgi Gospodinov and Hanna Sandborgh have received Kulturhuset Stadsteatern’s international literary prize for Trädgårdsmästaren och döden and its Swedish translation. The award divides 200,000 Swedish kronor equally between author and translator. The novel follows the loss of Gospodinov’s father, and the recipients are scheduled to discuss the book in Stockholm on 19 January 2027.
Arts··Evening
Author and translator receive the award together
Georgi Gospodinov and translator Hanna Sandborgh won the international literary prize of Kulturhuset Stadsteatern, Stockholm’s cultural and theatre institution.[1], [2]
The Bulgarian author was recognised for Trädgårdsmästaren och döden and Sandborgh for its Swedish translation, published by Ersatz. Announced on 3 November, the annual award recognises a literary work in a distinguished Swedish translation. The recipients will divide 200,000 Swedish kronor equally.[1]
The novel follows a father’s death
The jury described the book as following the time before, during and after the death of Gospodinov’s father. It praised the combination of stories from his father’s life, cancer pain and garden imagery, together with the tone of Sandborgh’s translation. Gospodinov called it his most personal book, saying his father belonged to a generation that never travelled but that his story had now reached Stockholm.[1]
Sandborgh translates from three languages
Sandborgh translates from Russian, Bulgarian and Georgian into Swedish. She studied literary translation at Valand in Gothenburg and spent seven years in Moscow, completing a master’s degree in Russian linguistics at the Pushkin Institute. She has translated three Gospodinov novels. The author and translator are scheduled to discuss the winning book and its translation at the institution’s Internationell författarscen literary programme on 19 January 2027.[1]
