Monika Ulrika Ann-Helén Laestadius (born 1971) is a Swedish

Sámi Acronyms * SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft * Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company * South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise ...

journalist and bestselling writer. In 2016, her

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

''Tio över ett'' (Ten Past One) won the Swedish

August Prize The August Prize () is an annual Swedish literary prize awarded each year since 1989 by the Swedish Publishers' Association. The prize is awarded to the best Swedish book of the year, in three categories. The Swedish Publishers' Association also ...

as the best submission in the children and young adult category. She wrote her first adult novel in 2021 titled ''Stolen'', translated to English in 2023 by Rachel Willson-Broyles and became a number 1 paperback bestseller.

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

released a film adaptation, ''

Stolen Stolen may refer to: Films * ''Stolen'' (2009 Australian film), a 2009 Australian film * ''Stolen'' (2009 American film), a 2009 American film * ''Stolen: The Baby Kahu Story'' (2010 film), a film based on the real life kidnapping of baby Kahu ...

'', in 2024.

Biography

Born on 3 December 1971 in

Jukkasjärvi Jukkasjärvi (; Sami: ''Čohkkiras'') is a locality situated in Kiruna Municipality, Norrbotten County, Sweden with 548 inhabitants in 2010. It is situated at 321 meters elevation. The name is of Northern Sami origin, where ''Čohkkirasjávri'' ...

in the far north of Sweden, Monika Ulrika Ann-Helén Laestadius is the daughter of the municipal employee Ivar Jan-Erik Laestadius (born 1951) and his wife Ellen Sara Kristina née Marainen (born 1948), a shop assistant. Now living in

Solna Solna ( or , ), also known as Solna Municipality, is a municipality in central Stockholm County, Sweden, located just north of Stockholm City Centre. Its seat is located in the town of Solna, which is a part of the Stockholm urban area. Solna i ...

near

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, she has worked as a journalist since 1990. The About the Author section of her novel ''Stolen'' says "she is an author and journalist from Kiruna, Sweden. She is

and of

Tornedalian Tornedalians (; ; ) are an ethnic minority native to the Torne Valley (Meänmaa) region in northern Sweden and Finland. Tornedalians were officially recognized as a national minority in Sweden in 2000. Tornedalians divide themselves into three di ...

descent, two of Sweden's national minorities." In 2007, she published her first children's novel, ''Sms från Soppero'' (Sms from Soppero). It was followed by five others. Her ''Tio över ett'' (Ten Past One) won the August Prize for Swedish children's literature in 2016. The jury commented: “It is about the collective grief of a changing community, about civil society and local politics, and about love and friendship. In energetic prose, Laestadius intertwines place, politics and psychology.” She was also awarded the Norrland Literature Prize (''Norrlands litteraturpris'') for the same work in 2017.

References

External links

English

* * * *

Swedish

Ann-Helén's page at Författarcentrum
in Swedish '
Ebook: Atlantbib.org
'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Laestadius, Ann-Helen 1971 births Living people Swedish journalists Swedish women journalists Swedish children's writers Swedish women children's writers Swedish Sámi people Ann-Helen Swedish novelists Sámi women writers Swedish-language writers Sámi writers in Swedish People from Jukkasjärvi Writers from Norrbotten County