Carl Jóhan Jensen

Carl Jóhan Jensen

Carl Jóhan Jensen (2 December 1957 in Tórshavn) is a Faroese writer, poet and literary critic. His books have four times been nominated for the Nordic Council's Literature Prize in 1991, 1998, 2007 and 2008.^[1] Two times he has received the Faroese Literature Prize, in 1989 and 2006.^[2]

Biography

He grew up in Tórshavn and moved to Denmark in 1973 to attend a Danish gymnasium (a preparatory high school), he graduated from there three years later and moved back to the Faroe Islands in 1976, where he worked various jobs, i.e. as a journalist. From 1979 to 1981 he studied the Faroese language at the Faroese University in Tórshavn. From 1981 to 1987 he studied Icelandic language in Reykjavík. In 1990 he graduated cand.phil. in Faroese. Since then he has been living in Tórshavn together with his Australian wife, Kate Sanderson and their two sons. She worked for the Faroese government as a special advisor for several years, and in 2012 she was employed as the Faroese embassador in the EU, based in Brussels. Carl Jóhans Jensen moved with her, her employment as the Faroese embassador will last for three years.^[3]

Bibliography

He published his first poems in 1977. He has published poems, novels and essays. He has also translated various texts into Faroese, i.e. Strindberg, Ayckbourn, Dario Fo og Einar Kárason. His work has appeared in literary journals and anthologies in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany and the US.

In October 2011 he was one of ten Faroese writers, who were invited to participate at the Frankfurt Book Fair, it was the first time the Faroe Islands participated at this book fair, they were invited to participate together with Iceland, which was the guest of honour in 2011. Carl Jóhan Jensen's novel Ó – Søgur um djevulsskap was one of the ten chosen books.^[4]

In 2013 one of his poems represents the Faroe Islands in the EU event Transpoesie 2013,^[5] the poem is called Tú in Faroese (it means You), it will be shown in French and Dutch translations too.^[6]

He was president of the Association of Writers of the Faroe Islands (Rithøvundafelag Føroya) 1991–92 and 2004–2006.^[7]

Novels

• 1979 – Seinnapartur (Afternoon)
• 1995 – Rúm (Room)
• 2005 – Ó – Søgur um djevulskap, (no official title in English, working title: Un-, Tales of Devilry), Sprotin, 786 pp., ISBN 978-99918-44-82-4
  • 2010 – U-, historier om djevelskap. Det Norske Samlaget. Translated into Norwegian by Lars Moa.^[8]

Poetry

• 1977 – Yrkingar
• 1982 – Skríggj, Mentunargrunnur studentafelagsins.
• 1984 – Messa á kvøldi og fram undir morgun, Mentunargrunnur studentafelagsins.
• 1990 – Hvørkiskyn, Mentunargrunnar Studentafelagsins
• 1997 – Tímar og rek, Mentunargrunnur studentafelagsins.
• 2006 – September í bjørkum sum kanska eru bláar (audiobook)

Essays

• 2000 – Mentir og mentaskapur

Awards, nominations etc.

• 1989 – Received the Faroese Literature Prize
• 1991 – Nominated for the Nordic Council's Literature Prize^[9]
• 1998 – Nominated for the Nordic Council's Literature Prize
• 2006 – Received the Faroese Literature Prize
• 2007 – Nominated for the Nordic Council's Literature Prize for his novel Ó – Søgur um djevulsskap^[10]
• 2008 – Nominated for the Nordic Council's Literature Prize for September í bjørkum sum kanska eru bláar
• 2011 – 1-years grant from the Mentanargrunnur Landsins (Faroese Cultural Fund)^[11]

References