Ursula Andkjær Olsen receives the Prince Henrik Prize 2024
Ursula Andkjær Olsen has received the Prince Henrik Prize of DKK 300,000 and a statuette of Prince Henrik's sculpture “Fabeldyr” (mythical creature). The award was presented by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II and sponsored by AVK Holding. 12-06-2024
Ursula Andkjær Olsen is awarded the Prince Henrik Prize 2024 for her original, boundary-breaking writing, which has contributed decisively to the expansion of the expression of poetry in Denmark.
The prize is awarded as an unsolicited honorary award to a contemporary and well-established Danish poet who, through his/her work, has made a significant contribution to Danish poetry.
Since her debut in 2000, Ursula Andkjær Olsen has distinguished herself as a prominent voice on the Danish poetry scene. The jury behind the Prince Henrik Prize highlights the following qualities of Olsen's writing:
"In close interaction with other art forms and in an often-polyphonic style, Ursula Andkjær Olsen's poetry open up for dialogue and critical reflection on human and its relationship with the world. Her works open new spaces of consciousness and shed light on complex internal and external economies."
The jury's nomination
Ursula Andkjær Olsen has been selected as the winner by an independent jury appointed by Danske Skønlitterære Forfattere (Danish Fiction Writers) and Dansk Forfatterforening (Danish Writers' Association). The jury consists of Associate Professor Louise Mønster and the two poets Marianne Larsen and Martin Glaz Serup.
In their nomination speech the jury states:
"Ursula Andkjær Olsen's poetry is universalistic not on the terms of Romanticism, but on the terms of the modern world. It does not hold back, but throws itself into, absorbs, contemplates and dwells on the chaotic and complex reality."
The award was presented by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II at the University Library in Copenhagen on 11 June 2024. The award is a cooperation between the Danske Skønlitterære Forfattere (Danish Fiction Writers) and Dansk Forfatterforening (Danish Writers' Association).
