Anneli Jordahl

Anneli Jordahl (born 28 June 1960) is a Swedish writer. She has won a variety of accolades, including the Moa Award, ABF Literature Prize, and the Ivar Lo Award.

She began her career as a cultural journalist and literary critic, working for publications such as Dagens Nyheter, Sveriges Radio P1, and Aftonbladet. She published her first book in 1999, a travel guidebook about Helsinki. Jordahl came to increased prominence in 2003 after publishing Klass – är du fin nog?, an essay focusing on social class. She made her debut as a novelist in 2009, with Jag skulle vara din hund (om jag bara finge vara i din närhet). Her 2022 novel Björnjägarens döttrar was nominated for the August Prize and the Sveriges Radio Novel Prize.

She was born on 28 June 1960 in Östersund.^[1] Her father was an electrician and her mother was a cook who later trained as a nurse. Jordahl lived in Alstad from the age of ten until she graduated from upper secondary school.^[2] She attended Söderslätt Gymnasium in Trelleborg.^[3]

She worked as a cultural journalist for Dagens Nyheter, Expressen, Sveriges Radio P1, and SVT.^[4] She also worked as a literary critic for Aftonbladet and Sydsvenskan.^[5] Her first book, a travel guidebook titled Helsingfors: från Kalevala till Snowcrash, was published in 1999.^[6]

She came to increased prominence in 2003 after publishing the non-fiction essay Klass – är du fin nog?^[7] In 2004, she was awarded the Ludvig Nordström Prize, in recognition of her contributions to cultural journalism.^[8] In 2006, she published two books: Var kommer du ifrån?, an essay collection, and Att besegra fru J, a biography about Elsie Johansson.^[9]

Her debut novel, Jag skulle vara din hund (om jag bara finge vara i din närhet), was published in 2009.^[10] She won the Moa Award in 2010.^[11] In 2011, she published Augustenbad, en sommar.^[12] Her 2014 novel Låt inte den här stan plåga livet ur dig, Mona told the story of a Swedish maid in the 1960s.^[13]

In 2016, she published Som hundarna i Lafayette Park, which focused on a 65-year woman from Norrbotten, who becomes interested in the American civil rights movement after her husband's death in an industrial accident.^[14] For this novel she won the Vi Magazine's Literature Prize.^[15] The same year, she was also awarded the Ivar Lo Award for her exploration of class issues.^[16] She was awarded the Hedenvind Plaque in 2017.^[17] She won the Eva Bonnier Foundation's 70th Anniversary scholarship for her 2019 essay Orm med två huvuden.^[18]

She won the ABF Literature Prize in 2020.^[19] In 2022, she published Björnjägarens döttrar, which was inspired by Aleksis Kivi's classic novel Seitsemän veljestä. Björnjägarens döttrar was positively received by literary critic Ingrid Elam for Aftonbladet.^[20] It was also nominated for the August Prize and the Sveriges Radio Novel Prize.^[21]

• Helsingfors : från Kalevala till Snowcrash [Helsinki: from Kalevala to Snowcrash] (in Swedish). Bokförlaget DN. 1999. ISBN 9789175883243.
• Klass – är du fin nog? [Class – are you good enough?]. Bokförlaget Atlas. 2003. ISBN 9789173891196.
• Var kommer du ifrån?: Reportage, intervjuer och essäer [Where are you from?: Reports, interviews, and essays] (in Swedish). Bokförlaget Mormor. 2006. ISBN 9789197584937.
• Att besegra fru J.: en bok om Elsie Johansson [Defeating Mrs. J.: a book about Elsie Johansson]. Bokförlaget Atlas. 2006. ISBN 9789173892124.
• Orm med två huvuden [Two-headed snake]. Norstedts förlag. 2019. ISBN 9789113093932.

• Jag skulle vara din hund (om jag bara finge vara i din närhet) [I would be your dog (if only I could be near you)] (in Swedish). Bokförlaget Atlas. 2009. ISBN 9789173893695.
• Augustenbad, en sommar [Augustenbad, one summer] (in Swedish). Norstedts förlag. 2011. ISBN 9789113034928.
• Låt inte den här stan plåga livet ur dig, Mona [Don't let this town torment you, Mona] (in Swedish). Norstedts förlag. 2014. ISBN 9789113052342.
• Som hundarna i Lafayette Park [Like the dogs in Lafayette Park] (in Swedish). Norstedts förlag. 2016. ISBN 9789113074085.
• Björnjägarens döttrar [The Bear Hunter's Daughters] (in Swedish). Norstedts förlag. 2022. ISBN 9789113127118.

• "Klassresan neråt har börjat" [The downward class journey has begun]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). 22 February 2007. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
• "Färga eller inte färga – det är frågan" [To dye or not to dye – that is the question]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). 14 June 2019. Archived from the original on 18 October 2025. Retrieved 18 October 2025.