When Fredrik Prost published his book, he was clear that it will not be translated into Swedish or other majority languages.
But when the book became one of 13 books to be nominated for the Nordic Council’s literature prize in 2024, he had to think again. The book will be translated, but only for the jury who need it for their assessment.
– They will receive numbered paper copies. Then the copies will be sent to me and I will burn them up, says Fredrik Prost.
“Gets to learn Sami”
He has written the book about the Sami drum and traditional Sami spirituality for and for the Sami. He wants the information and knowledge to be preserved in Sami society.
– If you are interested in reading the book, you should learn Sami, says Fredrik Prost.
He believes that there are already many people outside Sápmi who claim to practice Sami shamanism just to make money and he does not want the information in the book to be used for that.
– Big society thinks they can have everything they want, but they won’t get this book translated.
Translated into other Sami languages
However, he wants more Sámi to get access to the book.
– I think it should be translated into Southern, Lule and Kildin Sami. Then I reach more Sámi, he says.
The winner of the Nordic Council’s literature prize is announced in October in Iceland. The winner receives a statuette and a prize sum of 300,000 Danish kroner.
– If my book wins, it shows that Sami is equal to Swedish. It would have meant an incredible amount.