Jaana Susanna Emilia Alakoski Söderlund, née Alakoski, (born 16 May 1962 in Vaasa, Finland) is a Swedish-Finnish author, Novelist and lecturer. She won the August Prize in 2006 for the novel Svinalängorna.[1] Svinalängorna was filmed in 2010 as Beyond. She researches gender issues and works as a social worker.
Susanna Alakoski | |
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Born | (1962-05-16) 16 May 1962 (age 60) Vaasa, Finland |
Occupation | novelist |
Period | 2006–present |
Notable works | Svinalängorna |
Spouse | Mats Söderlund (1990–present) |
Children | Jaana-Kristina Nilas Runa |
Website | |
susannaalakoski |
Alakoski was born in 1962 in Vaasa, Finland and spent her early life in the Fridhem area in Ystad, Sweden.[2] She studied to become a socionom and finished her degree at the age of 23.[3] In 1988, she studied writing at Skurups folkhögskola.[3] Between 1995 and 2003, she worked as a press secretary for the Vänsterpartiet politician Gudrun Schyman.[3]
In 2006, she released her debut novel Svinalängorna. It took the August Prize in 2006. The novel sold over 400,000 copies in Sweden and it has been made into a feature film with the English title of Beyond.[4]
In 2010, she released her second novel, Håpas du trifs bra i fengelset.[5] In 2011, she released her first children's novel, Dagens Harri, which were followed by Guldfisken in 2012 and Dagens skräckis in 2013.[6] She published a diary, Oktober i Fattigsverige in 2012.[7]
She has also been editor for the anthologies Tala om klass, Lyckliga slut, and Fejkad orgasm[8]
She is married to Mats Söderlund since 1990.[5] They have three children, Jaana-Kristina, Nilas, Runa.[3]
As of 2014[update], she lives in Stockholm.
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