Rakel Helmsdal facts for kids

Rakel Helmsdal was born on September 25, 1966. She is a talented Faroese author and artist. Rakel writes many types of stories. These include novels, short stories, plays, and poems. She writes for kids, teens, and adults. She also creates art and illustrates some of her own books. Currently, she leads the Association of Writers of the Faroe Islands (Faroese: Rithøvundafelag Føroya).

Many of Rakel's books have been translated. People in other countries can read them too. She has won many literary awards for her work. The Faroese government has given her grants. These grants help her continue writing and creating. In 2024, she received a special three-year grant.

Rakel also works with other authors. She teamed up with Áslaug Jónsdóttir from Iceland. She also works with Kalle Güettler from Sweden. Together, they created a series of 10 "Monsters" books. The first book was Nei! segði litla skrímsl (No! Said Little Monster) in 2004. These books are released at the same time in the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and Sweden. They have also been translated into many other languages.

About Rakel Helmsdal

Rakel Helmsdal was born in Tårnby in 1966. This town is near Copenhagen, Denmark. Her mother was Faroese, and her father was Danish. Rakel's mother, Guðrið Helmsdal, was also a writer. She was the first Faroese woman to publish a poetry book. She was also the first Faroese author to publish modern poetry.

In the 1970s, Rakel's parents moved to Leynar in the Faroe Islands. Her father, Ole Jacob Nielsen, is a wood sculptor. He creates art from Faroese wood. Rakel lived in France for a few years. This was in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During this time, she wrote her first novels.

Her first novel was "Tey kalla meg bara Hugo" (They just call me Hugo). The next year, she published her first collection of short stories. It was called Søgur úr Port Janua (Stories from Port Janua). Rakel has written books for all ages. She has books for children, young adults, and adults. She illustrates some of her books herself. Other books are illustrated by artists like Edward Fuglø. He illustrated her book series Úr Mosakulluni. He also illustrated her fairy tale collection about dragons, "Drekar og annað valafólk".

Rakel Helmsdal has also written for films. She helped write the short film Brother Troll (Faroese: Trøllabeiggi). Her brother, Gudmund Helmsdal, directed this film. The script was written by Gudmund, Rakel, and Torfinnur Jákupsson. Brother Troll won the Faroese audience film award, Geytin. It also won many awards at film festivals worldwide. At the Darbhanga International Film Festival in India, it won five awards. This included the award for Best Script.

Awards and Nominations

Rakel Helmsdal has received many awards and nominations for her writing:

• 1996 – She won the Barnabókaheiðursløn Tórshavnar Býráðs (Faroese award). This was for her children's book Tey kalla meg bara Hugo.
• 2004 – She won the Dimmalim (Icelandic award). This was for Nei! segði lítla skrímsl. She wrote this book with Áslaug Jónsdóttir and Kalle Güettler.
• 2007 – She won the Barnabókaverðlaun Menntaráðs Reykjavíkur (Icelandic award). This was for Stór skrímsl gráta ikki. She wrote it with Áslaug Jónsdóttir and Kalle Güettler.
• 2008 – She won an award in a short story contest. This contest was for stories for Faroese young people.
• 2009 – Her book Várferðin til Brúnna was nominated. It was for the West Nordic Council's Children and Youth Literature Prize.
• 2011 – Skrímslahæddir was nominated for the Fjörðuverðlaun (Icelandic award).
• 2013 – She was nominated for the ALMA Award. This is the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.
• 2013 – Veiða vind was nominated for the Nordic Children's Book Prize.
• 2013 – She won the Children's Cultural Prize of Tórshavn City Council. This Faroese award was for Veiða vind. It was also for her "Monsters" books (Skrímsl) and plays.
• 2013 – She was nominated by Iceland for the Nordic Council Children and Young People's Literature Prize. This was with Áslaug Jónsdóttir and Kalle Güettler. It was for the book Klandursskrímsl/Skrímslaerjur/Monsterbråk.
• 2014 – She was nominated for the ALMA Award again.
• 2016 – She was nominated for the West Nordic Council's Children and Youth Literature Prize. This was for Hon, sum róði eftir ælaboganum.
• 2016 – She won the West Nordic Council's Children and Youth Literature Prize for Hon, sum róði eftir ælaboganum.
• 2017 – She was nominated for the Nordic Council Children and Young People's Literature Prize. This was for Hon, sum róði eftir ælaboganum.
• 2018 – She was nominated by Iceland for the Nordic Council Children and Young People's Literature Prize. This was with Áslaug Jónsdóttir and Kalle Güettler. It was for the book Skrímsli í vanda/Neyðars skrímsl/Monster i knipa.
• 2019 – She was nominated for the ALMA Award again.
• 2019 – She was nominated for the Nordic Council Children and Young People's Literature Prize. This was for Miljuløtur.
• 2020 – She was nominated for the ALMA Award again.
• 2020 – She won the Children's Cultural Prize of Tórshavn City Council. This was for Loftar tú mær?.
• 2020 – She was nominated for the Nordic Council Children and Young People's Literature Prize. This was for Loftar tú mær?.
• 2020 – She was nominated for the West Nordic Council's Children and Youth Literature Prize. This was for Loftar tú mær?.
• 2024 – She was nominated for the Nordic Council Children and Young People's Literature Prize. This was for Toran gongur.