The 2024 Honorary Alum of the Year award goes to author Solvej Balle.
Solvej holds an MA in Philosophy from SDU and is one of the most important
and original writers of her generation. Since her debut novel
Lyrefugl
(Lyrebird) (1986), she has written a number of critically acclaimed works
within various genres. Her big breakthrough was the group of stories
Ifølge loven. Fire beretninger om mennesket
(According to the law. Four accounts of mankind) (1993), which has been
translated into many languages. Solvej Balle has received numerous honours
and awards for her writing, and in 2009 she was awarded a lifetime grant
from the Danish Arts Foundation. Most recently, she has written the first
five volumes of the seven-volume work 'Om udregning af rumfang' (On the
Calculation of Volume) (2020ff.), which has already been translated into
several languages. In 2022, she received the Nordic Council Literature Prize
for the first volumes in the series, and in 2023 she received the Danish
Critics Prize for Literature for Volumes 4 and 5.
Solvej is a frequent guest at SDU; among other things, she has participated
in the annual festival of the Comparative Literature programme, which is
organised by students.
