Booksellers' Award for Niels Krause-Kjær and Lindhardt og Ringhof
For the third time in five years, an author from Lindhardt og Ringhof receives the Danish booksellers' honorary award, De Gyldne Laurbær.
Author and journalist Niels Krause-Kjær received the prestigious literary award De Gyldne Laurbær (The Golden Laurels) from the Danish Booksellers' Association in February for his novel "Ude for uden". The prize is awarded based on a vote among the country's booksellers, which ensures both quality and broad popularity among readers.
The novel has indeed taken Danes by storm, and when Krause-Kjær received the honor, it was still number one on the bestseller lists, despite being released back in August 2025.
"Ude for uden" is about Erik, the farmer's son who dreams of conquering the world; of getting a piece of the promised "Outside without." He and his generation were too young to play a role in the resistance movement, but as farmers, they must now save Denmark in the modern times awaiting after World War II. Together with his wife Lisbet, Erik becomes a firsthand witness to the disappearance of the only culture and way of life they truly know. From being heroes, they become villains.
Niels Krause-Kjær has previously written a number of successful political thrillers, including the popular series about journalist Ulrik Torp, which has also been adapted for film. "Ude for uden" distinguishes itself by being personal, but not private.
"The choice of my childhood home - the farmhouse on the farm just before it was torn down a few years ago - as the cover for the novel, was both boundary-pushing and unavoidable. Boundary-pushing, because the novel is personal, but not private. And in a way, I think the picture is private. But it was unavoidable because the picture tells a much larger story. The window to the left, by the way, was into my room," he recounts.
Niels Krause-Kjær is also nominated for the DR Novel Prize and the Martha Prize. This marks the third time in five years that an author from Lindhardt og Ringhof has received De Gyldne Laurbær: In 2021 it was Thomas Korsgaard, and the year after it was Maren Uthaug.