SARA B. ELFGREN

Unlimited creativity

Fiction

ISLAND

YA/Crossover fiction

Grim

In Dreams

Illustrated fiction

VEI, Book 1

VEI, Book 2

YA fiction, together with Mats Strandberg

The Circle

Fire

The Key

CHILDREN’S FICTION

The Big Banquet

I’m Not Sick!

Time For Each Other

Let’s Play!

Rights

Rights for fiction
Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland
Germany
Italy
Sweden
The Netherlands

Rights for Grim
Sweden
USA

Rights for In Dreams
Czech Republic
Germany
Israel
Italy
Norway
Poland
Sweden

Rights for The Big Banquet
Denmark
The Faroe Islands
Italy
North Macedonia
Sweden

Radio rights for The Big Banquet
SR, Swedish Radio
SRF, Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen

Rights for Vei
Brazil
Czech Republic
Denmark
France
Norway
Poland
Sweden
Turkey
USA/UK

Rights for The Engelsfors Trilogy
Azerbaijan
Belgium
Brazil
The Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
The Faroe Islands
Finland
France
Germany
Hungary
Iceland
Italy
Japan
Korea
Latvia
Lithuania
Mexico
The Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Russia
Slovakia
Spain
Sweden
Thailand
Turkey
UK
USA

Film rights for The Engelsfors Trilogy
RMV Film

Awards & Nominations

2023 – Grim – Winner of the ESFS award for Best Written Work of Fiction at Eurocon 2023
2023 – Grim – Winner of Swedish Audio Award in the Young Adult category
2021 – VEI, Book 2 – Winner of the Urhunden Award
2020 – VEI, Book 1 – Silver medal in the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award
2018 – In Dreams – winner of the Swedish Audio Award in the Young Adult category
2018 – In Dreams – nominated to the Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literary Prize
2019 – The White Reindeer Award
2012 – Fire – Book Jury Prize
2012 – Fire – Great Reader’s Prize
2012 – The Circle – Icelandic Book Seller’s Award
2011 – The Circle – Book Blogger’s Literary Prize
2011 – The Circle – Book Jury Prize
2011 – The Circle – Great Reader’s Prize
2011 – The Circle – nominated to the August Award

As a child, Sara B. Elfgren dreamt of being a writer. As a teen she made the decision to commit to the dream. She spent her 20’s attaining a degree in Film Studies, while working as a screenwriter and script consultant. At 30 she signed the contract for her debut novel – The Circle – which she co-wrote with Mats Strandberg. Together they penned the bestselling and critically acclaimed Engelsfors trilogy. The Circle has been translated to twenty-five languages, made into a movie and was nominated to the August Award in 2011.

Sara B. Elfgren is interested in many genres, but her primary focus is speculative fiction. She is attracted to ”what if”-scenarios where the laws of nature are thrown out of balance, especially when the supernatural clashes with our everyday lives. She likes to work on her own and with other writers as well as illustrators, comic book artists and directors. She enjoys working in different media. Her unlimited creativity is combined with a strong discipline and the iron will of a long distance runner (though she is more fond of walking).

Grim (2021) is Sara B. Elfgren’s much anticipated fifth novel. A story saturated with gothic atmosphere and suspense, and with as much appeal to older teenagers as well as adults. At its heart is the enigmatic Grim, a death metal-singer and guitarist, who died inexplicably at a young age in the late eighties. In the wake of the tragedy Grim’s best friend and bandmate Håkan broke up their band. Thirty years later Håkan’s eighteen-year-old son Kasper tries to find out what really happened. Who was Grim? And why does he appear in Kasper’s dreams?

In Grim Elfgren yet again returns to the complex inner and outer worlds of young people in a story partly set in a milieu inspired by the burgeoning Swedish death metal scene of the late eighties, and the present day community of young seasonal employees at the haunted house of the amusement park Gröna Lund. Engrossing, suspenseful and melancholy.

Set in the same world as Grim, but completely standalone, is Norra Latin (In Dreams) (2017). It was nominated to the to the Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literary Prize 2018 and was a big success among critics and readers alike. It was the number one bestselling YA novel of 2017 in the largest Swedish internet bookshop.

For many years, Sara B. Elfgren and artist Karl Johnsson collaborated on the graphic novel Vei. An epic fantasy story inspired by Norse mythology which gained a following among readers and critics all over the world, and ended up at the top of the bestseller lists for graphic novels. It was published in two parts in most countries, but in 2021 Ankama released it in one single volume in the French language to much acclaim.

Sara B. Elfgren also has received critical praise for her books for children. The children’s book The Big Banquet is the result of a collaboration between Elfgren and artist Emil Maxén. It is a fairy tale about two children – the daughter of a duke and a kitchen boy – who get caught up in a thrilling adventure full of funny as well as emotional moments. Sara B. Elfgren also has received critical acclaim for her picture books I’m Not Sick! (2019), Let’s Play! (2016) and Time for Each Other (2015), illustrated by artist Maria Fröhlich.

Sara B. Elfgren’s website
Sara B. Elfgren’s Instagram
World of Engelsfors

Bibliography fiction

2024 – Island (Ö), novel

Bibliography YA/Crossover Fiction

2021 – Grim (Grim), YA/Crossover fiction
2017 – In Dreams (Norra Latin), YA/Crossover fiction

The Engelsfors Trilogy, written together with Mats Strandberg

2013 – The Key (Nyckeln), YA fantasy novel
2013 – Tales From Engelsfors (Berättelser från Engelsfors), Sara B. Elfgren, Mats Strandberg and illustrators Kim W. Andersson, Karl Johnsson, Lina Neidestam, graphic novel
2012 – Fire (Eld), YA fantasy novel
2011 – The Circle (Cirkeln), YA fantasy novel

Bibliography illustrated fiction

2019 – Vei, Book 2 (Vei, bok 2), with artist Karl Johnsson, graphic novel
2017 – Vei, Book 1 (Vei, bok 1), with artist Karl Johnsson, graphic novel

Bibliography children fiction

2019 – The Big Banquet (Knäckarbanketten), children novel 6-12. Created together with Emil Maxén
2019 – I’m not sick! (Jag är inte sjuk!), with illustrator Maria Fröhlich, picture book
2016 – Let’s Play! (Nu leker vi!), with illustrator Maria Fröhlich, picture book
2015 – Time for Each Other (Just nu har vi varandra), with illustrator Maria Fröhlich, picture book