Annette Bjergfeldt is one of five authors shortlisted for the prestigious Danish Bogforum’s Debut Award 2020 for her epic family saga When Life Gives You Hippos. The coveted award has since 1993 been annually bestowed upon the best debut author in fiction in connection to the largest Danish bookfair, BogForum. This year’s fair is cancelled due to Covid, meaning that the jury-selected winner will instead be announced through Danish Radio 2 on the 8th of November.

Annette Bjergfeldt (b.1961) is a Danish creative virtuoso. Besides writing bestselling fiction, she’s an award-winning and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and recording artist with six albums under her belt, a colorist painter, and a renowned songwriting coach. She often holds songwriting sessions in local prisons and for children with disabilities. Her knack for storytelling was cultivated when she toured the US for four years and entertained the crowds with tales in between songs. Now, her musical flair shines through in her melodious and lyrical prose. Her acclaimed debut When Life Gives You Hippos has taken readers and critics alike by storm. This enchanting family saga with elements of magical realism, set against the backdrop of 20th century Europe’s culture scene, is an impassioned declaration of love to art and music.