
Photo: Gabriel Liljevall
Lisa Ridzén (b.1988) is a doctoral student in sociology, researching masculinity norms in the rural communities of the Swedish far north, where she herself was raised and now lives in a small village outside of Östersund. The idea for her heartrending debut When the Cranes Fly South came from the discovery of notes her Grandfather’s care team had left the family as he neared the end of his life. She began penning the novel whilst attending Långholmen Writer’s Academy.
Norrland Culture Prize Sweden – Tranorna flyger söderut When the Cranes Fly South | 2025 |
Swedish Booksellers' Award (Book of the Year) Sweden – Tranorna flyger söderut When the Cranes Fly South | 2025 |
Shortlisted for Norrland's Literature Prize Sweden – Tranorna flyger söderut When the Cranes Fly South | 2025 |
The Adlibris Award (Best Fiction) Sweden – Tranorna flyger söderut When the Cranes Fly South | 2024 |
The Adlibris Award (Best debut) Sweden – Tranorna flyger söderut When the Cranes Fly South | 2024 |
Book of the Year Award Sweden – Tranorna flyger söderut When the Cranes Fly South | 2024 |
Kristina Ohlsson’s newly released Nightshifter, the latest installment in the bestselling August Strindberg series, debuts at No. 5 on this week’s hardcover list. Meanwhile, Beyond Rescue, the fourth book in the same series, holds the No. 1 spot on the paperback list for the second week in a row.
Lisa Ridzen’s bestselling debut, When the Cranes Fly South, lands at No. 3 in the paperback category, marking its 18th week in the top three.
Marking the end of the first quarter of 2025, the Swedish bestseller lists sees Lars Kepler’s The Sleepwalker at No. 2 in the fiction category, while Lisa Ridzén’s When The Cranes Fly South claims the No. 6 spot, closely followed by Pascal Engman’s No One at No. 8.
In the children’s category, Martin Widmark claims three spots with The Football Mystery at No. 3, The Space Mystery at No. 4, and The Diamond Mystery at No. 8.
Lisa Ridzén tops the paperback category with When The Cranes Fly South, while Niklas Natt och Dag’s Hope and Destiny holds steady at No. 9. The audio category also sees Pascal Engman and Johannes Selåker’s The Albino at No. 9, while Ridzén’s debut holds the No. 9 spot in the e-book category.
Lisa Ridzén’s When the Cranes Fly South has been awarded the Swedish Booksellers’ Award 2024 for Book of the Year.
The prize has been awarded annually since 1951 by a non-profit association comprised of book retailer employees. They vote forth a winner “who with their book has bestowed them with the greatest sense of entertainment and personal satisfaction.”
Lisa Ridzen’s When the Cranes Fly South claims the top spot on Sweden’s March paperback bestseller list. On the hardcover chart, Lars Kepler’s The Sleepwalker secures the No. 2 position, while Martin Widmark dominates the children’s list with The Football Mystery at No. 1 and The Diamond Mystery at No. 3.
Lars Kepler’s The Sleepwalker, claims the No. 1 on the hardcover list this week. Lisa Ridzen’s When the Cranes Fly South secures the No. 2 spot in the paperback category, and comes in at No. 5 on the hardcover list. Meanwhile, Martin Widmark dominates the children’s list, with The Space Mystery at No. 1, The Football Mystery closely followed at No. 2 and the Diamond Mystery at No. 5.
Lisa Ridzen’s bestselling debut, When the Cranes Fly South, ranks No. 5 in the fiction category on Bog og Idé, Denmark’s largest book retailer, this week.
Lisa Ridzén’s debut When the Cranes Fly South continues to fly high, earning a nomination for Norrland’s Literature Prize. Ridzen’s bestselling novel is one of five nominees in the adult fiction category.
Norrland’s Literature Prize has been awarded annually since 1973 to the best book that has a clear connection to the Swedish north. The winner will be announced this summer.
Lisa Ridzén’s runaway bestselling debut When the Cranes Fly South has won the Swedish Adlibris Awards of 2o24 in both categories that she was nominated for: ‘Fiction of the Year’ and ‘Debut of the Year’. She further becomes the first nominee in the award’s history to win two categories.
This week, Lisa Ridzén’s When The Cranes Fly South claims the No. 1 spot on the bestselling list for paperbacks, closely followed by Liza Marklund’s Storm Mountain at No. 3. Lars Kepler’s The Sleepwalker holds the No. 2 spot on the hardcover list, while Tina Mackic’s The Summer Shadow and the Christmas Prank, comes in at No. 3 on the children’s list.
Storm Mountain by Liza Marklund holds steady at No. 1 on the paperback list. Lisa Ridzén’s When The Cranes Fly South remains at No. 3 in the same category, while Lars Kepler’s The Sleepwalker climbs to No. 2 on the hardcover list.
Lisa Ridzén’s bestselling debut When the Cranes Fly South features on the Norwegian newspaper Vårt Land’s list of its critics and cultural journalist’s favourite reads from throughout 2024. The motivation reads as follows:
“What’s it like to grow old, when your life companion doesn’t recognize you anymore and when you realise you have to leave yourself notes in order to remember that your dog has run away? Or when your adult son refuses you to do the little you still can, as it makes him uneasy? When the Cranes Fly South has us listening to the old voices, the once so easily sacrificed at the altar of efficiency. No one puts this novel down unaffected.”
This week, Storm Mountain by Liza Marklund claims the No. 1 spot on the paperback list. Lisa Ridzén’s When The Cranes Fly South comes in at No. 3 in the same category, while Lars Kepler’s The Sleepwalker is No. 3 on the hardcover list.