Literary publications
Naarattu
The new poetry collection Naarattu builds a powerfully atmospheric world in a river valley inhabited since ancient times, where young people listen to the older generation and weigh its truths against new knowledge. On the upstream side, a distant lake with its inhabitants represents the majority, modernization and the new era. The mythical whale song does not reach the lake, and this creates a rift between the people of the river valley and the people of the lake.
Naarattu was published in October 2025 by Gummerus. It was nominated for the prestigious Runeberg Prize. Cover art by Lada Suomenrinne.
Goatnelle
Goatnelle is a novel about ambivalences, polarities, art and Sámi ways of being. Elle Hallala, an artist from Ohcejohka, forsakes modern art. After the death of her grandmother she is agony: All the years devoted to art career she should’ve used on learning the endangered Sámi knowledge and skills. Elle turns her back on painting and international glory, and retires in Gabbaduottar, her ancestral lands. She finds cure in fishing and Sámi duodji crafts until strange dreams begin suggesting that everything is not in its place after all.
It was published by DAT in 2024. It was nominated for the Nordic Council’s Literature Prize in 2025.
Le Femme Grenouille
Critically acclaimed in Finland, where Niillas Holmberg’s debut novel Halla Helle was reviewed as “The Magic Mountain of Sámi culture”, its French rights were acquired by Editions du Seuil, who released French edition on February 16th 2024 with the title “La Femme grenouille“ in a translation by Sébastien Cagnoli.
Tagasitee
This volume of poetry consists of Estonian translations from the poetry collections Oaidnaleapmai, Čáhcesiellu and The Way Back. Translations by Mathura, published by Allikaäärne in 2022.
Halla Helle
Halla Helle is the first novel by Niillas Holmberg. It takes a deep look at Sámi culture and cultural differences through the eyes of Samu, a son of a priest from Southern Finland. He becomes attached to a Sámi visual artist Halla Helle. Published by Gummerus in 2021.
Critically acclaimed, Halla Helle was nominated for the Runeberg Litarature Prize in 2021. It won the Lapland Literature Prize’s public vote in 2023. In 2025 it was listed among the 100 best books of the century in Finland by Helsingin Sanomat.
“Halla Helle is the Magic Mountain of Sámi culture” -Antti Majander, Helsingin Sanomat
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Såle
The Norwegian translation of the poetry collection Juolgevuođđu, translated by Endre Ruset and Niillas Holmberg. The translation was due when Juolgevuođđu was nominated for the Nordic Literature Prize in 2020. Illustrations by Inga-Wiktoria Påve.
Jalatald
Jalatald is the Estonian translation of the critically acclaimed poetry collection Juolgevuođđu. This volume was translated by Ott Heinapuu and published by Allikaäärne in 2018.
Illustrations by Inga-Wiktoria Påve.
Jalkapohja
Jalkapohja, a collection of poems, emphasises the connection between people and the land. It praises nature folklore whilst questioning whether it fits in with our contemporary mind and way of life.
Jalkapohja invites us to return to the soles of our feet, our link to the ground. The antagonist of the foot is the cobbler, at loggerheads with terns who are behaving like environmental activists. Language flows next to the birds and birches, across the arctic. Instead of bouts of nostalgia, Holmberg’s poems are looking for the lost present moment, unfurling contemporary Sami sensibilities.
Kirsi Kunnas Prize in 2020.
Illustrations by Inga-Wiktoria Påve.
Published by Gummerus in 2019.
“Holmberg’s land and nature are compared, or actually melted to the language itself. The lead character is the verb, not the landscape that is being observed.” – Helsingin Sanomat
“Top of the poetry year 2019.” - Turun Sanomat
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Juolgevuođđu
Juolgevuođđu, a collection of poems, emphasises the connection between people and the land. It praises nature folklore whilst questioning whether it fits in with our contemporary mind and way of life.
Underfoot invites us to return to the soles of our feet, our link to the ground. The antagonist of the foot is the cobbler, at loggerheads with terns who are behaving like environmental activists. Language flows next to the birds and birches, across the arctic landscape. Instead of bouts of nostalgia, Holmberg’s poems are looking for the lost present moment, unfurling contemporary Sami sensibilities.
Juolgevuođđu was nominated for the Nordic Literature Prize in 2020.
Illustrations by Inga-Wiktoria Påve.
Published in 2019 by DAT. Order here.
Der dem Wind auf dem Schoß sitzt
A German volume of Niillas’ poems, translated from North Sámi by Katrin Merz. Published in 2017 by Hochroth Verlag.
Order here.
Roađđi
Roađđi is a poetry compilation by Niillas Holmberg and Inger-Mari Aikio, published in 2016 by Sivuvalo. It is a trilingual edition with poems in North Sámi, Spanish and English.
Order here.
Oaidnaleapmai, čáhcesiellu
Niillas' fourth collection of poems was published by DAT in 2016.
Order here.
The Way Back
Inspired by his studies in northern India at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts, Niillas Holmberg explores the intriguing connections between Buddhist philosophy and the old natural philosophy of his Sámi forebears. Half the poems here were written on the move; the other half, written in his native land, describe various states of movement. The ambiguity of these states forms the basis of this collection.
The Way Back, published by FrancisBoutle Publishers in 2015, is one of the few collections of poetry to have been translated into English from the Northern Sámi language.
Jos itseni pelastan itseltäni
Niillas’ first collection of poems in Finnish was published by Palladium Kirjat in 2015.
Illustrations by Hanna Lehikoinen.
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Så den fremmede ikke blir mer fremmed
A Norwegian translation of the poetry collection Amas amas amasmuvvat, published in 2015 by DAT. Translation by Rawdna Carita Eira.
Illustrations by Antti Väre.
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Amas amas amasmuvvat
Niillas’ second book of poetry was published by DAT in 2013. The book won the Saami Council’s Literature Prize 2014. It was also nominated for the Nordic Council’s Literature Prize in 2015.
Illustrations by Antti Väre.
Order here.
Jos itseni pelastan itseltäni
Niillas’ debut poetry collection was published in 2009 by DAT.
Illustrations by Antti Väre.
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