Amatka

Amatka
Author	Karin Tidbeck
Translator	Karin Tidbeck
Cover artist	Lisa Sjöblom
Language	Swedish
Genre	Dystopian; Psychological thriller; Speculative fiction;
Publisher	Mix förlag [sv], Vintage Books (English)
Publication date	2012
Publication place	Sweden
Published in English	2017
Pages	223
ISBN	978-9186845346
Dewey Decimal	839.738
LC Class	PT9877.3.I45 A6313
Website	https://www.karintidbeck.com/amatka

Amatka is a 2012 novel by Karin Tidbeck, originally written in Swedish, and published in English in 2017. Set in a world shaped by language, it follows Vanja, who is sent to the Amatka colony on a work assignment, where she falls in love with her housemate. Central themes of the novel include political oppression, limited freedom and deep conspiracies.

Summary

Coming from the colony of Essre, Vanja (formally known as Brilars' Vanja Essre Two) is sent by a government body to Amatka in order to find out what hygiene products the people there use. She goes on to live in a house with three others, namely Nina (Ulltors' Nina Four), Ivar (Jondis' Ivar), and Ulla (Sarols' Ulla Three), all of whom have a role to play in the workings of Amatka.

Despite misgivings about Vanja's mission, Nina introduces her to the colony's departments so that she can gather more information for her research. As days go by, Vanja meets specialists from different fields and is eventually led to discover that Amatka — along with the other colonies — may not be as it appears.

Translations

In addition to the original Swedish edition, published by Mix in 2012, the novel has been translated into multiple languages:

Spanish, published by Ediciones Nevsky, 2016
English, published by Vintage Books, 2017
Hungarian, published by Athenaeum, 2017
French, published by La Volte, 2018
Portuguese, published by 20|20, 2018
Turkish, published by İthaki, 2018
Czech, published by Kniha Zlín, 2018

Awards

Amatka was regarded as one of the best science fiction books of 2017 by The Guardian. It was nominated for the following awards:

Locus Award Finalist, First Novel, 2018
Compton Award 2018
Prix Utopiales 2018

References

↑ Tidbeck, Karin (27 June 2017). Amatka. NYC, US: Vintage. p. 224. ISBN 9781101973950.
↑ Tidbeck, Karin. Amatka (in Spanish). Translated by Womack, Marian. Madrid: Ediciones Nevsky [es]. ISBN 978-84-944555-7-5.
↑ — (2017). Amatka. Translated by Tidbeck, Karin (1st English ed.). New York: Vintage. ISBN 978-1-101-97395-0. LCCN 2016043285. OCLC 961155461.
↑ — (2017). Amatka (in Hungarian). Translated by Babits, Péter. Budapest: Athenaeum [hu]. ISBN 978-963-293700-7.
↑ Roberts, Adam (30 November 2017). "The best science fiction and fantasy of 2017". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
↑ "2018 Locus Awards Winners". Locus. 2018-06-23. Archived from the original on 2025-10-16. Retrieved 2025-12-14.
↑ "Compton Award Finalist 2018, Science Fiction Award Database". sfadb.com. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
↑ "2018 Prix Utopiales Shortlist". Locus. 27 June 2018.

[1] Tidbeck, Karin (27 June 2017). Amatka. NYC, US: Vintage. p. 224. ISBN 9781101973950.

[2] Tidbeck, Karin. Amatka (in Spanish). Translated by Womack, Marian. Madrid: Ediciones Nevsky [es]. ISBN 978-84-944555-7-5.

[3] — (2017). Amatka. Translated by Tidbeck, Karin (1st English ed.). New York: Vintage. ISBN 978-1-101-97395-0. LCCN 2016043285. OCLC 961155461.

[4] — (2017). Amatka (in Hungarian). Translated by Babits, Péter. Budapest: Athenaeum [hu]. ISBN 978-963-293700-7.

[5] Roberts, Adam (30 November 2017). "The best science fiction and fantasy of 2017". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 April 2024.

[6] "2018 Locus Awards Winners". Locus. 2018-06-23. Archived from the original on 2025-10-16. Retrieved 2025-12-14.

[7] "Compton Award Finalist 2018, Science Fiction Award Database". sfadb.com. Retrieved 2025-09-17.

[8] "2018 Prix Utopiales Shortlist". Locus. 27 June 2018.