Rakel Helmsdal (born 25 September 1966) is a Faroese writer. Her mother is the Faroese poet Guðrið Helmsdal and her father the wood artist Ole Jakob Nielsen. Rakel was born in Tårnby, Amager, Denmark, but has lived in Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands for most of her life. She lived for five years in France, where she wrote four of her books. She teaches creative writing.
Together with Áslaug Jónsdóttir from Iceland and Kalle Güettler from Sweden, she has written a series of books about the little and the big monster.
Helmsdal was president of the Faroese writer's association Rithøvundafelag Føroya from 2009 to 2011.
Helmsdal has created her own marionette theatre, which she calls Karavella Marionett-Theatre.
Bibliography
Books
1995 – Tey kalla meg bara Hugo (2. edition: 2003) 1996 – Søgur úr Port Janua (short stories) 1997 – Hvørjum flenna likkurnar at, Hugo? 1998 – Drekar og annað valafólk, illustrated by Edward Fuglø 2003 – Kom yvirum, Hugo! 2004 – Nei! segði lítla skrímsl, written together with Icelandic Áslaug Jónsdóttir and Swedish Kalle Güettler 2006 – Stór skrímsl gráta ikki, written together with Icelandic Áslaug Jónsdóttir and Swedish Kalle Güettler 2007 – Gott hugflog Hugo 2007 – Myrkaskrímsl, written together with Icelandic Áslaug Jónsdóttir and Swedish Kalle Güettler 2008 – Skrímslasótt, written together with Icelandic Áslaug Jónsdóttir and Swedish Kalle Güettler 2008 – Várferðin til Brúnna, From Mosakulla 1, illustrated by Edward Fuglø 2009 – Veturin hjá Undu. From Mosakullan 2, illustrated by Edward Fuglø 2010 – Skrímslavitjan, written together with Icelandic Áslaug Jónsdóttir and Swedish Kalle Güettler 2011 – Skrímslahæddir, written together with Icelandic Áslaug Jónsdóttir and Swedish Kalle Güettler 2011 – Veiða vind, musical work, book and CD. Rakel Helmsdal wrote the text, Kári Bech composed the music tónleikin and Janus á Húsagarði made the drawings. The musical work was performed in Norðurlandahúsið (The Nordic House in Tórshavn) for 3500 children who came from villages from all around the islands. 2011 – Revurin við silkiturriklæðinum 2013 – Klandursskrímsl, written together with Áslaug Jónsdóttir and Kalle Güettler 2014 – Hon, sum róði eftir ælaboganum, 2014 – Skrímslakiskan, written together with Áslaug Jónsdóttir and Kalle Güettler 2017 – Neyðars skrímsl, written together with Áslaug Jónsdóttir and Kalle Güettler 2018 – Miljuløtur 2019 – Loftar tú mær?