ABSTRACT
Throughout its history, Sámi literature has not only been published in Sámi languages but also in Nordic majority languages. Multilingualism can be a feature of texts, authors and readers, as well as the Sámi literary field. This chapter illuminates the different levels of multilingualism in Sámi literature and analyses the multilingualism of poems by Sigbjørn Skåden. Skåden is a postmodernist author who actively uses and mixes North Sámi with different languages, linguistic registers and multicultural allusions. Kaisa Ahvenjärvi shows how the multilingual features of Skåden’s poetry can be seen as an expression of the poet’s multilingual identity and his position in different cultural traditions, but also as a political gesture. By dismantling the border between Sámi literature and majority literatures, Skåden demonstrates that Sámi poetry is an important part of the Western literary canon.
