Mary Ailonieida Sombán Mari

Mary Ailonieida Sombán Mari (b 1953, Norway) is a Sami author, dramatist and artist resident in Tromsø.

She made her literary debut in 1976 with Ámmul ja alit oarbmælli, the first-ever children’s book written in Sami. Sombán Mari was also one of the founders of the Sami Authors Association.

Since then, she has written several children’s books as well as poetry and prose works for adults. She has also written for the theatre, and was nominated for the Hedda Prize in 2012.

I 2016, Sombán Mari and illustrator Biret Máret Hætta were jointly nominated for the Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize for Čerbmen Bizi – Girdipilohtta (2013). Her latest publication is Beaivváš mánát (Koro, 2020).