Translators seminar in Moscow – in commemoration of the translator Ljubov Gorlina

Russian-Norwegian translators are organizing a seminar on 5 February 2016 at the embassy in Moscow. Translators from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Archangelsk and Murmansk will take part. The seminar is dedicated to the translator Ljubov Gorlina (1926-2013).

In the course of her career Ljubov – by many known as Ljuba – Gorlina translated a large number of books from Norwegian and also Swedish into Russian. Her debut was with Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson’s A Happy Boy, and from the early 1960s up to the end of her life she made Norwegian authors such as Knut Hamsun, Torborg Nederaas, Tormod Haugen, Herbjørg Wassmo, Jostein Gaarder, Aksel Sandemose, Thorvald Steen, Jon Ewo, Ketil Bjørnstad, Anne-Cath. Vestly and many, many others available to Russian readers.

In 1995 she was awarded the St. Olav’s Medal for her work and the dissemination of Norwegian culture and literature.

Ljubov was a mentor in the Russian translation community who did a great deal to help her younger colleagues find their way at the beginning of their careers. For that reason, the organizers wish to dedicate this year’s translators seminar to her.

NORLA will be represented at the seminar and also contribute a small subsidy.

For the seminar, NORLA has produced a film about Ljuba Gorlina. The film is in Norwegian (with Russian sub-titles), and in it several renowned people from the Norwegian literary scene share their stories of meetings with Ljuba; The first director of NORLA, Kristin Brudevoll, authors Herbjørg Wassmo, Thorvald Steen and Jon Ewo, and former literary agent of the Gyldendal publishing house, Eva Lie-Nielsen.
See NORLA’s film below:

A tribute to Ljuba Gorlina (with Russian sub-titles) – Памяти российского переводчика Любови Горлиной (1926-2013) from NORLA.

Read more about the seminar (in Russian) here.

See a list of Ljubov Gorlina’s translations in the National Library’s database here.

If you understand Norwegian or Russian, you might want to have a look at the TV-documentary about Ljubov Gorlina, “Norsk litteratur er hele mitt liv” (made by NRK, Norwegian Broadcasting corporation,1993), here.

(Photo: Wikipedia commons)

Upcoming activities

October 9-October 11

New York, USA

Norwegian author program at the 200th anniversary of Norwegian emigration to the USA

NORLA is collaborating with the Royal Norwegian Consulate General in New York on several literary events in connection with the arrival of the ship Restauration in New York on October 9. The vessel set sail from Stavanger on July 4 and is scheduled to arrive in New York on October 9 – retracing the exact journey of the first Norwegian emigrant ship that departed on the same dates in 1825. Upon arrival, a large public celebration is planned at the pier, with 2,000–3,000 guests expected from 10:00–14:00.

HRH Crown Prince Haakon, together with the voyage’s patron Liv Ullmann, will welcome the ship, and a variety of cultural events will take place at the harbor. NORLA will host a stand highlighting Norwegian literature. Mari Kanstad Johnsen will hold a children’s reading session on board the ship Wavertree, while moderator Anderson Tepper will lead a conversation with Lars Mytting, Edy Poppy, and Jon Fosse’s translator Damion Searls at the beautiful McNally Jackson Seaport bookstore, located at Pier 16.

Thor Gotaas will give a talk on Norwegian immigration and Ørkenen Sur during a ferry trip on the East River with HRH Crown Prince Haakon and invited guests.

October 10

The Fosse Prize 2026 – NORLA Invites Endorsements

We welcome endorsements that meet the criteria below, with a brief justification (maximum 1 page), by Friday October 10, 2025, 12:00 (CET):

• The prize will be awarded to a translator who has made a particularly significant contribution to translating Norwegian literature and/or drama into another language (directly from Norwegian), with emphasis on their entire body of work.
• The promotion of literature and culture beyond translation can also be considered.

October 15-October 19

Frankfurt, Germany

NORLA at Frankfurter Buchmesse

NORLA will be present at this year’s Frankfurter Buchmesse. You are invited to come by and visit us at the Nordic common stand at Hall 4.1, stand B17.
We are very much looking forward to meeting contacts both old and new!

Please contact us should you like to book an appointment.