H.R.H. The Crown Princess and 13 authors to the Leipzig Book Fair
In 2019 Norway will be Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair. Norwegian literature abroad will become increasingly visible leading up to the Guest of Honour year, and this applies to other book fairs and festivals in Germany and internationally. This year, Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit will visit the Leipzig Book Fair, as ambassador for Norwegian literature abroad. A total of 13 Norwegian authors will meet their German readers there! The Norwegian program can be found at the bottom of the page.
– The Leipzig Book Fair is a fantastic public book fair and reading festival in Germany. We look forward to the large Norwegian presence this year; and also to being there with the Crown Princess, writers, translators and other parts of the German and Norwegian book industry, to promote Norwegian literature in Germany, says Halldor Gudmundsson, project manager for the Frankfurt project.
Conversation between the Crown Princess and Maja Lunde
Crown Princess Mette-Marit is ambassador for Norwegian literature abroad and an important supporter of the Frankfurt project. She has undertaken a special task of promoting Norwegian literature internationally.
During the Leipzig Book Fair, the Crown Princess will have a conversation with the author Maja Lunde, which will be broadcast on German tevelevision. Lunde’s The History of Bees, was Germany’s best-selling book of 2017 – independent of genre. Lund’s second book in her climate quartet, Blue, will come out in German translation, and be available in German bookstores, immediately after the fair.
The conversation between the Crown Princess and Lunde will be taking place in a very important German literary arena. “Das Blaue Sofa” (The Blue Sofa) is an institution for literature in Germany. During the Leipzig Book Fair and the Frankfurt Book Fair, the TV channel ZDF, Deutchlandfunk and Bertelsmann have their own stage where authors are interviewed in front of an audience.
German bookstores part of the Frankfurt project
German bookstores are being included in the Frankfurt project in a more far-reaching manner. This will already begin at the Leipzig Book Fair with a reception in the presence of the Crown Princess.
– Engaging bookstores is crucial to ensuring that the many Norwegian titles, translated into German, get into German bookstores and reach German readers, says Halldor.
The bookshops initiative is a collaboration with the German bookstore and publisher association Börsenvorein.
Åsne Seierstad receives prestigious award
During the opening of the Leipzig Book Fair on March 14, Åsne Seierstad will receive the book fair’s literary award for European understanding. She is receiving the award for her book One Of Us. The award, The Leipzig Book Prize for European Understanding has been presented since 1994. Last year, the French novelist Mathias Énard received the award for his book Compass.
13 Norwegian authors present
In addition to Maja Lunde and Åsne Seierstad, 11 other Norwegian authors will visit the Leipzig Book Fair. There will have never been so many Norwegian authors present. The Leipzig Book Fair is primarily for the public and is a meeting place for authors and readers.
This year, the following Norwegian writers will meet their German readers at the book fair:
- Bjørn Berge
- Ingunn Thon
- Lars Lenth
- Maja Lunde
- Monica Isakstuen
- Nina Lykke
- Åsne Seierstad
- Ingvild Lothe
- Lars Petter Sveen
- Lotta Elstad
- Øystein Morten
- Gudrun Skretting
- Heidi Sævareid
Talent development programme, New Voices
Lars Petter Sveen, Lotta Elstad, Øystein Morten, Gudrun Skretting and Heidi Sævareid are part of NORLA’s talent development program New Voices. Cultivating new literary voices internationally is an important goal of the Frankfurts initiative, and New Voices is one of the measures being taken to achieve this goal. NORLA has entered into this development program in collaboration with Talent Norway and the Norwegian Publishers Association.
The program began in January 2017. Each group have six months during which they are offered courses and training in Oslo; and also the opportunity to present themselves and their authorship at festivals and book fairs around the world. In January 2018, the third group in the talent development program was selected and these writers will attend the Leipzig Book Fair and meet German publishers and translators, and will also talk about their books in front of a German audience.
Press contact
Read the press release about H.R.H. Crown Princess’ presence in Leipzig here
For inquiries regarding the Crown Princess’s presence in Leipzig, please contact:
- Acting Head of Communication at The Royal Court: Ole Edvard Wold-Reitan – Telephone 906 67 549
- Senior Advisor at The Foreign Office’s Culture Section: Bjørn Erik Brustad – Telephone 91557195
For inquiries regarding the remaining program at the Leipzig Book Fair, please contact NORLA’s PR Manager Sunniva Adam – Telephone 41 45 12 45
Accreditation
Journalists wishing to cover the Crown Princess’s visit to Leipzig must apply for accreditation to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs visits section by latest 9th March 2018. Contact: Henrik Width – hewi@mfa.no – Telephone 980 06 581
