NORLA’s activities during the Norwegian Festival of Literature in Lillehammer

International publishing seminar
NORLA and The Norwegian Publishers’ Association annually invite foreign publishers to a seminar on Norwegian literature during the Norwegian Festival of Literature. Interest in travelling to Oslo and Lillehammer is increasing; and this year, fiction publishers from France, the Netherlands, Poland and English-speaking countries have been invited. On day one, the publishers will meet Norwegian colleagues in Oslo. The day after, they will visit several of the central Norwegian publishers before catching the train to Lillehammer. In addition to a cultural program, they will also see presentations from a number of current Norwegian fiction writers. The seminar is supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Translator seminar

For the last 23 years NORLA has held seminars for translators at Literary festival in Lillehammer This year we will host a translator seminar dedicated to adult fiction, and have invited translators to English, French, Polish and Dutch.
The translators will meet Tiril Broch Aakre, one of the authors who has participated in NORLA’s “New Voices” program. They will work on translating an excerpt from the novel “Fjällräven gul,” and discuss various challenges in the text.
In addition to attending the literature festival program, the translators, along with a group of international publishers, will see presentations by a number of current Norwegian fiction writers.

We look forward to a seminar which, we hope, will be useful in the translators’ future work!

Press visitors
During the Norwegian Festival of Literature, NORLA will host a press visit for a group of German journalists and book bloggers. Our guests will get to experience both Oslo and Lillehammer, and they will be introduced to a great number of authors.

Visit the festival’s website.

Did you know that in 2017, the Norwegian Festival of Literature at Lillehammer was named one of the best literature festivals in the world by Penguin Random House The Writers’ Academy? Read more

And in 2017, Lillehammer was also named a creative city of literature in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.
Read more.

Upcoming activities

November 14-November 16

Shanghai, China

Norwegian Participation at the Shanghai Children’s Book Fair

NORLA is taking part in the Shanghai Children’s Book Fair with a stand designed for meetings and professional networking. The two illustrators/authors Øyvind Torseter and Marianne Gretteberg Engedal (Skinkeape) will participate in the fair’s professional program and panel discussions. Both also serve on the jury for the Norwegian illustration exhibition at Bologna 2026.
In addition, several Norwegian publishers/agents will take part.

The initiative is carried out in collaboration with the Royal Norwegian Consulate in Shanghai.

December 3-December 5

Rome, Italy

Networking Event and Launch of the Guest of Honour Program during the Rome Book Fair Più libri più liberi

The book fair Più libri più liberi is dedicated to small and medium-sized publishers, and NORLA is looking forward to participating for the second time – focusing on Norway’s Guest of Honour initiative at Bologna 2026 and on Norwegian children’s literature in general. And just like last year, we are hosting a networking event and gearing up for Bologna 2026 by launching the Guest of Honour concept and program. Also, Norwegian agents will take part in the fair’s fellowship and/or be present in the rights centre. The program is organized in collaboration with the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Rome.

In the lead-up to the book fair, we are organizing a full-day seminar for Italian translators and Norwegian language students from the University of Milan. The seminar will take place at Casa delle Traduzioni, and participants will have the opportunity to meet author and illustrator Malin Falch. The sessions will be led by established Italian translators of Norwegian literature.