May 23-May 26 2023
Norway

NORLA's activities during the Norwegian Literature Festival in Lillehammer

We are happy to host visits by several international groups during the Norwegian Festival of Literature in Lillehammer:

As in previous years, NORLA is inviting foreign publishers to apply for a fellowship during the Norwegian Festival of Literature. This year the focus is on children’s and young adult literature, and the program runs between 23-26 May.
The participants will be introduced to Norwegian authors and have meetings with literary agents for children’s and young adult literature, They will also have the opportunity to attend several cultural and social events in the beautiful surroundings of Lillehammer. In addition, the participants will also take part in a kick-off event for Norway as the Guest of Honour at the Bologna Book Fair in 2026.

We also are happy to invite translators of Norwegian literature to apply to participate in our program during the festival in Lillehammer. NORLA covers the travel costs, board and lodging, for ten participants, from Tuesday 23 – Friday 26 May.
The translators are free to follow the festival’s extensive program at their own leasure. They will also be able to participate in sections of this year’s fellowship program.

This year we have the pleasure of inviting to an Opening Conference for Norway as Guest of Honour in Bologna 2026, a kickstart event open to all. The conference takes place Wednesday 24 May, 9:00-12:00 at the Kulturhuset Banken in Lillehammer.
Please register here if you would like to join us.
Read more and see detailes program here

As in previous years, we have also invited literary journalists to visit the festival. This year there are four journalists participating, from the USA, Italy, Portugal and Croatia.

We are looking forward to fruitful days at Scandinavia’s largest literature festival!

Upcoming activities

September 17-September 20
Oslo and Stavanger, Norway

Fellowship for non-fiction editors

Eight international non-fiction editors will visit Norway September 17 – 20 to participate in NORLA’s fellowship program in Oslo and Stavanger. On Wednesday, September 18th, they will meet with non-fiction editors and authors in Oslo. On Thursday, September 19th, the group will travel to Stavanger to attend the literature festival Kapittel and to meet authors, as well as explore the city and enjoy a boat tour on Lysefjorden.

September 19-September 22
Stavanger, Norway

On the Way to Leipzig - from Stavanger

The planning for Norway as Guest of Honour at the Leipziger Buchmesse is well underway. During the literature festival Kapittel in Stavanger from September 19th to 22nd, the German-Norwegian program series titled Auf dem Weg nach Leipzig (On the Way to Leipzig) will be presented. This is a festival within a festival, organized by Kapittel in collaboration with the Norwegian-German Willy Brandt Foundation, the Goethe-Institut, and NORLA.

The aim is to introduce German literature to Norwegian readers and foster discussions about literature and current societal issues in Norway and Germany/Switzerland/Austria through meetings between Norwegian and German authors. In the author conversations, German-speaking authors will meet their Norwegian colleagues, such as Judith Hermann / Monika Isakstuen, Christoph Ransmayr / Erik Fosnes Hansen, and Simon Strauss / Simon Stranger.

The complete program will be continuously updated here

October 24-October 27
Krakow, Poland

Extensive Norwegian Program at the Krakow Book Fair

From October 24-27, NORLA will participate in the Krakow Book Fair in collaboration with the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Warsaw. The book fair coincides with the Joseph Conrad Festival in Krakow. NORLA and the embassy will have a stand at the book fair, with various activities including a bookstore, book signings, Norwegian language courses, and more.

In addition, NORLA will be hosting a seminar for non-fiction publishers and Norwegian literary agents on Thursday, October 24, featuring the authors Bjørn Berge and Ingvild Holtan-Hartwig.
Authors Kjersti Anfinnsen, Karl Ove Knausgård, Maja Lunde, and Lars Saabye Christensen have been invited by their Polish publishers to participate in the book fair and/or the Conrad Festival.

Please see our Facebook-event here