Nordic countries Guest of Honour at Book World Prague

Among Czechs there has long been a high level of interest in Nordic literature. Our grandparents were eager to get their hands on the books of Knut Hamsun, Sigrid Undset and Selma Lagerlöf; they also went to the theatre to see the plays of Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg. The huge popularity of contemporary Nordic literature is due in no small part to the region’s celebrated crime fiction – Stieg Larsson, Jo Nesbø and Jussi Adler-Olsen are names known by a great many Czechs today.
The Book World Guest of Honour are in 2016 in frame of the campaign #ReadNordic the Nordic countries – Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The aim of the guest of honour is to present current literary in Nordic literature and introduce us books written by authors coming to the fair.

The wide-ranging programme of discussions will be complemented with book signings, presentations, competitions, exhibitions, and events for children and gastronomes. Many events will be organized directly at the unique Nordic stand (S201) in the middle of the Central hall designed by students from Czech Technical University Markéta Rádková and Monika Fišerová.

Participating Nordic authors and experts are:
Norway: Jostein Gaarder, Jørn Lier Horst, Siri Pettersen, Nils Magne Knutsen.
Denmark: Kaspar Colling Nielsen, Kim Leine, Dorthe Nors, Kirsten Thisted.
Finland: Elina Hirvonen, Katja Kettu, Johanna Sinisalo, Antti Tuomainen.
Iceland: Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, Sjón.
Sweden: Majgull Axelsson, Lotta Lundberg, Bengt Pohjanen, Ulf Stark.

Discussions with writers will be held usually in Nordic languages and interpreted into Czech, in case of discussions with more than two Nordic writers, the common language will be English. Events without participation of Nordic guests will be held in Czech.

See the complete programme of the Guest of Honour here.

Read more about the campaign #Read Nordic.

Upcoming activities

November 22-November 24

Paris, France

Norwegian Literature at the Musée d’Orsay

On Friday, November 22, Margit Walsø and Andrine Pollen will introduce NORLA, along with Norwegian literature and the publishing industry, to Scandinavian Studies students at the Sorbonne University. Students will also meet authors Katrine Nedrejord and Lars Saabye Christensen, who will present themselves and their literary works. Katrine Nedrejord’s book The Sami Problem (original title: Sameproblemet ) will feature in a workshop on translation.

On Saturday, November 23, Marta Breen will deliver a lecture titled Women’s Place, followed by a discussion on ecology and minorities, between Kathrine Nedrejord and translator Marianne Ségol-Samoy, who has translated works by Nedrejord and also Jon Fosse into French.

Marianne Ségol-Samoy will also join a conversation with Gabriel Dufay, an actor, director, and Jon Fosse enthusiast, about the Nobel Prizes in Literature.

November 25

Meeting of NORLA’s expert committee for non-fiction

Meeting of NORLA’s expert committee for non-fiction, for the consideration of applications for translation subsidies with deadline 1 November.

November 26-December 4

Guadalajara, Mexico

NORLA and Norwegian participants to Mexico

From December 1-4, NORLA and the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Mexico will once again be present with a stand at the Guadalajara Book Fair in Mexico, which is the world’s largest Spanish-speaking book fair.