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 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 liberii 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 universities in Italy. 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.