Hanna Stoltenberg - Selected Title Author
We are happy to present our selected title author Hanna Stoltenberg. She has written Exchanges (original title: En positiv forskjell). The book is one of NORLA’s Selected Titles of the autumn 2025.
What inspired you to write this book?
It was actually another novel: The Great Fortune, the first book in Olivia Manning’s Balkan Trilogy. The story follows a young British couple who move to Bucharest, Romania, where the husband has gotten a job as an English teacher – just before the outbreak of World War II. My boyfriend and I lived in Beirut for a short period in 2016, and although this is by no means an autobiographical novel, upon reading Manning’s book, I realized that I could use my own experience to tell a similar story. I’ve also thought a great deal about the obligation inherent in being a witness – both for people close to you and for those far away. My novel unfolds against the backdrop of the war in Syria, the first conflict that brought a continuous stream of extreme, unedited suffering directly onto our mobile screens.
Who is this book for?
Everyone – though not everyone will like it.
Read more
See full presentation of the book here
Read more about the author here
See all NORLA’s Selected Titles for the autumn 2025 here
