Poem of the Week. 52 poems through the year
Poem of the Week is back!
In 2019, NORLA launched the project, Poem of the Week, 52 poems throughout the year, in connection with Norway being Guest of Honour at the Frankfurter Buchmesse, where modern and older poetry was presented every week to an attentive international audience.
We are now continuing our focus on poetry with a new series, Poem of the Week, which, as it did last time, follows a narrative linked to the seasons. The selection is made by Annette Vonberg.
Read the poems here:
Week 9: Tone Hødnebø: Will the Dead
“Skal de døde” in Norwegian
Week 8: Emil Boyson: Army Hospital Death
“Lasarett-død” in Norwegian
Week 7: From Voluspå: Wolf-age
“Vargold” / “Vargtid” in Norse and Norwegian
Week 6: Mary Ailonieida Sombán Mari: May the Northern Lights
“Boldos guovssahas” / “La nordlyset” in Sámi and Norwegian
Week 5: Inga Ravna Eira: The Gods
“Ipmilat” / “Gudene” in Sámi and Norwegian
Week 4: He Dong: the last piece of ice
“det siste isstykket” in Norwegian and Chinese
Week 3: Steinar Opstad: Ceasefire in Gaza, Snowy Night in Oslo (18. – 19. January 2009)
“Våpen hvile i Gaza, snønatt i Oslo” in Norwegian
Week 2: Carl Keilhau: Loved
“Elsket” in Norwegian
Week 1: Mansur Rajih: “على وزن ما يُغنى” / And Yet They Sing
“Likevel syng dei” in Norwegian
Week 52: Torild Wardenær: Time for Presents
“Gavetid” in Norwegian
Week 51: Hanne Aga: I See You
“Eg ser deg” in Norwegian
Week 50: Paulus Utsi: The Shadow
“Suoivan” / “Skuggan” in Sámi and Swedish
Week 49: Johan Sebastian Welhaven: The Snow’s Now Falling Thick and Fast
“Nu falder Sneen i tætte Lag” in Norwegian
Week 48: Thorvald Steen: On the Ceiling
“I taket” in Norwegian
Week 47: Inger Hagerup: Dies Irae
“Dies Irae” in Norwegian
Week 46: Dorothe Engelbretsdatter You Souls
“I Sjæle” in Norwegian
Week 45: M. Seppola Simonsen: my mother disappears
“min mor forsvinner” in Norwegian
Week 44: Gunvor Hofmo: Between Light and Darkness
“Mellom lys og mørke” in Norwegian
Week 43: Rauni Magga Lukkari: Fall Freezes by the Thicket
“Čakča galbmo skirriid gaskii” / “Høsten fryser til i krattet” in Sámi and Norwegian
Week 42: Olaf Bull: Autumn
“Høst” in Norwegian
Week 41: Claes Gill: Youth in Full Flight
“Flyktende ungdom” in Norwegian
Week 40: Knut Ødegård: Earthsong
“Jordsong” in Norwegian
Week 39: Kate Næss: Mist
“Skodde” in Norwegian
Week 38: Tarjei Vesaas: Late, in the Yard
“Seint i tunet” in Norwegian
Week 37: Henrik Ibsen: She Has Left Us!
“Borte!” in Norwegian
Week 36: Øyvind Berg: Believe We Are Planted With a Purpose
“Tror å være planta med hensikt” in Norwegian
Week 35: Inger Elisabeth Hansen: What is Your Loved One Before the Loves of Others?
“Hva er din elskede framfor andres elskede?” in Norwegian
Week 34: Nils-Aslak Valkeapää: Unborn Reindeer Calf
“šattakeat miessi” / “ufødt reinkalv” in Sámi and Norwegian
Week 33: Mona Høvring: The Little Church Down by the Sea
“Den vesle kirka ved havet” in Norwegian
Week 32: Uke 32: Johanne Fronth-Nygren: I Stick The Key
“Nøkkelen stikker jeg” in Norwegian
Week 31: Rolf Jacobsen: A Path Through Grass
“En sti i gresset” in Norwegian
Week 30: Cathrine Grøndahl: Can Trees File Suit?
“Kan trær gå til sak?” in Norwegian
Week 29: Paal-Helge Haugen: (the unknown)
“(det ukjende)” in Norwegian
Week 28: Marie Takvam: I am Alone
“Eg er åleine” in Norwegian
Week 27: Anne Bøe: Yet Ferns Spread Their Spores
“Men bregner sprer seg” in Norwegian
Week 26: Ruth Lillegraven: Mother and Father
“Mor og far” in Norwegian
Week 25: Henrik Wergeland With a Bouquet
“Med en bouquet” in Norwegian
Week 24: Øyvind Rimbereid: Rose I
“Rose I” in Norwegian
Week 23: Synnøve Persen: I Am Swimming
“Vuojadan” / “Jeg svømmer” in Sámi and Norwegian
Week 22: Astrid Hjertenæs Andersen: Yellow Laburnum
“Gullregn” in Norwegian
Week 21: Halldis Moren Vesaas: Sick deer
“Sjukt dyr” in Norwegian
Week 20: Niko Valkeapää: I have given my heart
“Lean addan vaibmon” / “Jeg har gitt mitt hjerte” in Sámi and Norwegian
Week 19: Stein Mehren: The Kiss
“Kysset” in Norwegian
Week 18: Hanne Bramness: May
“Mai” in Norwegian
Week 17: Triztan Vindtorn: I Want To Touch You
“Jeg vil ta på deg” in Norwegian
Week 16: Gro Dahle: On The Really Bad Days
“På riktig dårlige dager” in Norwegian
Week 15: Helge Torvund: I Was Born on a Plain
“Eg føddes på ei slette” in Norwegian
Week 14: Jon Fosse: Night Psalm
“Nattsalme” in Norwegian
Week 13: Åse-Marie Nesse: The Harps
“Harpene” in Norwegian
Week 12: Aslaug Vaa: Fragment
“Fragment” in Norwegian
Week 11: Hans Børli: March Spring
“Marsvår” in Norwegian
Week 10: Olav H. Hauge: The river-girl
“Elvemøyi” in Norwegian
About Poem of the Week
Poetry in Norway has been asserting itself as a language-forming and society-shaping institution since the early oral tradition and first carved runes, and continues to do so via the multitude of expressions in today’s digital media. Through translations and presentations, the international community has also been able to reap from this long and rich tradition. We look forward to sharing more of this legacy throughout the coming year.
Annette Vonberg is a writer and translator, living in Oslo. She has a master’s degree in German language and literature and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and ancient Greek from the University of Oslo. She translates poetry from Norwegian, English and Greek into German. She teaches German at Oslo Private Gymnasium and has recently given a course in German literature at the University of Oslo.
