February’s translator of the month is João Reis, who translates both non-fiction and fiction from Norwegian to Portuguese. The authors he has translated include Knut Hamsun, Karl Ove Knausgård, Vigdis Hjorth and Dag Solstad. In addition to Norwegian, he translates from Swedish, Danish, Icelandic and English. João has translated more than 80 books and is also a fiction writer himself. He lives in Porto, Portugal.

Mette Børja, Senior Communications Adviser, will be stepping into a new role this spring, as a Coordinator for NORLA`s Translator`s Conference in June.
Together with Program Manager Dina Roll-Hansen, she will be having the overall responsibility for the conference.
To fill Mette`s previous role, we have engaged Martine Jonsrud in a temporary 60% part time position as Communications Adviser until end of August.
In addition, our intern Agata Kazmierczak, who started in NORLA working with Norway as Guest of Honour at the Book Fair in Warszawa earlier this year, has been offered a 60% part time Project Assistant role until this summer.

On Monday 6 February, it was officially announced that Norway will be Guest of Honour at the Cairo International Book Fair in 2024.

Today is the National Sami Day! We in NORLA are proud to be contributing to the translation of Sámi literature, and here are some recent highlights.

As in previous years, NORLA would like to invite translators of Norwegian literature to Lillehammer in connection with the Norwegian Festival of Literature. For up to ten participants, NORLA will cover travel expences, board and lodging from Tuesday 23 until Friday 26 May. It is possible to extend the stay at your own expense.

The participants will be able to take part in the festival’s rich programme at their own leasure. They are also invited to participate in program events of our international  fellowship program: introductions to outstanding children’s and young adults authors and illustrators from Norway, plus an introduction to Norwegian children’s literature and book industry. We are also invite our participants to a kick-off for Norway as Guest of Honour at Bologna Book Fair in 2026.
Translators may also have meetings with literary agents in the Rights Centre at the hotel. The Rights Centre is a collaboration with the Norwegian Festival of Literature in Lillehammer.

The scheme can only be applied for by those who translate directly from Norwegian.

NORLA invites foreign publishers, editors, sub-agents and scouts of Children’s and Young Adults literature to apply for our fellowship program at the Norwegian Festival of Literature in Lillehammer, 23 – 26 May 2023.
Please apply here

January’s translator of the Month is Roxana-Ema Dreve, who translates fiction from Norwegian and Swedish into Romanian and has, among other things, translated Karl Ove Knausgård’s My Struggle 3. In addition to being a translator, Roxana works as an associate professor at Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj, Romania, where she is currently head of the Department of Scandinavian Language and Literature. Her latest translation is Maja Lunde’s novel for young adults, Battle, which will be published at the beginning of 2023.

NORLA is looking forward to hosting a large-scale conference for translators of literature from Norway, at Lily Country Club, outside of Oslo, June 26-28.
The conference will provide professional training, expertise and inspiration for translators. The program will offer a rich diversity of topics related to Norway’s languages and literature, translation and also great opportunities for networking.

For the first time, translators who wish to participate in the conference have be invited to apply.

The 2022 Norwegian Festival of Literature at Lillehammer took place in May/June. NORLA offered, in close co-operation with several parties, a rich program with activities for several groups invited from abroad: publishers and editors, translators, booksellers and journalists, as well as literary agents from Norway and abroad – plus of course a great number of authors.

Please read more in our overview which may be downloaded below.

December’s translator of the month is Sara Culeddu, who translates from Norwegian and Swedish into Italian. She has studied Norwegian language and literature in Florence and spent a few years living in Oslo after university; now she is an associate professor of Scandinavian studies at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and is also a translator. She collaborates with many Italian publishers and has translated Knut Hamsun, Hanne Ørstavik, Erika Fatland, Line Baugstø, Monica Kristensen, Erling Kagge and Halldis Moren Vesaas, among others.

Norwegian authors were at the centre of attention when Norway was the Guest of Honour at the 2022 Book Fair in Warsaw, 26 – 29 May.
30 writers and illustrators from Norway featured in 50 different events, and met engaged Polish readers on various books fair stages and in long signing queues.

Read NORLA’s report on the Guest of Honour project here