Like last year the book industry’s activities in 2021 were affected by a limited number of physical meeting places for book fairs and festivals. So the physical activities that did take place – such as our participation at the Frankfurter Buchmesse, the event in Brno celebrating 100 Norwegian books published in Czech, the translators’ meeting in London, the Non/Fiction book fair in Moscow and two literature events in New York – became all the more important. At the same time, there has been a good response to the digital services we offer, such as our webinars for agents, editors and translators, which are arranged in close collaboration with the Norwegian embassies and consulates.

In connection with H.R.H. Crown Prince Haakon Magnus’ official visit to the USA from 5.-8. December, NORLA, along with Norway’s Consulate General in New York and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, organised two literary events in New York. The delegation consisted of three authors and eight literary agents, whose presence, along with NORLA, breathed life into our important American trade relationships.

Dilek Basak Carelius is a translator of both non-fiction and fiction from Norwegian to Turkish. She has translated books by Erlend Loe, Vigdis Hjorth and Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson, among others. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English language and literature from Bosphorous University and a Master’s degree in theatre studies from the University of Oslo. Dilek lives in Oslo and her translation of Linn Ullmann’s Unquiet is just about to be published.

Instead of buying something, we encourage everyone to find a black book at home and enjoy it!
Here, our skilled intern Ieva has here collected books that have been translated from Norwegian to Baltic languages through grants from NORLA.
You can see several other black books, which have been translated into lots of different languages, on our Flickr profile.

Take a closer look at some great black books here

Norwegian Arts Abroad (NAA) are helping to promote the Norwegian arts internationally with a new interdisciplinary competence program. On Thursday evening, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anniken Huitfeldt, launched the program and its seven teams of participants at a reception in the State Representation House.

Are you a publisher, editor, sub-agent or scout who is interested in publishing and working with Norwegian literature?
Then you should set the dates May 31 – June 2, 2022!

NORLA’s subsidy scheme for export and market initiatives will boost demand, exports, and market development for Norwegian books and authors abroad, The scheme supports the development of good marketing ideas and initiatives for titles which have a strong potential, which contribute to new initiatives or put wind in the sails of ongoing projects with international partners. There are many initiatives being planned.

Tarjei Vesaas (1897-1970) was one of the greatest Norwegian authors of the 20th century, and many believe it was a huge oversight that he didn’t receive the Nobel Prize in literature. His novels The Birds (1957) and The Ice Palace (1963) are considered two of his most important works. Fifty years after his death he is still relevant, and being translated and read more than ever.

November’s translator of the month is Krystalli Glyniadakis from Greece. She is an award-winning poet with a weakness for Norwegian nature, open-water swimming (i.e. in the sea, lakes or rivers), salmon, warm clothes and Ottoman history.
Krystalli works as an editor at a publishing house in Athens and she fell in love with the Norwegian language about 23 years ago, when her Norwegian girlfriend spoke on the phone to people back home. Now she, too, can almost do the same.

“The White Ravens” offers 200 notable children’s and young adult books, selected by the International Youth Library in Munich.
The books come from 54 countries and are published in 38 languages.

Among the 200 selected books five are from Norway: