Norwegian literature abroad is growing. In 2018, NORLA granted support for the translation of 639 books by Norwegian authors, into 45 languages. Making 2018 the best year there has ever been for Norwegian literature in translation.

– Never, in NORLA’s 40-year history, have so many titles been granted translation support, says Margit Walsø, NORLA’s director.

Our January translator of the month is Banu Gürsaler Syvertsen from Turkey. Banu has recently translated Dag Solstad’s Shyness and Dignity, and is currently featured in the Nordic-themed January edition of the journal SabitFikir.

Author and illustrator Kristin Roskifte took part in the children’s literature festival Bookaroo, in New Delhi, December 1st and 2nd, 2018.

We have been fortunate enough to get a postcard from her. Read it here:

Georg Grosz meets Mulysses at Slush Mountain
Modern illustration from Norway

2019 is Norway’s year as Guest of Honour at Frankfurter Buchmesse, and the first event in this Guest of Honour year will be the touring exhibition "Georg Grosz meets Mulysses on Slush Mountain. Modern illustration from Norway.” The exhibition will open at Felleshuset, at the Norwegian Embassy in Berlin, on January 23rd.

Next year, Norway will be Guest of Honour at the Frankfurter Buchmesse. Bringing forth new literary voices internationally is an important goal of the initiative. NORLA has entered into the development program, New Voices, in collaboration with Talent Norway and the Norwegian Publishers’ Association.

Group 5 of New Voices consists of the following authors:

The most important year for Norwegian literature abroad is approaching fast. We look back upon a year of preparations, new friends and experiences. 2018 has been a fantastic prelude to 2019!

“Kunst i tall 2017” (English: Art in numbers 2017) is an annual report for the income of the cultural industries in Norway; literature, music, visual arts and performance, made by Rambøll Management Consulting for the Norwegian Arts Council.
The report shows increased sales of foreign rights of Norwegian books: the sale of rights, royalties and coproduction combined has increased by 9.4 percent annually since 2013 and the growth was 20 % from 2016 to 2017.

The report (in Norwegian) here.

One of NORLA’s main objectives is to help Norwegian books and writers get the best possible attention abroad and thereby increase rights sales. NORLA’s agreement with the rights portal IPR License, intensifies these efforts.

December’s translator of the month is Martin Aitken, from England. His very first literary translation from the Norwegian was “My Struggle” by Karl Ove Knausgård, together with Don Bartlett!
Martin was recently shortlisted for the coveted National Book Awards in the US for his translation of Hanne Ørstavik’s novel Love. And now they are long-listed in the PEN America Literary Awards 2019 for best translation!
His most recent translation is the children’s book Estragon’s Stories. The Rat Catcher of Sorø, written by Gaute Heivoll and illustrated by John Kenn Mortensen, which he has translated into Danish(!). Martin has also translated an impressive number of Danish novelists.

During the presentation of the culture report “The Power of Culture,” Trine Skei Grande asserted that cultural policy is freedom of expression’s policy. We at NORLA could not agree more.

The winners are:

Two of our colleagues just came back from a grand tour of Japan in the company of authors Linn Strømsborg and Monica Isakstuen – who both take part in our New Voices-program this autumn – and translator Anne Lande Peters, who is NORLA’s Translator of the Month in November.

They have lots of great memories of exciting events and many inspiring meetings. See the pictures here!