We would also thank our good friends and contacts for a pleasant collaboration in the past year.

Read our director Margit Walsø’s Seasons Greetings here

NORLA’s offices will be closed for the Christmas holidays as of Friday 23 December. We will open our doors again on Monday 2 January, 2017.

2016 has been a very good year for Norwegian literature abroad.

NORLA, Norwegian Literature Abroad, is starting to implement the project team for the Norwegian Guest of Honour-presentation in 2019.

The first group of participants chosen for NORLA’s development programme for new literary talents – “New Voices” – has been decided. The four names are:
Simen Ekern, Sigbjørn Mostue, Roskva Koritzinsky and Nils Henrik Smith.

NORLA’s Translator of the Month in December is the brit Don Bartlett, who earlier this autumn was awarded the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit in rank of Knight, class I for his formidable efforts as a translator of Norwegian literature. Several of the authors whose books Don have translated, often point out that Don’s contribution in many cases has been one of “co-writing” and rendering the book, rather than translating it.

We offer our warmest congratulations to Don on his receiving the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit!

If you read Norwegian you will find our interview and become better acquainted with Don here.

See Don’s translations of Norwegian titles available in the National Library of Norway database.

We also recommend an excellent interview in LA Review of Books.

At NORLA, we offer our warmest congratulations to Vigdis Hjorth, winner of the 2016 Norwegian Booksellers’ Prize for her critically acclaimed novel Wills and Testaments (original title: Arv og miljø)!

Read more about the novel here.

Echoland, Per Petterson’s debut novel, was recently published in Great Brittain by Harvill Secker, to rave reviews. The book is translated from the Norwegian by Don Bartlett.

The Frankfurt Book Fair is the world’s largest book fair and this year all the Norwegian participants were gathered at a large joint stand, in a reinforced collaboration between the Norwegian Publishers Association, Norwegian agents, NORLA and Norwegian publishers. The stand was a hub of extensive activity and vibrant energy, and it was of course also decorated with many good, beautiful books in all genres.
All seven of NORLA’s staff members took part in the book fair this year for the very first time! This was also NORLA’s 25th anniversary in Frankfurt, an event that was commemorated by a friendly gesture of appreciation from the book fair in the form of a delicious cake delivered to the stand.

Agnes Ravatn’s The Bird Tribunal was recently published in English by Orenda Books, translated by Rosie Hedger. The book is the first translated novel to be part of the «Fresh Talent»-program of booksellers WHSmith, and it is now receiving great reviews from The Big Issue and Crime Fiction Lover.

On September 29th in Oslo, during the celebration of St. Jerome, the patron saint of translators, the 11th recipient of NORLA’s Translator’s Award was announced. The award was established in 2007 to spotlight the work done for Norwegian literature by foreign language translators. The award is to be given to a talented translator and is intended as a measure to encourage the promotion of Norwegian literature.

The award is given annually and on an alternating basis to translators of non-fiction and fiction. This year’s award is for non-fiction and the award recipient is Nargis Shinkarenko, who translates into Russian.

The planning of Norway Guest of Honour Frankfurt 2019 is well under way.