We would like to remind foreign publishing houses that it is possible to apply for translation subsidies from NORLA for the publication of Norwegian books. The forthcoming application deadlines are:

1 April 2015 – for fiction
1 June 2015 – for non-fiction.

For the first time, Norwegian playwright Jon Fosse’s works have been translated into Chinese.
The milestone was marked by the international Jon Fosse festival (Fosse’s Blossoms) in Shanghai in November, staging five of his plays from five different countries – Russia, India, Italy, Iran and China.

NORLA warmly congratulates poet, author and translator Jan Erik Vold on his receiving Arts Council Norway’s Honorary Award 2014.

Read more about Jan Erik Vold here.

Read more about Arts Council Norway’s Honorary Award (in Norwegian) here.

It is our pleasure to be able to share an interview with the children’s book author and illustrator Kari Stai, who recently visited India to attend the children’s book festival Bookaroo in New Delhi and present her books about Jakob and Neikob. The trip received funding from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ developing nations programme Land i Sør.

Linn Ullmann’s highly praised novel The Cold Song (original title: Det dyrebare) was published in the US in the spring of 2014, and the novel is now appearing on several “Best books of the year”-listings. In The New York Times Book review The Cold Song is one of the “100 notable books of 2014”. The novel is also featured on the Independent Bookstore’s list of the 50 best books of the year, and Kirkus Reviews list of the best fiction of the year.

The book is translated from the Norwegian by Barbara J. Haveland and published through translation subsidy from NORLA.

NORLA congratulates Per Petterson on the enthusiastic praise of his novel I Refuse (Jeg nekter) in the English speaking world.
The Guardian describes the novel as “a masterful study of time”, and also includes it on its list of the best books of the year.
The novel is also chosen as one of the best books of the year by Paul Binding in TLS, Times Literary Supplement.

NORLA started in 2014 a pilot scheme for a translators hotel for translators of Norwegian literature. The scheme has been an unconditional success and will be renewed also in 2015.

All of three Norwegian authors are long-listed for the prestigious IMPAC Dublin Literary Award 2015, based on the votes of librarians from 39 countries. All of us at NORLA congratulate Gaute Heivoll, Ingrid Storholmen and Karl Ove Knausgård (who has been nominated for the third time).

NORLA offers its warmest congratulations to Lars Mytting on his receiving the 2014 Norwegian Booksellers’ Prize. The prize is awarded for his critically acclaimed novel The Flame Birches (original title: Svøm med dem som drukner).

Read more about Mytting (in German) here.

And read more about The Norwegian Booksellers’ Prize and see previous winners here.

The winners are:

Fiction
Rune Christiansen:
The Loneliness in Lydia Erneman’s Life
(Ensomheten i Lydia Ernemans liv, Oktober)

Non-fiction
Marte Michelet: The Ulitmate Crime
(Den største forbrytelsen, Gyldendal)

Open class: short stories and essays
Ingvild H. Rishøi: Winter Stories
(Vinternoveller, Gyldendal)

Books for children and young adults
Annette Münch: Badboy: Steroid
(Cappelen Damm)

Honorary award
Author Vigdis Hjort

Read more about the Brage Prize, and see previous winners, here.

Maria Parr’s popular first novel Waffle Hearts is shortlisted for the 2015 Marsh Award for Children’s Literature in Translation and NORLA offers its warmest congratulations to the book’s translator Guy Puzey and to Maria Parr!

The Marsh Award for Children’s Literature in Translation seeks to address a situation in the UK in which less than 3% of work published for children and young people has been from the non-English speaking world.