NORLA

Rave reviews for Per Petterson's "Echoland"

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.

All of 392 Norwegian books published in translation 2015

During 2015 NORLA received a record-breaking 392 Norwegian books that have been published in a total of 47 languages made possible by translation subsidies from NORLA (and within the Nordic countries: from the Nordic Council of Ministers).
This surpasses even last year’s all-time high.

See all Norwegian books published abroad in 2015 through funding below.

Norwegian literature continued to conquer the world in 2015

In 2015 NORLA received all of 451 applications for translation subsidies, the largest number of applications in NORLA’s history. Out of these NORLA awarded subsidies to 431 publications of Norwegian books for translation into 46 different languages. This is the same number of allocations as in the record year of 2012.
It is particularly impressive that a total of 114 of NORLA’s awarded translation subsidies went to books for children and young people, an auspicious increase from last year’s record of 100 subsidies granted.

2019 will be a year packed with exciting activities

We look forward to all the meetings and experiences ahead!
There are many highlights ahead, both in Norway and abroad, in our Guest of Honour year at the Frankfurter Buchmesse.
Below we have listed some of the activites that will take place in the months to come.

An eventful June at NORLA!

There’s been quite a lot of activity at NORLA over the last month, with many great meetings both at home and abroad! We would like to share some photos and briefly inform you about the various events that have taken place.

NORLA congratulates the winners of the 2018 Ministry of Culture’s literary prizes for children and young adults!

Today, the Norwegian Minister of Culture, Trine Skei Grande, awarded the prestigious 2018 Ministry of Culture’s literary prizes for children and young adult literature published in 2018.
A total of NOK 415,000 were awarded in eight different categories for children’s and YA literature; Best Fiction Book, Best Picture Book, Best Non-fiction Book, First Book Award, Best graphic novel/Cartoon, The Illustration Award, The Translation Award and The Special Award.

A trip to India - postcard from the author Kristin Roskifte

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:

Touring exhibition of illustration to open Norway’s Guest of Honour year

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.

Martin Aitken - December's translator of the Month

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.

Warm welcome for Norwegian literature in Japan

Norwegian authors and NORLA were recently in Japan and were greeted with an overwhelming interest in Norwegian literature. On 6−10 March, there was a seminar on Norwegian literature, organized in collaboration with the Norwegian Embassy in Tokyo. The seminar was designed for publishers and translators, and was about crime fiction, children’s and picture books, and translation.

The Norwegian participants were author Jørn Lier Horst, author and illustrator Mari Kanstad Johnsen, translator Anne-Lande Peters, publisher Svein Størksen (Magikon) and literature agent Hans Petter Bakketeig (Stilton Literary Agency), along with NORLA’s Director Margit Walsø and NORLA’s Senior Adviser Dina Roll-Hansen.
The programme also included eminent Japanese participants, who gave presentations or took part as moderators.

Summer Greeting from NORLA’s Director Margit Walsø

The most important news item of the spring for Norwegian cultural life was that Norway was named Guest of Honour for the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2019. In the speech given by the Minister of Culture in conjunction with the signing of the agreement, she emphasized that Norway has hereby acquired a unique position for the internationalization of Norwegian literature and culture through the book fair’s strong position in the important German market and worldwide. The Guest of Honour project provides great opportunities for Norwegian authors and for increasing the export of literature in the coming years. The book trade’s combined investment will be crucial and Norwegian Book Day in June clearly demonstrated that the industry is prepared to make the most of this opportunity. Activities commence now. NORLA’s talent development programme for new literary voices within all genres will start up in the autumn, in collaboration with Talent Norway and the Norwegian Publishers Association.

Fifth season of NORLA's translators hotel

Today, NORLA had the pleasure of welcoming four new translators to Oslo for the fifth season of our translators hotel at Hotell Bondeheimen:

Katerina Kristufkova (Czech)
Riina Hanso (Estonian)
Eleonora Pankratova (Russian)
Miroslav Zumrik (Slovakian).

We look forward to spending the next two weeks in their company!

The translators are at present translating among others the following books: Erlend Loe’s novel Volvo lastvagnar, Marit Reiersgård’s crime fiction novel Tall Snow, Tore Rem’s award-winning Knut Hamsun. The Journey to Hitler and Merethe Lindstrøm’s From the Winter Archives.

They look forward to meeting authors they are translating, or will be translating, and to better get to know Norwegian publishers and agents. They will also take part in several literary events and book launches during their stay, as well as visits to bookshops. In addition to this, the Norwegian Children’s Book Festival in Oslo (Barnebokfestivalen, September 15-17), and Oslo Culture Night (Oslo kulturnatt, September 16) will offer great opportunities for dives into Norwegian literature, culture and history.

All four will also be having work stations in our office, so we look forward to seeing them almost daily.

(From the left: NORLA’s Torill Johansen (who administers the translators hotel scheme), Katerina Kristufkova, Riina Hanso, Eleonora Pankratova and
Miroslav Zumrik.
Photo: Mette Børja).

NORLA’s activities in the 1st quarter 2015

This spring, NORLA’s staff look forward to attending several book fairs, events and literary festivals around the world. See detailed list below.
Feel free to contact us to schedule a meeting!

NORLA offers its warmest congratulations to the winners of the Brage Prize 2018

The winners are:

NORLA’s Translator’s Award 2016 goes to Nargis Shinkarenko

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.

A bustle of Norwegian activity in Frankfurt

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.

Art and culture for freedom of expression

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.

NORLA offers its warmest congratulations to the winners of the Brage Prize 2016

Ninth season of NORLA's Translators Hotel

Today, NORLA had the pleasure of welcoming four new translators to Oslo for the ninth season of our translators hotel at Hotell Bondeheimen.
The four translators are:

NORLA congratulates the winners of the 2014 Brage Prize