List of Literary Events

On our website you will now find a list of international events featuring Norwegian authors. You will find the list by clicking here or by choosing 'Norwegian Literature Events' in the left-hand margin.

Please e-mail us if your event has not been included.

Translation subsidy - Next application deadlines

The forthcoming application deadlines for NORLA's translation subsidy are:

April 1 for fiction titles

June 1 for non-fiction titles

More information is to be found under 'Translation Subsidy' in the left-hand margin, or by clicking here.

We look forward to receiving your application.

2011 proved to be yet another great year for Norwegian literature abroad

NORLA is pleased to announce that 2011 saw a substantial increase in the number of applications for translation subsidies. We received a total of 398 applications, out of which 383 were granted support for the translation of Norwegian books into 42 different languages.

This surpasses last year's all-time-high of 349 applications (329 of these were granted subsidies for the translation of Norwegian books into 45 different languages).

This year's supported projects include 299 fiction titles and 84 nonfiction titles. And in total 76 books for children and young adults. NORLA has granted subsidies for the translation of 51 books into other Nordic languages.

We would like to thank our friends and colleagues for a fruitful year.

See the complete list below for all details

Please note NORLA's new telephone numbers!

We now have new telephone- and faxnumbers. Please see details below.

We apologize for the recent problems with our switchboard and telephone numbers.

Staff changes at NORLA

NORLA’s Director, Margit Walsø, is on maternity leave, and Andrine Pollen is stepping in as Acting Director.
Senior Executive Officer, Ingrid Overwien, has retired after working at NORLA for more than 14 years. We warmly thank her for her immeasurable efforts serving Norwegian Literature Abroad!
Torill Johansen, NORLA’s Senior Executive Officer/Accountant, is now in charge of the applications for translation subsidies.
NORLA has also hired a substitute until May 1, 2012. Her name is Ane Grøteig.

Andrine Pollen

Torill Johansen

Ane Grøteig

Selected New Books from Norway

You will now find NORLA’s selection of this autumn’s Norwegian books on our web site by clicking here or by choosing 'Selected Titles' in the left-hand margin.

(Photo by Marta Bevacqua)

NORLA's Activities Autumn 2011

NORLA will attend the autumn's book fairs and literary festivals in Beijing, Ukraine, Gothenburg, Frankfurt and Moscow. In addition, NORLA will arrange seminars for translators and Norwegian students. See detailed list below

NORLA at the Sofia International Book Fair, Bulgaria

On December 9, NORLA's adviser, Oliver Møystad, participated in a seminar on Nordic literature during the Sofia International Book Fair. The seminar focused on the translation and publication of Nordic literature in Bulgaria, a country that translates an impressive amount of Norwegian literature.

Between 2004 and 2010, NORLA provided financial support for the translation of 48 Norwegian books into Bulgarian.

NORLA at the Moscow Book Fair

NORLA participated at the Moscow Book Fair, Non/Fiction, from November 30 to December 4. An extensive Norwegian program included the authors Eirik Newth and Tore Renberg, who launched, respectively, 'Life in the Universe' (translated by Jelena Ratsjinskaja) and 'Charlotte Isabel Hansen' (translated by Alexandra Livanova).

Per Øystein Roland and Andrine Pollen from NORLA participated.

Translation seminar in Oslo for nonfiction translators

NORLA arranged our annual seminar in Oslo for invited non-fiction translators on November 17-20. The seminar focused on Norwegian non-fiction, and included author visits and workshops. The participants also took part in the Norwegian Non-fiction Writers and Translators Association’s (NFF's) annual translation seminar.

Chinese Week at the House of Literature in Oslo

From November 14 to 20, the House of Literature in Oslo hosts an event entitled Chinese Week, which includes the appearance of 15 Chinese authors, intellectuals and publishers. NORLA provides travel grants for the publishers, and looks forward to making new connections in the Chinese publishing industry.

There will be 30 different events touching upon themes spanning from the history of the Chinese written language to contemporary urban life seen from a Chinese perspective. The events are free and accessible to all. Norwegian or English-speaking interpreters will be present at the event. Chinese Week is the House of Literature's largest initiative to date.

See the full programme here

NORLA attended seminar in Poland on Nordic children’s literature

This autumn, The Danish Cultural Institute in Warsaw will host a series of seminars on taboo topics in Nordic children’s literature and art for children and youth. This is a Nordic project with participants from all the Nordic countries. The project is geared toward teachers, librarians and parents. The seminar will comprise of workshops, lectures and author visits in three cities: Gdansk, Warsaw and Poznan. Norway’s participant, the author and illustrator Svein Nyhus will, in Warsaw on November 19, speak about his picture book, “Angry Man” (Sinna mann).

In Warsaw, on November 5, NORLA’s adviser for children’s and young adult literature, Dina Roll-Hansen, delivered a lecture entitled “Children's Literature Across Borders,” in which she took a closer look at the children's books that are chosen for translation.

Seminar in Oslo for translators of children’s and young adult literature

On October 31 - November 1, NORLA hosted a small seminar for an invited group of French, Hungarian and Italian translators of children’s and young adult literature. The seminar included the chance to participate in IBBY Norway's Autumn Meeting, at which Norwegian children’s books were presented. For more information about IBBY Norway, visit their web site.

(Illustration by Jan-Kåre Øien for IBBY Norway)

NORLA at the Festival Internacional Cervantino in Mexico, October 23 - 26

The Festival Internacional Cervantino is one of the largest and most prestigious cultural festivals of Latin America. It takes place during three weeks in October each year in the beautiful baroque city, Guanajuato, which is located a few hours north of Mexico City. This year, the Nordic countries (Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark) were the guests of honour, and a number of artists working in different fields of art were invited (Vertavokvartetten, Geir Henning Braaten, Mari Boine, Knut Reiersrud, and Oslo Camerata).

Included in the festival was a program devoted solely to poetry, in which Nordic poets were invited to participate. Gunnar Wærness from Norway took part in the program, as did NORLA’s adviser, Oliver Møystad, who was invited as an interpreter and host. Wærness and Møystad attended the festival from October 23 to October 26.
In relation to the focus on Nordic poetry, an anthology of poems by five poets from each country was published. The Norwegian poets represented in the anthology include Gunnar Wærness, Cecilie Løveid, Inger Elisabeth Hansen, Tone Hødnebø and Steinar Opstad.

Read more on the Nordic guests of honour here and on the festival here

NORLA to the Frankfurt Book Fair


NORLA attended the Frankfurter Buchmesse, October 12 - 16.
This year we were present at stand 5.0 A 927.
More information on the bookfair here.

NORLA at the Gothenburg Book Fair

NORLA attended the Gothenburg Book Fair September, 22 - 25. At the Norwegian joint stand C02: 19 around fifteen Norwegian publishers were represented, displaying more than 100 titles.

More information on the book fair here

NORLA at the Lviv Book Fair, Ukraine

NORLA's Dina Roll-Hansen participated at the Ukrainian Book Fair in Lviv September 15 - 19, along with writer Erlend Loe. The book fair also included a Translator's Festival, in which two Norwegian translators who translate from Ukrainian to Norwegian participated. The visit to Lviv was a follow-up of a major Ukrainian publishers visit to Oslo in the autumn of 2010.

More information on the book fair here

Translator's Seminar in Milan

September 7 - 9, NORLA hosted a translator's seminar on crime fiction i Milan in cooperation with the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Rome and the University of Milan. Participating were the two Norwegian crime fiction authors Kjetil Try and Torkil Damhaug, as well as invited translators and students of Norwegian, in addition to Italian publishers and Norwegian literary agents.

Beijing International Book Fair

NORLA's advisers Dina Roll-Hansen and Per Øystein Roland attended the Beijing International Book Fair, August 28 - September 3.

Visit the fair's website here

Polish festival of contemporary Norwegian literature 13 - 26 June

In June the Polish political magazine "Krytyka Polityczna" (Political Critique) arranged a Norwegian literary festival under the name "Norwegia Fest - The Flow of The Norwegian Alternative".

Several Norwegian writers and artists participated, and more are now available in a new anthology of contemporary Norwegian literary texts which are translated into Polish with translation subsidies from NORLA. The anthology includes excerpts of books and short stories, plays, articles and interviews, and the texts are chosen because they are either left-wing, politically engaged, or present contemporary economy, society and ways of living in a democracy as well as the welfare state of Norway.
Read more about the festival here and see the complete programme here (in Polish)

Seminar for English translators, 15 - 16 June

In cooperation with the Norwegian Embassy in London NORLA held a seminar in Oslo in June for 17 invited translators of Norwegian literature into English. The participants were guided through the Norwegian literary landscape of 2011 and future scenarios of the Norwegian language. They met authors, did a workshop on sample translation and were also 'speed-dating' Norwegian literary agents.

NORLA met publishers in The Hague, June 9

NORLA's Oliver Møystad participated in a publishers' gathering June 9, initiated by the Norwegian ambassador in The Hague. Publishers from both Belgia and the Netherlands were invited to learn more about Norwegian literature and authors, as well as information on NORLA's translation subsidy and other forms of possible subsidies in connection with launches and readings by Norwegian authors abroad.

See more info on NORLA's translation subsidy here.

NORLA in New York 3 - 8 June

NORLA visited New York June 3 - 8, to meet American publishers and participate in the launch of Johan Harstad's novel 'Buzz Aldrin, What Happened To You in All The Confusion' along with the author. Foreign rights to this novel have so far been sold to 11 languages, and in the autumn the filmadaptation of the book will be broadcast as a TV-series in Norway. The book is now published by the American publishing house Seven Stories Press, and has been translated from the Norwegian by Erik Skuggevik and Deborah Dawkin with translation subsidy from NORLA.

The author's visit was supported by the Norwegian Consulate General in New York in cooperation with NORLA.

Read more about Johan Harstad and the novel 'Buzz Aldrin' here and here.

Three Norwegian Poets at the festival 'Marché de la Poesie' in Paris, 27 - 30 May

The Nordic countries were guests of honor at this year's book fair 'Salon de Livre' in Paris. Nordic countries were in focus also during the poetry festival in Paris May 27 - 30, where the three Norwegian poets Gunnar Wærness, Toril Wardenær and Sigbjørn Skåden participated.

Read more here (in French only)

NORLA at the colloquium 'Lost and Found in Traducture' in Windsor 27 - 29 May

NORLA's adviser Andrine Pollen participated in the international seminar 'Lost and Found in Traducture - An Interdisciplinary colloquium on International Developments in Translation'.

The seminar was held in Windsor, May, 27 - 29 and was organized by Sidensi, an international organization that aims to promote, inspire and develop awareness in the importance of translation for intercultural dialogue and exchange. See more info here

NORLA at the Norwegian Festival of Literature in Lillehammer 24 - 29 May

This year's festival theme is 'Cities' and as 2011 is also the Norwegian Year of Architecture, NORLA hosted an international seminar on Architecture and Books, with invited publishers from China, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Sweden and France. Also Norwegian architects, publishers of books on architecture and other invitees participated in the seminar which was held Wednesday May, 25.

NORLA's activities Spring/Summer 2011

This spring NORLA is arranging seminars during the Norwegian Festival of Literature at Lillehammer, as well as a seminar for translators of Norwegian literature into English. NORLA will also participate in an international qollocuium on translation, we will be meeting Dutch and Belgian publishers in The Hague and attend a book launch as well as visit publishers in New York. In August, NORLA will be attending the Beijing International Book Fair.

In late May a poetry festival in Paris offers Norwegian poetry, and June sees a festival in Poland devoted to contemporary Norwegian literature. For more details, please see the list below

All time high for translation grants regarding fiction titles in May 2011

NORLA operates six application deadlines for translation subsidies a year, three each for fiction and non-fiction titles. In May a staggering 115 applications regarding Norwegian fiction titles were received, and 114 granted translation subsidies of a total of NOK 1.350.000 for translation into 36 languages. For details please see the list below, which also contains details of the February grants regarding non-fiction titles.

The next application deadlines are for non-fiction 1 June, and for fiction 1 August. Please see more information on the application procedure here.

application/vnd.ms-excel Grants 2011 133.50 kB
NORLA at the Buenos Aires Book Fair

NORLA participated at the Buenos Aires Book Fair – the largest event of its kind in the Spanish speaking world. The fair for the public took place from April 20th – May 9th, with a large variety of events and activities. NORLA was present at the days for professionals, April 19 – 21. For more information on the book fair, please click here. Buenos Aires is also Unesco's 'World Book Capital 2011', see more information here.

Ahead of the book fair NORLA's adviser Oliver Møystad participated at the TyPA Semana de Editores – Editors’ week, April 16 – 21, where a group of international publishers were introduced to Argentinian literature and publishing. Oliver also participated at a seminar about literature funding and promotion.

Brochures available on our website

NORLA's English brochure on Norwegian literature for children and young adults is available on our website, please click here. You may also download a brochure containing two articles on Norwegian fiction and non-fiction from our site. Choose between the Spanish, Russian, French and English version here.

NORLA at the London Book Fair 2011

NORLA was present at the London Book Fair April 11 - 13, representing from the Norwegian publishers' association's stand No. U 475. For more information about the fair, please click here.

Margit Walsø the New Director of NORLA

Margit Walsø is the new Director of NORLA - Norwegian Literature Abroad, and joined the team April 1. Walsø (born 1968) has extensive experience in the field of publishing as former publisher, editor and rights manager at Det Norske Samlaget. She has written the historical novel 'Dear Voltaire' (2007), which has been translated into German. Walsø succeeds Gina Winje who was the Director of NORLA 2006-2010.

Winners of NORLA's Translator's Award

During the French book fair Salon du Livre NORLA's Translator's Awards were awarded by Norway's ambassador to France, Mr Tarald Brautaset. The 2010 award for the translation of Norwegian Non-Fiction is awarded Loup-Maëlle Besançon, and the 2011 award for the translation of Norwegian fiction is awarded Céline Romand-Monnier. NORLA warmly congratulates these two eminent French translators!

Nordic countries guests of honour at Paris Book Fair 18 - 21 March

The Nordic countries were guests of honour at the Paris Book Fair, Salon du Livre 18 to 21 March. A number of Norwegian authors participated, among them Knut Faldbakken, Erik Fosnes Hansen, Erlend Loe, Trude Marstein, Jo Nesbø, Per Petterson, Anne B. Ragde, Tore Renberg, Linn Ullmann, Herbjørg Wassmo og Hanne Ørstavik. The Salon du Livre is the world’s largest French book fair, and offered a unique opportunity for Nordic literature to be presented in all its broad diversity. Read more on the authors here and see the complete Norwegian programme here (in French).

Nordic Children/YA Literature conference ‘Maktens Pluttifikasjon’, Stavanger, Norway

NORLA attended the Nordic conference 'Maktens Pluttifikasjon' in Stavanger 7 - 9 February, hosting a debate on national differences in the reviewing of literature for children and young adults. Discussing the issue were the three translators Gabriele Haefs, Christel Hildebrandt (both German) and Bernadette Custers (Dutch), along with Sverre Henmo of the Norwegian Association of Writers for Children (NBU). Chair was Dina Roll-Hansen from NORLA.

More on the conference (in Norwegian) here.

NORLA to the West Bank and Jerusalem

Translation rights to Simon Stranger’s young adult novel "Barsakh" are sold into 6 languages, among them Arabic. The book is published by the Tamer Institute for Community Education, a Palestinian publisher and educational institution. It is translated into Arabic by Zakia Khairhoum.
The author visited, along with NORLA, the West Bank and Jerusalem 24 - 28 January to launch the book. The visit was supported financially by the Norwegian representative office in Jerusalem.

Read more about the book and about the Tamer Institute (more information here).

2010 all time high for Norwegian literature abroad

In 2010 NORLA received an overwhelming number of applications for translation grants, setting an all time high of 351 applications. 329 applications were granted translation subsidies for translation into 45 different languages. See the complete list below for details of all grants.

258 Norwegian books published in 2010 with translation grants from NORLA

2010 has seen a rise in the number of Norwegian books published abroad with translation grants from NORLA, to a total of 258 books. This sets a new all times high, as last year's number of publications was 235! See the complete list of titles here.

New postal address as of 1 January

Please note NORLA's new postal address as of 1 January:

NORLA
P. O. Box 1414 Vika
NO-0115 Oslo
Norway

Our e-mail addresses and telephone/fax numbers remain unchanged.

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