The Norwegian Parliament approved spending NOK 30 million (USD 3.4 million) this week to fund a major promption at the world’s largest book fair in Frankfurt in 2019. The idea is to further boost the exposure and readership of Norwegian authors.
The money will be set aside to fund a successful application for Norway to be the main sponsor of the book fair in Frankfurt. It annually attracts publishers and agents from around the world, and Norway wants to mount a large exhibition and cultural program at the fair.
“This means that known Norwegian authors can become even better-known and reach more people,” author Tom Egeland told newspaper Aftenposten. He called it an “outstanding opportunity” to become more visible. “A small country like Norway can be proud that we have major authors like Jo Nesbø, Per Petterson, Karl Ove Knausgård, Linn Ullmann and Roy Jacobsen,” he said. “Out of that, new authors can be discovered.”
Another NOK 25 million is needed to meet budget requirements, which NORLA, the national center for Norwegian literature, is working to raise.
newsinenglish.no staff
