Another literary jubilee sparks debate

Now it’s Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson’s turn to get some public attention, but the Norwegian government’s decision to spend millions celebrating an author whose works now seem to have gone out of fashion has set off some unusual debate. Last year was “Hamsun Year,” honoring the works of controversial author Knut Hamsun, and before that it was [...]

'Hamsun Year' draws more critics

A controversial attempt to commemorate one of Norway’s literary giants has run into a new round of trouble, just as the climax of the publicly funded project “Hamsun 2009″ draws near. Knut Hamsun was a Nobel Prize-winning author and this year marks 150 years since he was born. Hamsun was also a Nazi sympathizer, however, [...]