The Norwegian Festival of Literature is turning 30!
Since 1994, the Norwegian Festival of Literature has played a significant role in the Nordic region. It has shown that it’s possible to create a festival with high artistic ambitions, while also being popular and inclusive. It has promoted literature from various countries and linguistic regions around the world, debated major contemporary political and economic issues—and also offered entertainment with a special touch.
Sápmi, Nordic minority groups, and Indigenous representatives
In 2025, when the festival will be celebrating its 30th anniversary, we want to highlight how Sámi culture and the cultures of northern national minorities have become increasingly visible in the Nordic region—no longer just as exotic elements, but as vital, innovative parts of our national cultures. We are witnessing a Sámi wave, along with a revival of Kven and Tornedalian art and literature in the Nordics. How does history influence today’s Sámi, Kven, and Tornedalian people, and how is this expressed in literature? This is what we want to explore, with a particular focus this year on contemporary Sámi life and literature.
In recent years, Sámi authors Ann-Helén Laestadius and Elin Anna Labba have won Sweden’s prestigious August Prize for their books, Kven writer Ingeborg Arvola has received the Brage Prize in Norway, and both critics and readers have praised Kathrine Nedrejord’s latest work, The Sámi Problem. Audiences have flocked to both historical accounts and contemporary stories rooted in Sámi and Kven culture.
It hasn’t always been this way. Looking at film, it’s fair to say that in over a hundred years of film history, only three Sámi feature films were made. But in the 2020s, nearly 20 films and series emerged; the Sámi film wave is here. The most-watched of them all is “Stolen”, based on Ann-Helén Laestadius’ book of the same name. It was shown at the Norwegian Festival of Literature in collaboration with Netflix in 2024.
Elsewhere in the world, young Indigenous representatives, much like younger Sámi, are experiencing a newfound pride in their heritage and are fighting for the survival of their cultures and languages. In 2025, the festival will host representatives from both the Aboriginal community in Australia and authors with Native American backgrounds. What experiences do they have to share with us?
Two historical milestones
As usual, the Norwegian Festival of Literature will devote itself to a variety of topics, including two historical milestones. In 2025, we will mark 200 years since Norwegian emigration to the United States began, and 80 years since the end of World War II. Both of these major events in Norwegian history will be highlighted in various ways.
The Festival’s bedrock
In 2025, a wide selection of Norwegian authors will once again form the foundation of the festival’s program, always in constant dialogue with their international colleagues. We will include authors representing a wide range of genres: poetry, novels, short stories, biographies, and other non-fiction. We aim to bring new voices to the stage alongside more established ones. In short, the ambition of the Norwegian Festival of Literature is to open a wide window to the world and invite in new and exciting, as well as established and interesting, authors for a rich, engaging discussion about the world we all live in.
For more information, please contact:
Artistic Director Yukiko Duke
Festival Director Marit Borkenhagen