Northern Stories Books 2019 by Northern Stories

xxxxxxx | 1

Books 2019

NORTHERN STORIES

Parkveien 57 0256 Oslo Norway Phone: +47 466 76 155 post@northernstories.no www.northernstories.no @northernstorieslitag @northernstorieslitag @Northernstories

FICTION

YOUNG ADULT

28 Linn Skåber | Being Young 30 Asbjørn Rydland | The Breach + Branded

NON-FICTION

non-fiction | 4

DEAR DAD

Kjartan Brügger Bjånesøy is from Austevoll in Hordaland, but resides in Oslo. He works daily as a journalist in one of Norway’s largest newspapers. (Dagbladet)

hy is it so difficult to accept that our parents, those who always have been strong and responsible, suddenly become old? Is it because we ourselves have to realize that we for real have become adults? In this personal book, Kjartan Brügger Bjånesøy explores what it is to grow older. He writes about his father who is hit by a stroke. The once strong workman must accept that he has become another man, he needs help with more and more daily tasks. And Kjartan himself, a child of the 70s, gradually understands that he has become a middle-aged man with responsibilities and duties. Dear dad is a book full of love, self-irony, nostalgia and sincerity. It is a warm portrait of a family and a wise book about the times that pass and how to enter into new stages of life, getting new roles.

In Dear Dad, Kjartan Brügger Bjånesøy writes wisely about what it does to us to see our own parents become old and frail...Although Dear Dad is categorized as non-fiction, it is literally at the height of much Norwegian fiction. VG

non-fiction | 5

DEAR DAD We are different men now by Kjartan Brügger Bjånesøy Kjære pappa Vi er andre menn no Kagge 2019 169 pages

With an exceptional precise pen he depicts one of our culture’s most obvious role changes: The time has come to give, more than you get. Bergens Tidende

non-fiction | 6

SLEEPLESS

SLEEPLESS. A thousand wakeful nights, one solution by Anders Bortne Søvnløs.Tusen våkenetter og en løsning Tiden Norsk Forlag 2019 200 pages To be published April 2019

or sixteen years, Anders Bortne has been sleepless. Several times he has tried to get help, without result. But now he has to do something. He has a family with two young kids and can no longer go on with the scant hours of sleep every night. He just can’t. Therefore, nothing should be untested - sleeping medicine, yoga, herbs, acupuncture, hypnosis. Anders is searching high and low, and the answers he receives are both gruelling, eye-opening and ridiculous. During the hunt another story appears. What do we know about the most important hours of the day? What is the history of sleep? And why do we really have to sleep? Sleepless is an exciting, fun and wise book for anyone who is awake at night and is wondering why. And for those sleeping next to them. The solution is often closer than you think. In Anders’s case, it was just across the street.

non-fiction | 7

Anders Bortne is a writer and musician. He has written five acclaimed books and has released eight albums (one was even nominated as album of the year in Norway). Anders has a law degree and currently works as a speechwriter for the Norwegian Minister of Justice. He has published several highly acclaimed novels and has been nominated for The Youth Critic’s Prize in 2011. Bortne’s trademark is combining the extraordinary with the trivial, and his work often revolves around family and identity.

non-fiction | 8

ERDOGAN

Nilas Johnsen was based in Istanbul as a journalist from 2016 to 2018, the dramatic years when Erdogan strenghtened his power. He has worked as a journalist for Aftenposten, Dagsavisen and VG since 2000. He was correspondent in the UK 2010-2012.

Very impressive! An important and well written book about Erdogan’s iron grip on Turkey ... He combines the quick language of tabloid and news journalism with the academics’ analytical and reflective distance... This is a book that certainly holds international standards. Dagbladet non-fiction | 9

ERDOGAN The Making of Turkey’s Strongman by Nilas Johnsen Erdogan. Tyrkias nye sultan Aschehoug 2019 399 pages

s night fell on the 15th of July 2016, chaos reigned in Turkey. There were tanks on the streets and jets in the sky. At midnight a fraction of the army informed the terrified Turks that military rule had replaced the government, and a curfew was enforced. But shortly thereafter president Recep Tayyip Erdogan entered the fray, urging his followers to flood the streets. By the break of dawn the coup was over, and the purge had begun. From inside Erdogans New Turkey journalist Nilas Johnsen investigates what really happened during the dramatic coup attempt in Turkey, and tells the story of the Making of the Turkish strongman. The ambitious young Mayor of Istanbul has travelled from a prison cell to the Presidential palace, whilst turning Turkey into a deeply divided country. Since the coup 170 000 Turks have lost their jobs, 140 000 have been arrested, and more than 80 000 are imprisoned. Can the Turkish democracy survive Erdogans power-grab? What lies ahead for our uncertain ally?

non-fiction | 10

ELSEWHERE ELSEWHERE Trips to the world’s least visited countries by Gunnar Garfors Ingenstad. På tur til verdas minst besøkte land Skald 2019 360 pages To be published April 2019

unnar garfors has been to all the countries of the world – twice. In this book he shares his experiences from the 20 countries people are least likely to travel to, all welcoming between five dozen and 44,000 tourist per year. Some of these countries you have hardly heard about, others only give associations of war, terror and misery. But every country is inhabited by mostly friendly people, and many have fascinating stories to tell. Through encounters and stories, we get to know more about these places and the world around us. A book that is enlightening, surprising and funny; did you know that it is illegal to own a black car in Turkmenistan? Or that in Kiribati they claim to have 250 words for coconut? Or that in Mauritania slavery was banned by law as late as 2007, as the last country in the world? This book makes it possible to travel to the least visited places from the safety of your chair, and it will inspire you to travel elsewhere yourself.

non-fiction | 11

Gunnar Garfors is a Norwegian media professional, traveller, and author. Garfors has visited every country in the world and is the youngest hobby traveller to have done so. He is also the first to visit every country twice. On 18 June 2012 he set a Guinness world record together with Adrian Butterworth from Britain by being the first to visit five continents in the same day. He beat another world record in September 2014 with friends Øystein Djupvik and Tay-young Pak when they visited 19 countries in 24 hours.

non-fiction | 12

TRAITOR’S GUIDE TO NORTH KOREA

Morten Traavik is a Norwegian director and artist working across a wide spectrum of artistic genres and international borders. Trained as theater director in Russia and Sweden, the notion of the world as a stage and identity as role play is never far away in his works, as well as a characteristically blurred distinction between art, activism and social issues.

Rights sold: Germany, Suhrkamp

Traavik has done a lot of travelling, a lot of reading, and a lot of reflecting. Contains plenty of food for thought, for those ready to think for themselves. Dagbladet Makes one feel like being inside the world’s most closed country … A humorous and inventive travel guide to North Korea. Aftenposten

non-fiction | 13

TRAITOR’S GUIDE TO NORTH KOREA by Morten Traavik Forræderens guide til Nord-Korea Aschehoug 2018 330 pages

raitor’s guide to north korea is both a travel guide and a psychological user’s manual for one of the world’s most feared, as well as misunderstood, nations. For seven years, Morten Traavik was an authorized cultural liaison for “the world’s most closed country”, responsible for its cultural exchanges with the outside world. Against all odds, he managed to win the trust of the regime and build close friendships. A major geopolitical standoff, a nuclear test and a death threat made him suspend the collaboration in the autumn of 2017. Because of this, he is now free to share his unique experiences and honest insights from North Korea. With the Traitor’s Guide, Traavik opens the door ajar and brings us closer to the daily lives of today’s North Koreans, telling the stories of other fearless Norwegians who have formed close ties to the country, and explains the historical and political background for the most enduringly fascinating freakshow on the stage of world politics.

THEATRE OF THE WORLD The winner of the Brage Prize for Best Non-Fiction Book in Norway in 2017.

THEATRE OF THE WORLD by Thomas Reinertsen Berg Verdensteater Kartenes historie Forlaget Press 2017 350 pages

Rights sold: UK, Hodder & Stoughton USA, Little, Brown Sweden, Lind & Co Netherlands, Athenaeum Poland, ZNAK Germany, dtv Italy, Vallardi China, CITIC Press Denmark, Lindhardt & Ringhof Estonia, Eesti Raamat

hat is a map? How have people drawn the world throughout history? What do maps say about us? Theatre of the World. The History of Maps is an unique book with the complete and incredible history of maps. Thomas Reinertsen Berg takes us all the way from the mysterious symbols of the Stone Age to Google Earth in a fascinating tale of science and differing views of the world, about art and technology, power and ambition, practical needs and distant dreams of the unknown. Along the way, we encounter visionary geographers and heroic explorers along with the unknown heroes in the history of maps. Fantastic visual material allows us to immerse ourselves in the history of maps with our own eyes.

Fascinating … sumptuously produced with lots of full-colour images, is a kind of potted treasury of cartographical history … this is an enthralling book, and joins the likes of Simon Garfield’s On the Map and Jerry Brotton’s A History of the World in Twelve Maps in the field of popular reaffirmations of the ingenuity of geography. Travis Elborough, The Spectator

non-fiction | 14

Thomas Reinertsen Berg is a journalist and writer. He has written for several Norwegian papers such as Morgenbladet, Klassekampen and Dagsavisen, where he has worked especially on cultural and scientific subjects.

STARHUNTER

he solar system is a dusty place. Every day approximately 100 metric tons of cosmic dust collide with Earth, mainly in the form of micrometeorites. Still, little is known about these exotic extraterrestrials. Is it possible to find micrometeorites in populated areas? The question has been raised for nearly a century, and despite numerous attempts, up until now the answer has been a very short ‘No’. Until, that is, Jon Larsen managed to solve this puzzle, which was rated among the top 100 Discoveries of 2017 by Discover Magazine. One morning ten years ago he found a tiny sparkling grain of rock, and started to wonder where it came from. This thought started a chain of events, with Larsen’s curiosity leading him to find out more and more. Eight years later, he discovered the answer of how to find micrometeorites and how to classify them. Starhunter tells the story of how his discoveries turned his life upside down — and it explains what it is like to hold a part of cosmos in your hands.

STARHUNTER by Jon Larsen Stjernejeger Cappelen Damm 2018 315 pages

Rights sold: Germany, Benevento Books

Larsen has opened up a new pathway to the origins of the solar system. Michael E. Zolensky, NASA

non-fiction | 15

Jon Larsen is a jazz guitarist, record producer, surrealist painter, founder of the group Hot Club de Norvège, and has produced more than 450 jazz records. He has played with both Frank Zappa and Chet Baker, among many others. He has received several awards for his musical work and has published several books.

THE LAST EEL

THE LAST EEL by Torolf E. Kroglund Reise med ål CappelenDamm 2018 237 pages

Rights sold: Germany, Edel Books

he eels are disappearing. It is one of the species that may be extinct in our lifetime (like the Dodo, the Geir-bird or the Mammoth). European eels is said to have lost well over 90% of its numbers the last ten years. The Norwegian author, journalist and sports fisherman Torolf E. Kroglund tries to find out why — starting on an remote island in the middle of the long Norwegian coastline — Frøya — where he first caught eel as a kid. The author then travels through Europe (Germany, Spain, England, Netherlands and Sweden among others) and to the Sargasso Sea to find answers, in a journey that is both a personal one and a quest for big answers. By following the fish that vanishes he not only finds the extraordinary tale of the eel but is also able to connect this unto a bigger and broader perspective.

It is essentially the consistent environmental perspective, combined with the close, personal writing style that makes the book an engaging experience. fædrelandsvænnen

non-fiction | 16

Torolf Edgar Kroglund is an author, journalist and a sportsfisherman. He has published several books on fishing and hunting before. He was earlier the Head of the Ibsen- and Hamsun festival, but he’s now Director of Culture in Risør.

CAPE HEARTSTONE

n january 1921 the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen took over responsibility for a fouryear-old girl from the Siberian Chukchi people. He named her Nita. Three months later he took charge of another girl from Chukotka — 11-year-old Camilla Carpendale, daughter of a local trader. At this time Amundsen’s fame as the conqueror of the South Pole spanned the globe. Nita and Camilla were the closest Roald Amundsen ever came to establishing his own family. For almost three years, they lived together on journeys across the globe and in Amundsen’s home outside of Oslo. Diaries, letters and newspaper reports tell of their strong mutual affection in these years. Nita and Camilla learned Norwegian, went to school and made friends. Then in 1924 Amundsen sent them back alone to an uncertain destiny in Siberia. They never saw Norway again. In Cape Heartstone, Espen Ytreberg tells the full story of these three intertwined lives, and the forces that shaped, them for the first time. Through an attentive and original use of historical sources — written, filmed and photographed — Ytreberg reveals a unique story and places it in a broader context.

CAPE HEARTSTONE by Espen Ytreberg Kapp Hjertestein Non-fiction Forlaget Press 2018 180 pages

Rights sold: Germany, Transit Verlag

The linguistic and historical curiosity makes the book both vibrant and memorable. Morgenbladet non-fiction | 17

Espen Ytreberg is a professor at the Department of Media and Communication at the University of Oslo. Ytreberg has been a visiting researcher at cnrsParis, Université de Paris II and the Department of Communication Studies, University of Iowa. He has written several books, his latest a novel about Roald Amundsen.

FICTION

fiction | 18

GOING HOME

GOING HOME by Sverre Henmo På vei hjem Gyldendal 2019 200 pages To be published April 2019

hale and magnus have been a couple for more than ten years, and the relationship is gradually getting a bit worn at the edges. Magnus wants them to have a child together, a longing not shared by Thale, who has a 16-year-old son. A weekend at the cabin in the mountains is interrupted abruptly when they receive a phone call. Thales son has fallen ill in training and is sent to the hospital. The son’s condition is becoming increasingly critical, and the journey home becomes a race for time. While the panic rises inside the car, it turns out that Thale and Magnus have much more to talk about than they were aware of. Parallel to their ride to the hospital, we follow their history back in time until they first met. Going home is a novel that questions how well we really know each other, whether it is a human right to have children, what it means to be a father, and what can happen if the price of loving someone feels too high.

Sverre Henmo was born in Oslo in 1968. He is a sociologist from the University of Oslo. He is now Publisher of YA and Children’s literature at Aschehoug. He has written 12 books, several for kids and young adults, and two novels for adults. He’s been awarded the Ministry of Culture’s literary prize.

fiction | 19

: 26 mm

«Is møter ild i ny, eksplosiv thriller.» GUNNAR GRAN, STAVANGER AFTENBLAD

«Isen er teknisk sett en nær fullkommen thriller, profesjonelt skrevet.» SINDRE HOVDENAKK, VG

fiction | 20

THRILLER

THE ICE

ormer special forces commando Anna Aune has abandoned the world and everyone in it, and is hiding out in a hovercraft at the North Pole. She’s there for the duration of the Arctic winter to document the destruction unleashed by climate change. On All Saints’ Day, the pitch-black sky is suddenly lit up by a distress flare shot up from a Chinese research station. Anna and her colleague are the only ones close enough to come to their rescue. But is the flare a cry for help, or a warning sign? At the Chinese base, a vision from a nightmare awaits them. In the laboratory, they find the researchers dead, frozen solid and covered in ice. It quickly becomes clear that they were brutally murdered. At the same moment, a furious Arctic storm blows in. A savage power struggle has provoked a full-scale international conflict — by any means necessary — for Arctic resources. And Anna Aune is caught in the middle of it all. The Ice is a tense international thriller that plays out at one of Earth’s most inhospitable places — the North Pole.

The Ice is technically close to a perfect thriller VG I love how the author just dives into the action and keeps the suspense through the whole book. Stavanger Aftenblad

With The Ice, John Kåre Raake is debuting as a thriller writer, although he has an extensive background as a script developer. He is one of the two screenwriters behind the blockbusters The Wave and The Quake. Together the films have been sold to 120 countries, selling two million tickets in Norway alone.

THE ICE by John Kåre Raake Isen Gyldendal Norsk Forlag 2019 306 pages

fiction | 21

Rights sold: Germany, Goldmann Verlag France, Michel Lafont Finland, Bazar Czech Republic, Dobrovsky

VINLAND | JOMSVIKING

JOMSVIKING by Bjørn Andreas Bull-Hansen Gyldendal Norsk Forlag 2017 574 Pages

n jomsviking, we follow Torstein Tormodson through his young years as slave and outlaw, and later as he becomes a warrior and mercenary of the infamous brotherhood of the Jomsvikings. He is soon drawn into the power struggle between Olaf Trygvasson and the other Scandinavian rulers. In Vinland, Torstein and his family must flee west to escape the avenging wrath of Olaf Tryggvason’s men. Torstein has become the chieftain of a band of Jomsvikings, and sets out in search of the fabled larch forests said to be found across the ocean. But Torstein, is soon forced to fight for his life and the reunification of his kin. Vinland gives readers a unique insight into the lives of North America’s first settlers – as well as the conflicts that arose with the area’s mighty indigenous communities.

Magnificent new series about our warrior ancestors! … a real page-turner. Dagbladet

fiction | 22

JOMSVIKING — Vinland by Bjørn Andreas Bull-Hansen Gyldendal Norsk Forlag 2018 540 pages

Bjørn Andreas Bull-Hansen has written a range of novels within various genres. His international breakthrough came in 2017 with the novel Jomsviking, the first book in a sweeping historical series from the Viking age.

Rights sold to: Germany, Penguin Verlag Holland, Meulenhoff Boekerij Poland, Czarna Owca Russia, AST Denmark, Turbine Sweden, Lind & Co Bulgaria, Uniscorp Norway, Gyldendal Norsk Forlag

WHEN THE LAND DARKENS Winner of the Brage prize for Best Norwegian Fiction 2018

he year is 1293. Arni Vilhjálmsson, a young boy, is rowing out on his first walrus hunt. After the hunt, a girl stands before him. She looks down at the beast he has slain, her eyes full of defiance, and her words full of scorn. Then she turns and runs away from him, without looking back. Her name is Eir. Arni dreams of one day building his own ship and sailing towards the lands further west, seeking timber, iron and hope for the future. Eir is part of that dream. In this quest for a future, Arni is even willing to defy his own chieftain, gods, and the laws of men. Tore Kvæven has written an enthralling historical novel, with highly convincing portrayals of people and nature delivered through colouful and powerful language.

WHEN THE LAND DARKENS Tore Kvæven Når landet mørknar Samlaget 2018 449 pages

Rights sold to: Denmark, Turbine

An absolutely incredible novel! […] When the Land Darkens is great storytelling in every way. Adresseavisen A superb Norwegian novel vg

fiction | 23

Tore Kvæven made his debut in 2011 with Hard is the Law of My Land, a novel about a Viking voyage into the heart of Africa, which critics called an ‘impressive epos’. When the Land Darkens is a dramatic story of destiny, with highly convincing portrayals of people and nature delivered through colourful and powerful language, transporting readers back to Greenland at a fascinating time. Tore Kvæven is a teacher, a sheep farmer and a writer.

WINTER WAR

WINTER WAR Janne Drangsholt Winterkrigen Tiden Norsk forlag 2018 346 pages

A fine farce from the country’s new star of comedy. Adresseavisen

s usual, Ingrid Winter’s everyday life is full of challenges. At work, she and her colleagues are moving to an open-plan office space with a ‘clean desk’ policy and new, synergy-creating collaboration methods — something quite at odds with Ingrid’s dreams of a professorship and year-long sabbatical. At home, Ingrid is becoming increasingly worried about her daughter Alva, who runs the wrong way on the football pitch, is afraid to touch paper, and is also being bullied by Sara, the most popular girl at school. Christmas is also coming, and unknown to her husband Bjørnar, Ingrid has managed to invite her parents and in-laws, her sister and her sister’s children, her aunt Kari and at least a couple more guests to a fast-approaching Christmas party … Add to this the uber-successful woman next door with her hugely popular blog at Ingrid’s expense, a couple of concerning lumps in the neck, an Advent calendar that never gets finished, parents who are impossible to please and a dash of generalised death anxiety, and you have Ingrid Winter’s life in a nutshell. Winter War is Janne S. Drangsholt’s third standalone novel about Ingrid Winter.

fiction | 24

Janne Stigen Drangsholt is a Norwegian writer and academic. Her first novel, The Bumblebee Catcher, was published in 2011, but she is best known for her books about the neurotic and habitually annoyed academic Ingrid Winter, featured in The Marvelous Misadventures of Ingrid Winter, 2015, and Winter in Wonderland, 2016. And now the last one: Winter War, 2018.

THE BIRD TRIBUNAL

v presenter Allis Hagtorn leaves her partner and her job to go into voluntary exile in a remote house in an isolated fjord. But her new job as housekeeper and gardener is not all that it seems, and her silent, surly employer, 44-year-old Sigurd Bagge, is not the old man she expected. As they await the return of his wife from her travels, their silent, uneasy encounters develop into a chilling, obsessive relationship, and it becomes clear that atonement for past sins may not be enough … Haunting, consuming and powerful, The Bird Tribunal is a taut, exquisitely written psychological thriller that builds to a shocking, dramatic crescendo that will leave you breathless. Winner of the pen Translate Award, the nrk p2 Listener’s Prize, The Youth Critics’ Prize and The Book Blogger Award, and nominated for the International Dublin Literary Award 2018.

The whole book is characterised by an uncomfortable and ominous tone and an exquisite writing style. It is dark, thrilling and captivating, as we slowly learn more and more about these two lonely people. The International Dublin Literary Award nomination statement

Rights sold: UK, Orenda Books (World English rights) Germany, btb Denmark, Batzer Serbia, Agora Publishing House Lithuania, Svajoniu knygo Turkey, Tünel Russia, AST Licence Limited Czech Republic, Albatros Media France, Actes Sud Italy, Marsilio Bulgaria, MATCOM Spain, Seix Barral fiction | 25

Agnes Ravatn is an author and columnist. In 2015 was she chosen as one of the ten most promising authors under 35 in Norway by the paper Morgenbladet and the Norwegian Festival of Literature.

THE BIRD TRIBUNAL by Agnes Ravatn Fugletribunalet Samlaget 2014 207 pages

AGAIN & AGAIN

AGAIN & AGAIN Halldor Armand Aftur & aftur Forlagid 2017 304 pp

s the twin towers collapse, a teenage boy in Reykjavik gets a cell phone and subsequently meets his first girlfriend. At the same time, a famous pop drummer gets into a car accident where a young girl loses her life. Fifteen years later, these two men cross paths. Arnmundur is a restless graduate student abroad who spends his time on his phone seducing girls on dating apps. Stefan stopped drumming, be came a ‘Corporate Viking’ and now runs a start-up company that he’s sure will change the world. But under the surface old secrets, disappointments and thirst for vengeance are seething.

Again & Again is a riveting and brilliantly written story for our times where normal people struggle to find love, warmth and meaning in a globalized world of fluid capital and random violence.

The most interesting author in the country. Icelandic literature has no future without him. AUTHOR STEINAR BRAGI The naked heart of the present beats in Again & Again. LITERARY CRITIC SILJA ADALSTEINSDOTTIR

fiction | 26

Halldor Armand is a new voice in Icelandic literature, and one hopes this voice will sound loud and clear in the years to come. DV DAILY

Halldor Armand is a new and extraordinary voice in Icelandic literature. He received great acclaim for his previous novels, Vince Vaughn in the Sky and Drone. His play Shift was performed at the Nordurpoll theater and was well received. In 2014 he was awarded the Icelandic Literature Center Green Shoots Awards for his book Vince Vaughn in the Sky.

ONCE THEY WERE WOLVES

nce they were wolves is a collection of short stories about people who are confronting something new and unknown in their lives. The stories explore what happens when people are being pushed hard, by others, by themselves, by the unexpected paths life takes. The first sentence in the book immediately sets the scene: It had been raining for ten days. Thunder filled the air. The houses around his were dark and empty, and the moisture clung to his skin, making breathing difficult. Perhaps IngerMarie and he were the only ones left in the village.

As in all good literature, Therese Tungen’s book handles the foundational problems of existence. In her best stories she does it in an inspiring way. Stavanger Aftenblad

ONCE THEY WERE WOLVES by Therese Tungen Ein gong var dei ulvar Short stories Aschehoug 2017 266 pages

The strength in Tungen’s short stories are … that they push through the barriers of social realism … it is well-written, brave and original. Vårt Land We have been given a new, exciting short story writer. Adresseavisen

fiction | 27

Therese Tungen ’s first book Once They Were Wolves came out in March 2017, and has already received much attention and critical acclaim comparing her to Norwegian giants such as Olav Duun and Merethe Lindstrøm, as well as to classic masters of the short story, like Poe and Chekov.Therese Tungen has worked as an editor for ten years. She is now an editor for non-fiction at Det Norske Samlaget.

YOUNG ADULT

y o u n g a d u lt | 2 8

BEING YOUNG

Linn Skåber is an actor, comedian and writer, and has participated in a number of revues, theatre productions and films. She has written for both theatre and TV, and edited an anthology of erotic poetry. Being Young is her first book.

Winner of the Riksmaal society Children and YA prize 2018 Nominated to Uprisen 2019

Linn Skåber BEING YOUNG Til ungdommen Pitch forlag 2018 255 pages

This year it was easy to choose the prize winner. The choice became clear and easy as soon as we became aware of Being Young. It is an exceptionally successful book, and it is a pleasure for us to give Rikmålsforbundet’s children’s and youth book prize to Linn Skåber. Congratulations! Riksmålsforbundet (The Riksmaalsociety) Wow, what a debut! Skåber are incredibly good at creating linguistic images... Skåber and Aisato both has the same blend of sweetness, depth and quirky humour. Dagbladet

y o u n g a d u lt | 2 9

Nominated to Trollkrittet 2018

eing young was the best selling YA book in Norway 2018. It received fantastic reviews (6 of 6 stars), as well as The Riksmaalsociety children and YA prize for 2018. It is also nominated to the prestigious YA prize Uprisen in 2019. With more than 40 000 copies sold, the book has definitely reached a large YA audience. Linn Skåber has interviewed young people and asked them about their lives – about everything from acne to peace and loss. Skåber has used this material to compose fictional monologues about this both wonderful and hopeless time – the transition from child to adult – as seen from a young person’s perspective. The texts have been written with a light, humorous touch, but in true Skåber-style an underlying sincerity always shines through. The book is beautifully illustrated by Lisa Aisato.

THE BREACH | BRANDED

Best YA book in Norway 2017 — Uprisen

story about magic, gaming, ancient gods and the end of the world. Branded is a tense, action packed story for both teens and adults, where cold, hard sci-fi meets Norse mythology in a fantasy novel beyond the norm.

BRANDED — Vegandi, Book 1 by Asbjørn Rydland Galderstjerna Samlaget,2016, 334 pages

“The book stands out from the crowd in a very popular genre. Science fiction, mythology and fantasy are mixed in a unique way. There are no clichés, and even though it’s fantasy, it’s still believable.” From the jury’s statement, Uprisen 2017

he Breach is the sequel to 2017 Young Adult Book of the Year Branded where we follow the main character Eirik and his friends Maria and Khalid deeper into the mysteries of the Vegandi world. The stakes are higher, the risks greater, and Eirik’s wits and abilities are put to the test like never before.

y o u n g a d u lt | 3 0

THE BREACH — Vegandi, Book 2 by Asbjørn Rydland Draumsende Samlaget 2018, 232 pages

Asbjørn Rydland was awarded both Fabel Prize and New Norwegian Prize for Children’s Literature for the Dragon Boy series, and his debut book was listed among the best loved Norwegian books for youth/children from 2005 to 2015.

NORTHERN STORIES

Astrid Dalaker +47 99 69 19 50 astrid@northernstories.no Thomas Mala +47 46 67 61 55 thomas@northernstories.no OUR CO-AGENTS

Brazil/Portugal: Villas-Boas & Moss  Czech Republic/Slovakia/Slovenia:  Andrew Nurnberg Associates Prague  Greece: Ersalia Literary Agency  Japan: Japan uni Agency Inc.  Poland: Booklab South Korea: Duran Kim Agency  Turkey: Kalem Agency TEXT PUBLISHING

We represent the Nordic Rights for Text Publishing.  https://www.textpublishing.com.au/  For more info: www.northernstories.no

ÂŠ Maxim Weise | Dreamstime.com