Where can I find
the next
Per Petterson?
G
ranta
’
s a big deal for literary
types. The self-styled
“
magazine of new writing” has
been going, on and off, since
1889,
when it started as a
Cambridge student rag that hosted the
burgeoning talents of AA Milne and EM Forster.
Since it broadened its scope in 1979, it’s built
a reputation for its lists – in 1983, its first issue
of 20 Best Young British Novelists featured
Martin Amis, Julian Barnes, Ian McEwan and
Salman Rushdie; today, making the list is a sign
that a young writer has arrived.
But
Granta
has rarely shown much interest
in Scandinavia – until now. January saw the
launch of the first-ever Norwegian edition,
while a Swedish version is due to launch in
May – all part of a plan to have up to 17 foreign
editions within the next five years.
The theme of the first, annual Norwegian
issue is “collapse” and it has received
rave reviews. Though half the pieces
are translated works from authors
including Alice Munro and
Aleksander Hemon, the local
half features a healthy
dose of first-time
and up-and-
coming writers, alongside
established names such
as poet Øyvind Rimbereid,
and novelists Kjartan
Fløgstad and Vigdis Hjorth.
Editor Trude Rønnestad
chose narrative stories
she liked – she especially
recommends a piece by
journalist-turned-short-story-writer Ingvild
H Rishøi as, “almost unbearably touching and
brilliant at conveying the voice of the small
person.”
“
We started a Norwegian edition because
it seemed the Norwegian literary scene didn’t
have a magazine that treated fiction and
nonfiction as having equal merit,” says John
Freeman, the London-based editor of
Granta
,
who plans to translate the Norwegian pieces
for syndication throughout
Granta
’
s global
network. “When most of what is
being translated from Norway is
crime fiction,” Freeman adds,
“
it feels like an opportunity
to help important writers
get new readers
around the world.”
granta.com
Mind
reading
Pick the Norwegian
writer to suit your mood
Whimsical
Existential
Surreal
Johan Harstad
34-
year-old author,
playwright and graphic
designer whose novel
Buzz Aldrin, What
Happened to You in all
the Confusion?
has been
a worldwide success.
Political
Playful
Intelligent
Mikkel Bugge
Oslo writer renowned
for smart, fast-paced
and endlessly inventive
storytelling. His novel
Gå under jorda
(
Going
Underground
)
has been
earning rave reviews.
Thoughtful
Subtle
Sensitive
Per Petterson
Since breaking through
in 1987 with a collection
of short stories, the
former labourer has
won every major literary
award in Norway.
Powerful
Poetic
Melancholic
Ingvild H Rishøi
One of Norway’s most
talented young writers,
Rishøi creates powerful
short stories full of loss
and longing, but imbued
with hope.
Dark
Disturbing
Gruesome
Jan Roar Leikvoll
Leikvoll writes with
insight and power about
the darker side of human
existence. His novel
Fiolinane
isn’t for the
easily offended.
Try looking in the pages of the new Norwegian
version of literary magazine
Granta
n
A
n
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