Øystein Karlsen’s ‘So Long, Marianne’ nominated for the Canadian Screen Awards

So Long, Marianne, Øystein Karlsen’s celebrated eight-part TV series which tells the story of singer and poet Leonard Cohen and his muse Marianne Ihlen, has been nominated for the Canadian Screen Awards in three categories: Best Direction in a Drama Series, Best Photography, and Best Picture Editing.

The Canadian Screen Awards are presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, and widely regarded as the most prestigious recognition for Canadian television series, considered the Canadian equivalent of the Oscars and Emmys.

The award ceremony is to be held in Toronto on June 1st.

‘Purge’ on French magazine Télérama’s list of best novels published in the 21st century

Sofi Oksanen’s novel Purge has been selected by Télérama as one of the best novels published since the year 2000. The magazine states that the novel is “a deep, tragic portrayal where the compassion is ever-present”.

Télérama is a renowned French cultural magazine. Oksanen is joined by many other prominent authors on the list, among them Roberto Bolaño, Svetlana Alexievich, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Olga Tokarczuk.

‘The Couples Trip’ voted “Best Crime Fiction of 2025” in France

The Couples Trip, Ulf Kvensler’s international bestselling debut, has been voted “Best Crime Fiction of 2025” by the French readers and book retailers.

Photo: Toni Härkönen

Sofi Oksanen awarded the Bjørnson Prize 2025

Sofi Oksanen is the recipient of the 2025 Bjørnson Prize. Oksanen is prized for her “epic authorship and commitment to human rights, and for keenly portraying the realities faced by women, both in times of war and peace”. The jury further states:

“At the core of Sofi Oksanen’s authorship is a brave and uncompromising humanism. She writes about oppression, abuse of power, and injustice, and uses her public voice and position to speak clearly and directly about freedom of expression, human rights, and political freedom. /…/ With her unique blend of historical insight, engagement, psychological depth, and literary innovation, Oksanen has created a body of work that both enriches and challenges readers. Her ability to convey complex themes through epic works has gained her a wide readership and international recognition.”

The Bjørnson Prize is annually awarded to a Nordic author who works in the spirit of Norwegian Nobel laureate Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, both in their literary work and social engagement.

The prize will be awarded at the Norwegian Festival of Literature on June 3rd, where Oksanen will also hold a lecture.

‘Generation Zero’ published in Sweden

One late summer night, large parts of Skåne suddenly turn pitch black. Fabian Risk witnesses the blackout from his sailing boat with his daughter Matilda.

Back in Helsingborg, Fabian and his colleagues are faced with a number of seemingly inexplicable cases in the aftermath of the mysterious blackout. Cases where witnesses behave strangely and nothing seems to add up. In the middle of all this, an old girlfriend of Fabian’s contacts him after her daughter has gone missing. Has she been kidnapped, or does her father have something to do with her disappearance? In the search for the girl, Fabian starts to discern a pattern. But what is he missing?

One decade after the events in The Final Nail, Fabian Risk returns in Generation Zero, a new, thrilling installment in Stefan Ahnhem’s bestselling series.

’The Sleepwalker’ still No. 1 in the Netherlands

Lars Kepler’s The Sleepwalker, the tenth book in the bestselling Joona Linna series, remains at the top of the crime list in the Netherlands for the second week in a row.

‘SON’ published in the UK

Everyone here is lying…

Expert on body language and memory, and consultant to the Oslo Police, psychologist Kari Voss sleepwalks through her days, and, by night, continues the devastating search for her young son, who disappeared on his birthday, seven years earlier.

Still grieving for her dead husband, and trying to pull together the pieces of her life, she is thrust into a shocking local investigation, when two teenage girls are violently murdered in a family summer home in the nearby village of Son.

When a friend of the victims is charged with the barbaric killings, it seems the case is closed, but Kari is not convinced. Using her skills and working on instinct, she conducts her own enquiries, leading her to multiple suspects, including people who knew the dead girls well…

With the help of Chief Constable Ramona Norum, she discovers that no one – including the victims – are what they seem. And that there is a dark secret at the heart of Son village that could have implications not just for her own son’s disappearance, but Kari’s own life, too…

SON is the first installment in Thomas Enger & Johana Gustawsson’s Kari Voss series.

‘The Sleepwalker’ awarded the Český Bestseller Award in translated fiction 2024

Lars Kepler’s The Sleepwalker was the most sold translated fiction title for the Czech book-retailer Knihcentrum in 2024 and has been awarded the Český Bestseller Award for its achievement.

’The Electric State’ Remains No. 1 Worldwide and Surpasses 47.7 Million Views

Two weeks after its premiere, the Russo brothers’ adaptation of Simon Stålenhag’s narrative art book, The Electric State, remains the No. 1 English-language film on Netflix worldwide, surpassing 47.7 million views.

The film follows a young woman (Millie Bobby Brown) on a dangerous journey through a robot-ravaged America, accompanied by a mysterious toy robot and a rogue smuggler (Chris Pratt). Together, they’ll unravel a mechanical conspiracy at the center of the American heartland.

’Dry Land’ No. 2 in Norway

Jørn Lier Horst’s Dry Land, the latest installment in the bestselling William Wisting series, debuts at No. 2 on this week’s paperback list.