The editorial team at Svenska Dagbladet – a leading daily newspaper in Sweden – has handpicked a list of the “Best Books of the 21st Century.” No. 4 on the list is Sofi Oksanen’s award-winning and internationally bestselling novel Purge, with the motivation as follows:

“In Purge, Finnish-Estonian Sofi Oksanen depicts the population in Estonia and its fate during the 20th century, with parallels being drawn to contemporary Estonians’ lives. Through two women’s differences and similarities, the reader gets to experience up close what the will to survive can do to a human being. The occupation of land and body is a strong theme in the novel, which has achieved great success both in the Nordics and in the US. Purge was also awarded the Nordic Council Literature Prize, and has become a radio serial, film and theater.”

The Golden Screen (Gullruten) is the annual award for the Norwegian TV industry and their equivalent to the American Emmy Awards. Førstegangstjenesten, the popular NRK comedy series, is nominated for three awards.

Rolf-Magne Golten Andersen is, together with his co-writers Herman Flesvig and Marit Støre Valeur, nominated for ‘Best Script’. Førstegangstjenesten is also nominated for ‘Best Comedy’ and ‘Best Editing’.

The winners will be announced on May 7 and May 8.

The trailer for Whitstable Pearl, a crime series based on the mystery novels by author Julie Wassmer, is now available for viewing. The show will star After Life’s Kerry Godliman as Pearl Nolan – a restaurant owner who, having trained as a police officer earlier in her career, decides to set up a local detective agency.

Whitstable Pearl has been adapted by Øystein Karlsen, giving the crime drama a “Scandi” edge. The series will be available on the online streaming service Acorn TV in the UK and US later this spring.

David Sundin’s The Book That Did Not Want To Be Read has been awarded with the Swedish Booksellers’ 2020 Award for Children’s Book of Year. The non-profit association is comprised of book retailer employees, and has since 1951 on an annual basis voted forth the “Swedish author, who with their book has bestowed them with the greatest sense of entertainment and personal satisfaction.”

Aliette Opheim, a Swedish actor with extensive international experience, is one of Sweden’s most sought-after actors.

Opheim made her big screen debut at just 16 years old, having auditioned at her school for the lead role of Ida in the successful youth drama Sandor slash Ida (2005). In 2012, she decided to pursue acting full-time and applied to the renowned Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama, from which she graduated in 2015. That same year she received the prestigious Rising Star Award for her outstanding performances.

In 2014, Opheim starred in the acclaimed The Fat and the Angry, directed by Johan Renck and written by Oskar Söderlund. The two-part drama thriller received great reviews and was among else awarded at the Seoul International Drama Awards and the C21 International Drama Awards.

2015 saw the premiere of the Amazon series Patriot, wherein Opheim made her English language debut in the role as Detective Agathe Albans, shooting in both the US and in France. The comedy-drama series ran for two seasons and received wonderful reviews.

Opheim’s most recent roles in Swedish productions include ones in the hit series Caliphate (2020) and Beartown (2020). In the acclaimed and daring Caliphate, directed by Goran Kapetanovic, she plays the lead role of the security service agent Fatima, and was praised for her strong performance. In the lauded HBO series Beartown, directed by Peter Grönlund, she stars as the mother, wife and successful lawyer Mira. The chilling drama has received outstanding reviews both in Sweden and internationally.

It has just been announced that the second season of Exit is nominated in no less than seven categories for this year’s Norwegian Emmy Awards; ‘Best Drama’, ‘Best Director (drama)’, ‘Best Actor/Actress in a leading role’ (Agnes Kittelsen), ‘Best Cinematography’, ‘Best Production Design’, ‘Best Makeup’ and ‘The Audience Award’.

With that, the series that Øystein Karlsen has written and directed have all together received a staggering 43 Norwegian Emmy nominations in 11 years and has won 12 so far.