Lars Kepler’s The Spider shot to No. 1 in paperback this holiday season, and stays at No. 1 also this week.
The Surge, Yrsa Sigurdardóttir’s third novel in the Black Ice series, stays firmly put at No. 2 also on the December bestseller list for all genres. Jo Nesbø’s Killing Moon meanwhile climbs to the top of the translated fiction list.
The Cabin, the twelfth William Wisting novel, is No. 1 in French bookstores. The novel was published in France just last week.
When tallying 2023’s book sales in Norway, the clear winner is Jørn Lier Horst. Even with no new Wisting novel being published last year, Horst’s popular and long-selling backlist puts him at No. 1 on the list of most sold authorships.
The house across the yard is about to be demolished, but something is not right. Inside, a curtain suddenly flutters, one Bengt Gustav has never seen before. He enters the house even though he isn’t supposed to, and on the second floor he finds a door marked “1984.” It becomes the first in a series of time-travels, where Bengt Gustav is given the opportunity to fix everything that has gone wrong for his father through the years, all the things his father blames his alcoholism on. Only, things never get any better.
The only calm place left to Bengt Gustav is the water. Lowering himself into the bathtub, he thinks about Guillaume Néry, who for a long time held the world record in freediving. In the water, Bengt Gustav sees his lifeboat from below, the one he is in all by himself. The lifeboat that will save him when his father derails.
Bengt Gustav finally realizes that he has to let more people onto his lifeboat, right now. That will be the only way he and his father can find a way forward.
Fifty-five Meters Below the Surface is a warm, beautiful novel for middle graders about keeping your head above the surface and letting other people in.
Photo: Anton Soggiu
The readers of Aftenposten Junior have chosen Jørn Lier Horst as the Author of the Year in 2023. He wins ahead of J.K. Rowling after being voted by young readers.
The books about Detective Agency No. 2 are one of Norway’s bestselling children’s book series of all time, with a total print run of 3 million copies. Several of the books have been adapted into films, and there has also been a theatrical production based on the popular universe. In 2022, Tiril, Oliver, and Åtto were named the all-time Norwegian children’s book characters by the readers of the industry website Bok365.
Critically acclaimed Exodus, directed by Abbe Hassan and written by Kristoffer Cras and Abbe Hassan, is nominated for a Guldbagge Award in the category Best Screenplay.
The Guldbagge Awards Gala is arranged by the Swedish Film Institute in collaboration with SVT and will take place at Cirkus in Stockholm on January 15, 2024.
Emma Karinsdotter’s Unscientific Studies: Nine Pieces of Evidence for Things That Likely Never Happened is once again featured as one of 2023’s best children’s titles in three Swedish newspapers. This time, it is Dagens Nyheter’s, Smålandsposten’s, and Upsala Nya Tidning’s teams of critics who have listed their top picks of children’s books of the year, with the following motivations:
“A senselessly funny short story collection which begins with happily hungry cannibalism. /…/ The combination of Emma Karinsdotter’s absurd stories and Marcus-Gunnar Pettersson’s wild illustrations is unusually successful, they enhance each other’s madness.”
Dagens Nyheter
“Nine imaginative, thought-provoking, and perceptively illustrated short stories about everything from a dad whose fingers turn into sausages to a milk tooth that speaks in first person. It is bizarre, unexpected, weird, gross, leaves space for seriousness but most of all it is fun. The whole spectrum from cunning to laughing out loud.”
Smålandsposten
“The most twisted book of the year? Wonderfully weird short stories, illustrated with an equal portion of creativity. The letters literally jump on the pages (…) and when the father’s fingers start smelling like sausages, there is no end to the absurdism. Read aloud and be enthused!”
Upsala Nya Tidning
Erik Svedberg-Zelman was born in 1996 and spent his early years in the city of New York. At the age of 12, he embarked on a transformative journey, moving to Sweden. Erik possesses the unique distinction of having both Swedish and (American) English as his native languages, a reflection of his Swedish mother and American father. During his adolescence, his passion for skateboarding turned in to a career and took him on a global adventure, competing in various locations all over the world.
Erik’s journey took a new turn when he pursued education at Malmö Theatre Academy, marking the beginning of his exploration into the world of acting. His talent and dedication were evident in numerous theatrical productions at Malmö Stadsteater and the Royal Dramatic Theatre.
One of his notable performances was in the monologue production titled Jag säger ingenting alls at Teater Brunnsgatan Fyra, which was given significant attention for its compelling narrative.
Very soon Erik Svedberg-Zelman can be seen as one of the central figures in The Helicopter Heist, directed by Daniel Espinosa for Netflix. Additionally, he takes on the lead role as Fredrik in Düsseldorf, Skåne, set to premiere globally at Gothenburg Film Festival in January. Moreover, Erik is set to grace the stage at the Royal Dramatic Theatre with the premiere of Svindel-Kärlekens Antarktis, a play by Sara Stridsberg, scheduled to premiere in March 2024.
Erik Svedberg-Zelman’s journey is marked by a seamless transition from the streets of New York to the stages of Malmö and beyond, showcasing his versatility and commitment to the arts.
Spain, RBA
Three-book deal closed by Federico Ambrosini
Finland, Tammi
Two-book deal closed by Linda Andersson
Czech Republic, Euromedia
Two-book deal closed by Tor Jonasson
Netherlands, House of Books
Two-book deal closed by Tor Jonasson
Albania, Dudaj
Three-book deal closed by Emma Granberg
Denmark, Bogoo Books
Two-book deal closed by Linda Andersson
This is a subtle, poetic, and compassionate story.
– Sundsvalls Tidning
Netflix’s The Glass Dome is a brand-new Nordic Noir – or more specifically, Swedish – series that delivers everything fans of the genre love.
– The Killing Times
A gripping psychological thriller. It works as both a twisty kidnapping crime saga with a lot of moving parts and fleshed-out characters, and as a tactful, skillfully performed meditation on the long-lasting and intergenerational effects of trauma.
– Collider
The Equation of Life is an emotional journey through time, capturing the essence of an entire lifetime. Written with a gentle touch, it invites you to keep reading.
– BTJ
To some extent this is an exercise in literary adrenaline (you can gulp it down in one sitting) but its immersive brio is also hard to shake off.
– Daily Mail
A touching and poignant tale of an aging father and his middle-aged daughter, exploring themes of nurturing and reconciliation, and the profound layers of life often hidden from those closest to us – a story about love, and about making things right, before it’s too late.
