Norwegian Festival of Literature
A major annual literary festival held in Lillehammer, Norway, with a Nordic and international program of books, ideas, performance and public debate.
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Overview
The Norwegian Festival of Literature is an annual literary and cultural event held in Lillehammer, Norway, generally in May or June. Known in Norwegian as Sigrid Undset-dagene, it takes its subsidiary name from Sigrid Undset, the Norwegian author and Nobel laureate who lived in Lillehammer from 1919 until her death in 1949. The festival is described as the largest non-commercial literary festival in the Nordic countries and has taken place each year since 1995. The event developed from seminars on Sigrid Undset organized by the Nansen Academy in 1993 and 1994. Its initial literary focus broadened into a substantial public festival involving writers, publishers, journalists, translators, critics, librarians, students, politicians, children, young people and general readers. Although its principal geographical scope is Nordic, the program has also hosted prominent authors and artists from outside the region, making the festival an international meeting point for literature and the wider book world. Its programming extends well beyond conventional author talks. Events have included readings, interviews, public conversations, debates, seminars, concerts, films and theatre. The festival has also used annual themes to organize discussion around subjects such as power, myths, Europe, conflict and reconciliation, truth, the city, money and responsibility. This combination of literary presentation and cultural debate positions the festival as both a readers’ event and a professional forum for the publishing and literary sectors. A substantial part of the program is devoted to children and young people through Pegasus, the festival’s youth-oriented offering. Pegasus has accounted for nearly one-third of the overall program in some editions and reflects the festival’s role in literary education, audience development and family participation. The event’s audience therefore includes both established cultural professionals and broad local and visiting publics. The festival has received public and institutional support throughout its history. Oppland county municipality supported it from its beginnings. The Norwegian government began providing an earmarked annual-budget contribution in 1999, initially associated with the Maihaugen cultural museum, and the Norwegian Publishers Association became a regular financial contributor in 2001. Since 2006, the festival has been classified as a Norwegian “Junction Festival,” a status associated with a separate item in the national state budget. The scale of the event was illustrated by the 2013 edition, which presented more than 200 events and approximately 400 artists and writers and recorded 24,173 visitors. Previous guests have included J. M. Coetzee, Herta Müller, Amos Oz, Zadie Smith, Per Petterson, Märta Tikkanen, André Brink, Margaret Atwood, John Irving, Ko Un, Sofi Oksanen, Shaun Tan, Adonis, Antony and the Johnsons and Abdulrazak Gurnah. The festival’s public profile was also shaped by a 2008–2009 dispute over the proposed invitation of David Irving, whose historical writing and Holocaust denial had made him highly controversial. The invitation was defended as an opportunity to confront falsehood and competing ideas of truth, but it prompted protests from authors, cultural organizations and press representatives. The invitation was withdrawn within days, and artistic adviser Stig Sæterbakken resigned. The episode remains one of the most significant controversies associated with the festival and illustrates the tension between free expression, historical responsibility and institutional programming.
History
The Norwegian Festival of Literature originated in seminars devoted to Sigrid Undset held by the Nansen Academy in Lillehammer in 1993 and 1994. The annual festival itself began in 1995. Its name and identity are closely associated with Undset, the Norwegian Nobel Prize-winning author who lived in Lillehammer from 1919 until her death in 1949. From the outset, the festival was conceived as more than a sequence of book readings. Its scope covers the Nordic countries while also bringing international writers and artists to Lillehammer. Over time it became a meeting place for authors, publishers, journalists, translators, librarians, critics, students, politicians and the general public. Its program has combined literary discussion with music, film, theatre, interviews, seminars and public debates. Public support has been central to the festival’s development. Oppland county municipality supported the event from its inception. In 1999, the Norwegian government began making an earmarked contribution through the annual state budget, initially as part of a budget allocation connected with the Maihaugen cultural museum. The Norwegian Publishers Association began regular financial support in 2001. In 2006 the festival received “Junction Festival” classification, giving it a distinct place in the national budget. The festival has used annual themes to frame its programming. Documented themes include “Damned writers” in 1999, “Folly and writers” in 2000, “Power” in 2001, “Myths” in 2002, “Crime and poetry” in 2003, “Europe” in 2004, “Conflict and reconciliation” in 2005, “Staging” in 2006, “Infidelity” in 2007, “Future” in 2008, “Truth” in 2009, “Break away” in 2010, “The city” in 2011, “Money” in 2012 and “Responsibility” in 2013. Children’s and youth literature form a major part of the festival through Pegasus. In some editions, Pegasus represented almost one-third of the overall program. This gives the festival an educational and audience-development function in addition to its role as a professional and cultural gathering. The 2013 edition demonstrates the scale reached by the event: more than 200 events, approximately 400 participating artists and writers, and 24,173 visitors. Guests over the years have included internationally recognized authors such as J. M. Coetzee, Herta Müller, Amos Oz, Zadie Smith, Margaret Atwood, John Irving and Abdulrazak Gurnah, alongside Nordic writers and artists. The most prominent controversy in the festival’s documented history arose in October 2008 over the invitation of David Irving to participate in the 2009 edition. The proposed session was framed around Irving’s understanding of truth and the historical controversies surrounding his work. The invitation provoked opposition from several Norwegian authors, the Norwegian free-expression organization Fritt Ord, the Norwegian Press Confederation and others. Some writers threatened to boycott the festival, while a representative of the Undset family asked that Undset’s name no longer be associated with the event. The invitation was rescinded within days. Stig Sæterbakken, who had invited Irving, resigned as artistic adviser and criticized the decision, while festival director Randi Skeie expressed regret about the episode. Irving subsequently said he would travel to Lillehammer independently and give a lecture from a hotel. The incident placed the festival at the center of a national debate about free speech, historical denial and the limits of cultural programming.
- 2013
Large-scale edition
[1]The festival reports more than 200 events, around 400 artists and writers, and 24,173 visitors.
- 2008
David Irving invitation controversy
[1]The proposed invitation of David Irving triggers protests and a leadership resignation before the invitation is withdrawn.
- 2006
Classified as a Junction Festival
[1]The festival receives Junction Festival status and a separate item in the state budget.
- 2001
Publishers Association becomes regular contributor
[1]The Norwegian Publishers Association begins providing regular financial support.
- 1999
Norwegian government support begins
[1]The festival receives an earmarked contribution in the national annual budget.
- 1995
First annual festival
[1]The Norwegian Festival of Literature launches as an annual event in Lillehammer.
- 1993
Nansen Academy begins Sigrid Undset seminars
[1]The seminars that later developed into the Norwegian Festival of Literature begin in Lillehammer.
Products and positioning
A non-commercial, publicly supported literary festival that combines Nordic and international literature with publishing-industry exchange, cultural debate, performing arts and large-scale children’s programming.
Literary festival · 1995
Main festival program
The central annual program in Lillehammer presents Norwegian, Nordic and international writers through readings, interviews, debates, seminars and conversations. It also incorporates concerts, films and theatre, allowing literature to be discussed alongside other forms of cultural expression.
Children’s and youth literature
Pegasus
Pegasus is the festival’s dedicated offering for children and young people. It provides age-oriented literary activities and related cultural programming and has represented a substantial share of the overall festival schedule.
Controversies
2008
David Irving invitation controversy
A proposed invitation to David Irving, whose historical work includes Holocaust denial, generated protests by authors and cultural organizations. The festival withdrew the invitation, and artistic adviser Stig Sæterbakken resigned after objecting to the reversal.
Brand decisions
2008
Withdrawal of David Irving invitationOtherBackground
The festival had invited David Irving to discuss truth and the controversies surrounding his historical writing, prompting public opposition and threatened boycotts.
Action taken
The festival rescinded the invitation within days of the controversy becoming public.
Aftermath
Artistic adviser Stig Sæterbakken resigned, while the episode produced a wider debate in Norway about free expression, Holocaust denial and cultural institutions.
Recent events
- 2013
2013 festival reports more than 200 events and 24,173 visitors[1]
Other
The 2013 edition presented over 200 events involving about 400 artists and writers and reported attendance of 24,173 visitors.
Sources2 sources
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