The Nordic Literature Week is a read aloud event, where the same Nordic literature related to a chosen theme is read out loud at the same time across the Nordic and Baltic countries, as well as other Nordic institutions around the world. The Nordic Literature Week takes place in mid-November, and that week’s Monday is the Big Reading Aloud Day. This year, the annual Nordic Literature Week runs from November 11 to 17, with The Big Reading Aloud Day on November 11.
During this time, candles are lit in libraries across the Nordic and Baltic countries, and everyone is invited to read books by Nordic authors individually or attending public readings at libraries. 2024 marks the 80th anniversary of Iceland becoming an independent republic. In the celebration of the historic milestone, this year the Nordic Literature Week is focusing on Iceland and its rich literary heritage. Through reading texts by Icelandic authors, everyone is invited to explore the country’s multifaceted stories and honor its cultural contributions to the Nordic community.
This year’s theme, Freedom in the Nordics, allows us to reflect on what freedom means for people in the Nordic countries, and how it is embodied and explored in literature. Freedom is a concept that can have many expressions: from personal freedom to express oneself and live as one wishes, to nations’ pursuit of independence and sovereignty. By linking Iceland’s 80th anniversary with the theme Freedom in the Nordics, we hope to make the Nordic Literature Week a platform to discuss and explore thoughts on freedom and community. We aim to inspire conversations about what freedom means to each of us, and how we can work together to strengthen freedom and community in our societies – now and in the future.
Traditionally, there are two public readings – “Morning Dawn” for children and “Evening Dusk” for adults.
Volcano by Rán Flygenring
The picture book Volcano was awarded the Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize in 2023. From the jury’s motivation:
"This year's winner has created an explosively visual picture book about how wild and uncontrollable nature affects humans. They skillfully weave image and text into a playfully humorous story about a motley crowd of tourists that encounters a volcanic eruption. The story bursts with power, both capturing and propelling our fascination with extreme natural phenomena. Yet it also touches on conflicting emotions that arise as the land collapses, lava flows, and new mountains emerge, as well as the emotions connected to more mundane matters such as a lice epidemic or seeing your surroundings being flooded with tourists. There is tension throughout between the tiny and the gigantic, which gives the story a unique intensity. The illustrations brim with subtle details that will capture the attention of young readers. Does nature exist only to entertain us, or should we ourselves take greater responsibility for how we interact with it? This book gives hope that we can find a way to live in harmony with nature.”
As the Nordic Literature Week celebrates Iceland's independence anniversary in 2024, we join a tourist bus with Cactus in the book Volcano. Cactus is not impressed, but the day takes an unexpected turn...
The Blue Fox by Sjón
As Iceland is celebrating 80 years as a republic, we are reading texts from Iceland this year. Skugga-Baldur is about a priest and a fox hunt, but it is also a reckoning with Icelandic history. “Skuggabaldur” is the name of a fox-cat in Icelandic folklore, and in the novel, we follow Baldur Skuggason in pursuit of a talking fox. The concise language evokes the Icelandic sagas, and the vivid nature descriptions take us through the Icelandic landscape, which plays a significant role in the story.
This book has also been awarded the Nordic Council Literature Prize. From the jury’s motivation:
“The Blue Fox balances skillfully on the border between poetry and prose. The novel weaves themes from Icelandic sagas, and romantic narrative art into a fascinating story in which present day ethical questions stand out.”
Sjón is the pseudonym for Sigurjón Birgir Sigurðsson.
Nordic Literature Week is arranged by the Confederation of the Nordic Associations (Foreningen Norden) and the Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Latvia, in collaboration with the National Library of Latvia’s Children’s Literature Center. Its purpose is to promote Nordic literature, stimulate the joy of reading and promote solidarity and co-operation in a different and exciting way. In the Nordic countries, the project is in its 27th year, and in Latvia, its 26th. Throughout the week, readings, storytelling, literature exhibits, debates, contests, and other activities will take place in libraries, schools, and elsewhere. Any library, school, or other institution can join, and participant numbers continue to grow. 2203 libraries across the Nordic and Baltic countries signed up, with 293 in Latvia alone. All events of the Nordic Literature Week are free.
Additional information and photos from the most recent events are available on social media using hashtags #NORDISKLITT or #NORDISKLITT24.
Participants are invited to send images from the events via the Nordisk litteraturuge Facebook page or via email to the project coordinators in Denmark at: kontakt@nordisklitteratur.org
Project website: https://www.nordisklitteratur.org/lv
