Sami Maori book launch (from left): Peter Dowling, publisher Oratia Books; Marit Alette Utsi publisher Davvi Girji; Linnéa Ellen
Knusten, student, Nord University; and Maria Nayr de Pinho Correira Ibrahim, Associate Professor, Nord University (credit: Alessandra Zecchini).
By Lawrence Schimel, Contributor
A recent ThinkPub report on books in translation found that for small linguistic markets, such as Norway’s, translation success depends increasingly on “translator networks, literary agents, festivals, book promotion agencies, and publicly funded export infrastructures.”This is certainly not news to Norway, nor for the well-oiled Norwegian Literature Abroad (NORLA), which organized Norway’s guest of honor program at this year’s Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BCBF) and knows well the vital role of translators. With that in mind, NORLA announced at the fair on April 15 that it would guarantee funding 50% of translators’ fees, up to a maximum of 100,000 NOK (approximately USD $10,500), for works of children’s and young adult literature from the Norwegian and Sámi languages. Production subsidies for illustrated books for up to 20,000 NOK (approximately USD $2,100) are also available.
Since 2022, when Norway was first announced as the 2026 guest of honor at the BCBF, NORLA has already awarded 555 translation grants for children’s books.
“There has been a lot of planning head of the BCBF26 and a few preparatory events, some of which also involved translators, for example at the Rome book fair Più Libri Più Liberi in December 2025,” Eva Valvo, a Norwegian to Italian translator told Publishing Perspectives. “The extra support specifically invested by NORLA to increase the translation of children’s books resulted in more Norwegian books being published in Italy over the past few months, which is of course good news.”
Another veteran translator of Norwegian into Dutch, Edward van de Vendel, is now on the other side of the editorial desk as the publisher of Uitgeverij Blauw Gras in the Netherlands.
“I’ve been helped so much by NORLA,” said van de Vendel. “Not only with grants, but also with the information on their website and in their right’s guides. This is how I discovered the wonderful debut novel Ruby Baby by the young phenomenon April Alexandersdottir. And by talking to NORLA in Bologna today I even found out that we could apply for a mobility grant to support a visit by April to the Netherlands to promote the book!”
NORLA offers a useful feature on its website that lists literary translators from Norwegian into over 50 languages, from Azerbaijani to Ukrainian.
Not Just About Translation Rights
But the BCBF wasn’t just about translation rights for Norwegian publishers. Norwegian cultural events were held throughout the city with, for example, publisher Magikon‘s artist and illustrator, Kristin Roskifte, who drew a cityscape on a wall at Bologna’s Museum of Modern Art, MAMbo, and invited visitors to add their own elements.
Svein Størsken and Kristin Roskifte (credit: Lawrence Schimel).
Roskifte’s picture book Everybody Counts was sold to 65 territories–a success similar to that of another Norwegian book, Jostein Gaarder’s philosophical novel Sophie’s World. The two spoke together in a session called “From a Small Country to the Big World-How and Why Literature Travels”
Roskifte’s publisher, Svein Størsken, was attending BCBF for the 18th time and this year was a change of pace for him. “For me personally it’s a bit less busy as instead of filling my schedule with nonstop meetings, I’ve attended guest of honor events and followed authors.”
He added that he had sold rights before the fair, in part “because of increased support from NORLA.”
Strand Comics, founded in 2018, was at the BCBF for the first time. Editor Hans Ivar Stordal said that particularly with the cancellation of France’s Angoulême comics festival earlier this year, exhibiting in the Comics Corner at BCBF was an opportunity to show the spotlight on Norwegian comics creators, and to organize meetings, some arranged before the fair and others spontaneous, with international editors, artists and comics fans.
Indigenous Voices
Eva Valvo (credit: Lawrence Schimel).
Norway’s indigenous Sámi people and their culture, language, and literature were also included as part of the guest of honor program.
One such endeavor was the publication of the picture book What’s the Matter With the Sea? written by Rita Sørly and illustrated by Malgorzata Piotrowska, in a trilingual edition, in Te Reo Māori, the endangered Lule Sámi language (which has only 750 remaining speakers), and English. It was translated into Te Reo Māori by Kanapu Rangitauria, into Lule Sámi by Are Tjihkkom, and into English by Maria Nayr de Pinho Correia Ibrahim and Charlotta Maria Langjean.
The co-edition was between Sami publisher Davvi Girji and Five Oceans, an imprint of New Zealand publisher Oratia Books dedicated to bringing translations into English and Pacific languages for readers in Oceania and beyond. The story follows Māori marine biologists Aihe and Whina who set out from Otago to investigate why a goose-beaked whale, normally found in deep tropical waters, has been founded stranded on a beach near Gamvik on the Norwegian coast.
“It centers the connection between the indigenous peoples of Norway and Aotearoa,” said Peter Dowling, publisher of Auckland-based Five Oceans, “while telling a thoughtful story that highlights the need to care for our marine environment.”
A presentation of the book and collaboration was made during the BCBF featuring the translator into English, and both the Sámi and New Zealand publishers of the book.
As Norway passed the torch to Poland, which will be the BCBF’s guest of honor in 2027, the halo effect of Norwegian culture will continue internationally as translations from Norwegian children’s books, with help of translation grants, will continue to make their way around the world.