Göteborg Book Fair, The Seminar Programme 2015

GÖTEBORG BOOK FAIR The Seminar Programme

PÉTER ESTERHÁZY

God, the Communists and the melon fields

SEMINARS MASHA GESSEN / IAN BURUMA / ÁGNES HELLER / IAN MCEWAN GUADALUPE NETTEL / ARNALDUR INDRIÐASON / SALLY GREEN CONN IGGULDEN / MILENA BUSQUETS/ PATRICK COCKBURN PAULA HAWKINS/ AUÐUR AVA ÓLAFSDÓTTIR / ÁDÁM BODOR LAINI TAYLOR / HASSAN BLASIM / LORETTA NAPOLEONI NOÉMI SZÉCSI / JÓN KALMAN STEFÁNSSON/ XIAOLU GUO NORMAN MANEA / KRISZTINA TÓTH / ANTONY BEEVOR CARMEN BUGAN / OWEN JONES / DANIEL KEHLMANN SEPTEMBER 24 – 27, 2015 THE SWEDISH EXHIBITION CENTER

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17…

IAN McEWAN

KATJA PETROWSKAJA

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PAULA HAWKINS

Contents SEPTEMBER 24–27 2015

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CONN IGGULDEN

Information 3 Göteborg Book Fair 4 International Rights Centre, IRC 5 In focus: Hungarian literature 6 Freedom of speech 8 Voices from Iceland 10 SEMINARS Thursday September 24 Friday September 25 Saturday September 26 Sunday September 27

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LAINI TAYLOR

Participants 22

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15… 17… ÁDÁM BODOR

XIAOLU GUO

ARNALDUR INDRIÐASON

PUBLISHER: Maria Källsson EDITORIAL TEAM: Henriette Andersson, Anneli Jonasson, Johan Kollén, Annica Starfalk PROGRAMME DIRECTOR: Daniel Levin GRAPHIC DESIGN: Sandra Jonsson COVER: Sandra Jonsson, Photo Alexander Lagergren GRAPHIC PRODUCTION: Helena Bäckhed and Just Rivista AB PRINT: Billes 2015 PAPER: Arctic Silk FONTS: Archer, Charter, Akkurat TRANSLATIONS: Anders Lindahl, James Garrabrant and organizers of seminars.

Göteborg Book Fair, SE-412 94 Göteborg. Visiting address: Mässans gata 10

www.goteborg-bookfair.com

@bokmassanGbg

facebook.com/BokmassanGbg

+ 46 (0)31 - 708 84 00

INFORMATION

Opening hours Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

9 AM–6 PM 9 AM–7 PM 9 AM–6 PM 9 AM–5 PM

Prices

4-day seminar card: 3,250 SEK Day pass Thursday: 1,600 SEK Day pass Friday: 1,600 SEK Day pass Saturday: 1,025 SEK Sunday (only entry ticket necessary): 180 SEK Tickets to single seminars: 675 SEK (entry to exhibition not included).

VAT included in all prices.

4-day cards are valid for all seminars, Thursday–Sunday. Entry to the exhibition is included. A day pass is valid for all seminars and includes entry to the exhibition on the day in question. Reservations can not be made for specific seminars.

PHOTO: OLA KJELBYE

OPENING HOURS/ TICKETS /GENERAL INFORMATION Seminar locations

Information about the location of any seminar is available at www.bokmassan.se and through the Book Fair app around two weeks ahead of the fair. Throughout the fair, lists of the day’s seminars and locations can be found at the information desks.

There you will also find a map of the exhibition area.

The bag

If you buy a 4-day card, you will also get this year’s edition of the popular Book Fair bag; a stylish and practical canvas bag containing, among other things, a notepad, a pen and some fruit. You can also get just the bag for 150 SEK. Use the Book Fair app to plan your visit and create a personal schedule.

Order your tickets at www.goteborg-bookfair.com The final day for pre-ordering is Sept 17.

During the fair you can also buy a seminar card on site: Level 2, Entrance 5, the main entrance facing Korsvägen.

Make your reservation no later than August 9 in order to get an early bird discount!

THANK YOU! The Göteborg Book Fair would like to thank all exhibitors, ­publishing houses, institutes and organizations for their ­contribution to this year's ­seminar programme.

A SPECIAL THANK YOU Is due to our main partners within this year's theme: Balassi Institute, National Cultural Fond of Hungary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ministry of Human Capacities, Embassy of Hungary in Stockholm.

A THANK YOU ALSO TO Icelandic Literature Center, Ministry of Culture and Education, Icelandic Publishers Association and Promote Iceland who made Voices from Iceland possible.

Daniel Levin and Maria Källsson

Without freedom of speech, no book fair THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION brings both opportunities and challenges. Opportunities, since it makes our world smaller and binds us together in a spectacular way. Challenges, since it makes the public sphere more scattered. The latter is not the least due to social media facilitating our communication with our peers – most often via our mobile phones.

In an increasingly digitised world, the Göteborg Book Fair fills an important function. In an equally extravagant tone, you can say that the Book Fair reminds us of the public squares in the classical age: a meeting and market place, a place for culture and politics, but also enjoyment and festivities; a place we go to for our own reasons, but united by our desire to meet, discuss and have fun – and at the same time learn something new.

And importantly, all this is done eye to eye.

THIS BOOKLET PRESENTS the seminars in languages other than Scandinavian. At the Göteborg Book Fair, people like Péter Esterházy from the focus country Hungary and Arnaldur Indriðason from Iceland are found at the same space as Britain’s Paula Hawkins and the Russian-American, Masha Gessen. Just to name a few of all the people who make us incredibly proud of our programme.

Sweden’s first freedom of the press act will turn 250 years old next year. We’re pre-starting the celebration with a two-year theme on freedom of speech, which can be found throughout the programme and, not the least, when you step into the Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre in September. After all, it’s quite simple: without freedom of speech there are no free conversations and discussions, no literature to challenge ingrained opinions and no book fair. Not even in your mobile phone.

DANIEL LEVIN,

PROGRAMME DIRECTOR

MARIA KÄLLSSON,

BOOK FAIR DIRECTOR

ORGANIZER Göteborg Book Fair, SE–412 94 Göteborg, ph +46 31 708 84 00, hej@goteborg-bookfair.com. This printed matter is environmentally certified.

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GÖTEBORG BOOK FAIR The Most Reverend Archbishop Desmond Tutu visited the Fair for the second time 2014.

PHOTO: ALEXANDER LAGERGREN & NIKLAS MAUPOIX

Literary Scholar Ingrid Elam and American writer Siri Hustvedt at Göteborg Book Fair 2014.

Book signing: readers meet writers.

Focal country in 2014: Brazil.

Swedish singer Annika Norlin.

A celebration for book-lovers The Göteborg Book Fair is not your average trade fair.

It is a manifestation of arts and culture. A whirlwind of ideas and opinions.

A tribute to freedom of expression. A place for readers and writers to meet and celebrate the power of stories. And, with 100,000 annual visitors, it is in fact the largest cultural event in Scandinavia.

Program

The four days of the Book Fair are filled with literary events, poetry readings and discussions and debates on almost every conceivable topic.

Writers, scholars, Nobel Laureates, politicians and thinkers from around the world appear in readings, talks and high profile debates.

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Exhibition

With 12,000 square metres of exhibition area, and over 800 participating companies and organisations, it goes without saying that the Book Fair's exhibition covers practically anything to do with books. Not to mention education, politics, science and global development.

In focus

A certain country or linguistic area, a region or topical cultural issue – every year, a specific theme permeates the entire fair. This year, we will focus on Hungary and Hungarian literature.

A NEW FOCUS EVERY YEAR FOCUS 2010: AFRICA

PHOTO: NIKLAS MAUPOIX

Partner: The Nordic Africa Institute

AnnaKaisa Danielsson, Rights Manager at Alfabeta Publishers, visited the International Rights Centre 2014.

BUSINESS AMONG THE CROWD AT IRC

THE AFRICAN THEME at the Göteborg Book Fair 2010 was a great success. About 70 authors and other guests from Africa attended and the theme was featured in over 100 programme events and received wide­ spread publicity in both the Swedish and the foreign media. 27 books by African authors were translated into Swedish and presented at the fair. An estimate is that around 20 titles have been translated in the years to ­follow.

We can see that A ­ frican ­authors are frequently invited to Sweden and appear in literary programs on TV, in media, and in seminars. Many cultural co-operations take place in ­exchange with Africa. The Nordic Africa Institute was very happy with the Africa theme and felt that the result was a great success. A pre­requisite for the success was the involvement of so many publishers, institutes and organisations.

SUSANNE LINDEROS, COMMUNICATIONS, NORDIC AFRICA INSTITUTE

The International Rights C ­ entre, IRC, is one of Europe’s most important meeting places for trading in Nordic literary rights.

AT IRC, PUBLISHERS and literary agents book meetings to buy and sell rights, get an idea of the supply of titles and meet international colleagues with a specific interest in Nordic literature. At the fair you will find the industry’s largest representation of publishing companies, agents and authors from the Nordic region. This unique opportunity to survey the market is what makes Göteborg Book Fair the foremost venue for trading in Nordic literary rights.

ESTABLISHED IN THE LATE 1990s, the ever growing IRC has become a significant part of the Book Fair. And a highly appreciated part at that.

– The International Rights ­Centre in Göteborg

has a great atmosphere ­­­ and is a good s­ pace for ­meetings – one has privacy, yet it’s also very ­communal. The Göteborg Book Fair is also a great celebration of international authors and it’s inspiring to see how well attended the fair is by the public, says Andy Hine, Foreign Rights Director at UK-based Little Brown Book Group.

JOHANNA KINCH, LITERARY AGENT at ­The Hedlund Literary Agency, agrees: – The Göteborg Book Fair is one of the nicest fairs. It’s vibrant and accessible and you get to meet not only a lot of S ­ candinavian p ­ ublishers, but also many German, Dutch and French publishers.

CONTACT/INFORMATION * Contact me for more information: Ewa Bråthe, International Sales Manager Phone +46 31 708 84 11 E-mail: eb@goteborg-bookfair.com You can also find information on our website: www.goteborg-bookfair.com

* Price List Table: SEK 4 400 (approx €470) Shelf: SEK 2 000 (approx €213) Extra shelf: SEK 1 000 (approx €107)

TRADE VISITS 2014 (per cent)

Education 39 Libraries 19 Booksellers/Publishers 8 Students 4 Media/Photo 4 Churches/Religious 4 Authors 4 Other cultural areas 3 Printing industry 2 Translators 1 Museum 1 Others 11

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DON'T MISS

IN FOCUS: Hungarian literature

THURSDAY

13.00–13.45

God, the Communists and the melon fields Participant: Péter Esterházy 16.00–16.45

Being a female writer in contemporary Hungary

Participants: Noémi Szécsi, Krisztina Tóth, Anna Jókai, Ágnes Judit Kiss, Katalin Mezey

Ádám Bodor

Noémi Szécsi

FRIDAY

10.00–10.45

1956

Participants: György Schöpflin, Katalin Mezey, Anna Jókai, Ádám Bodor, Ágnes Judit Kiss 14.00–14.45

What distinguishes contemporary Hungarian literature?

Katalin Mezey

Participants: Ádám Bodor, Anna Jókai, Endre Kukorelly, Emőke Lipcsey, Noémi Szécsi, Ferenc Vincze

Emőke Lipcsey

16.00–16.45

The challenges of translation

Participants: Béla Jávorszky, Ildikó Márky, Gunnar D Hansson, Maria Ortman, Katalin Mezey SATURDAY

Katalin Ladik

Péter Esterházy

10.00–10.45

In the heart of Europe

Participants: Péter Esterházy, Krisztina Tóth, András Török, Endre Kukorelly, Dániel Varró 14.00–14.45

Language without gender

Participants: Ádám Nádasdy, Noémi Szécsi, Tomas Riad SUNDAY

11.00–11.45

The Hungarian avant-garde Participants: Endre Szkárosi, Katalin Ladik, Endre Kukorelly, Emőke Lipcsey

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Krisztina Tóth

Endre Kukorelly

A NEW FOCUS EVERY YEAR FOCUS 2011: GERMANY, AUSTRIA AND SWITZERLAND

Hungarian literature at Göteborg Book Fair

FOTO: PRIVAT, DÉVAI ÁKOS, DOMBI ANIKO & ALEXANDER LAGERGREN, DÉVAI ÁKOS

A Nobel Laureate and several internationally acclaimed writers.

Despite being linguistically isolated Hungarian literature continues to fascinate, writes translator Daniel Gustafsson Pech.

WHEN IMRE KERTÉSZ was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2004, a vital piece was added to the puzzle of contemporary Hungarian literature. For their part, Hungarians had for long been aware of the quality of their domestic literature, as had many abroad – thanks to those writers who had managed to overcome the challenges presented by their language and make the leap to the outside world. But a turbulent literary scene that during the course of the 20th century had gone from symbolism, expressionism and avantgarde to ironic dissidence, samizdat and postmodernism had yet to see a Hungarian writer be granted this ultimate recognition that their native literature also was part of world literature.

Now, Kertész was hardly the only representative of Hungarian contemporary literature. Other names that may have a familiar ring are Péter Esterházy and Peter Nádas or, even more recently, László Krasznahorkai, writers whose work has made an impact in Europe as well as the United States.

One Nobel Prize and, on top of that, several internationally recognised writers has to be considered something of a literary feat for such a small and linguistically isolated area. Hungarian is only spoken by some 15 million people and has no close relatives in modern-day Europe. There are, of course, several reasons for these literary successes, individual ones chief among them: it is, plain and simple, a matter of interesting writing. But one reason may well be the singular character of the Hungarian language, its wealth of words and forms and the possibilities it offers in terms of creating original literature. But surely the nation’s dramatic and in many ways tragic 20th century history might be cited as an important reason for the powerful stories that have been created, and are continually being created, by Hungary’s writers.

THE FORERUNNERS TO contemporary Hungarian literature were trailblazers such as Ady Endre, Lajos Kassák and Dezső Kosztolányi. The inter-

war period offered short-lived voices like those of Attila József, Miklós Radnóti and Antal Szerb (the latter two of Jewish descent and murdered near the end of the war) as well as the prominent figure in the birth of the bourgeois novel, Sándor Márai, whose works enjoyed an international renaissance in the 21st century. In spite of the stifling cultural climate of state Socialism during the post-war era, modernists such as Gyula Illyés, Magda Szabó and Sándor Weöres created literary works of lasting worth. During the decline and dissolution of the Communist regime in the 1970s and 1980s, a new generation flourished in an unruly wave of dissent, assuming many literary expressions, from sociography to postmodernism. Besides the aforementioned contemporary writers, who all made their debut during this era, György Konrád and Miklós Vámos are worthy of mention.

THE PERIOD AFTER the fall of the Wall created a whole new set of conditions for literature, with free publishers and a lack of censorship – consequently, the literary scene exploded. Writers such as Attila Bartis, Krisztina Tóth and György Dragomán have amply demonstrated their country’s literary vigour; Hungarian writers keep crossing their lingustic borders, while many still wait for the “Great Hungarian Novel”, about the time during and after the regime change in 1989– 90. In the political turbulence that presently prevails, literature remains a forum for scrutinising present-day society.

During this year’s Book Fair, not only grandmaster Esterházy but many of the new literary voices will be heard, for example Endre Kukorelly and Dániel Varró. And as Göteborg Book Fair focuses on Hungarian literature, several 20th century classics are also being translated, well worth discovering or rediscovering. In spite of the language barrier, Hungarian writers keep fascinating us.

DANIEL GUSTAFSSON PECH, TRANSLATOR

Partners: Goethe-Institut Schweden, The Frankfurt Book Fair, The Austrian ­Publishers and Booksellers Association, The Austrian Chamber of Commerce, The Austrian Foreign Ministry, The Austrian Ministry of Culture, The Swiss Booksellers and Publishers Association, The Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, The German, Austrian and Swiss Embassies in Sweden WE VERY MUCH enjoyed collaborating with Bok & Bibliotek 2011 and presenting German-speaking literature at the Book Fair. The interest in the focal theme was indeed beyond our expectations. A lot of new literary voices from Austria, Switzerland and Germany were translated to Swedish and the Book Fair definitely helped to introduce and display them. The Swedish publishing houses were a great support and we established a lot of new and inspiring contacts. Some of the authors visiting the Book Fair 2011 are about to come out with new translations – exactly what we were hoping for!

In the years 2009–2012 there were 505 translations made from German to Swedish, and in 2011 alone the number of translations increased 40 per cent.

STEFAN PLUSCHKAT, GOETHE-INSTITUT SCHWEDEN

FOCUS 2012: NORDIC LITERATURE Main partners: Nordic Council/ Nordic Council of Ministers

THE OFFICIAL NORDIC co­operation had its 60th Anniversary, the N ­ ordic Council prestigious literature prize was awarded for the fiftieth time, the new Nordic prize for c­ hildren and young people’s literature was announced at the Fair and last but not least – Nordic was as cool as it still is! In other words, the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Nordic Council had many good reasons for ­creating the Nordic theme 2012.

Every second of hard work was worthwhile. Besides the seminars we had 70 activities in the 135 square meter stand, and we were amply rewarded. Audiences flocked to the stand, national and inter­national ­media reported, and we continue to watch the ­triumph of Nordic literature and culture around the world.

BODIL TINGSBY,

HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS

NORDIC COUNCIL/ NORDIC COUNCIL OF MINISTERS

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

DON'T MISS

The journalism of resistance

THURSDAY

12.00–12.45

Writing for life – young writers in Palestine Participants: Rana Mortaja, Haya Atatrah 14.00–14.45

Translation, a sense of nationality and freedom of speech Participants: Gáspár Miklós Tamás, Andri Snær Magnason 15.30–15.50

What do we dare to say?

Participants: Judit Benyovszki, Barnabas Lipodi, Åsa Fahlén, Bo Jansson FRIDAY

11.00–11.45

Power and resistance in Hungary Participants: Ágnes Heller, Per Magnus Johansson 15.00–15.45

Relative freedom of speech Participants: Masha Gessen, Ian Buruma 16.00–16.45

Free markets and free speech – do they work?

Participants: Milena Busquets, András Visky, Paulina Eglė Pukytė

Despite death threats, she criticises the power. Masha Gessen, one of Russia’s most powerful oppositional voices, refuses to be quiet. She’ll be visiting the Göteborg Book Fair, which will be launching a two-year theme about freedom of speech.

THE RUSSIAN-AMERICAN journalist and author, Masha Gessen, is one of Russia’s most indomitable and intrepid oppositional forces. Everyone who has read The man without a face (2012) knows that she is among Vladimir Putin’s most severe critics.

A new book about the Russian president, with the working title Putin’s war, is planned to be published in Swedish by Brombergs next year.

Masha Gessen, who is openly lesbian and is one of the strongest champion’s of LGBT rights in Russia, has called the country one of the world’s most dangerous places for journalists and she has disclosed that she receives death threats almost daily. In articles she has described a Russian media situation in which oppositional voices are silenced and the public debate is almost non-existent.

HER LATEST BOOK in Swedish is last year’s Words will break cement: The passion of Pussy Riot. This year saw the publication of The brothers: The road to an American tragedy, about the Tsarnaev brothers who perpetrated the Boston Marathon bombings.

“People like her – courageous people who refuse to keep quiet – are beacons of light in this difficult time for freedom of the press,” says Ola Larsmo, author and chairman of the Swedish PEN. “Religious and political oppression, violence and threats from criminal agents – all kinds of limitations to freedom have intensified in recent years, independent of ideological or political excuses. Whoever controls information also controls the power. There is literally an on-going information war.”

17.00–17.45

Hungarian media wars

Participants: Eszter Babarczy, Attila Mong, András Stumpf SATURDAY

10.00–10.45

Freedom – fact or fiction?

Participants: Adam Zagajewski, Katja Petrowskaja, Irena Brežná, Ola Larsmo 15.00–15.45

Unwritten rules and the limits of humour Participants: Olav Westphalen, Catherine Beaunez, Liv Strömquist

On freedom of speech and of the press, there will be two seminars arranged by Global Free Speech, an initiative begun by the University of Gothenburg. Spearheading the project is the merited Swedish media researcher Ulla Carlsson, who established the research centre Nordicom and who now holds the world’s first Unesco professorship for freedom of speech, media development and international policy.

“The Swedish Freedom of the Press Act is the world’s oldest. Next year it will turn 250. This will be an early start. Freedom of speech is a fundamental right and a precondition for democracy, and the university plays an important role in the dissemination of knowledge,” Ulla Carlsson says.

The seminars will, among other things, address what it means for the concept of freedom of speech, that it is used in so many different contexts.

“EVERYONE TALKS about freedom of speech and has a positive attitude towards it – as long as it doesn’t come at the cost of money or power.”

Even the overlooked market aspect of freedom of the press will be discussed: “Globalisation, digitisation and commercia­ lisation have changed commun­ication. Companies like Google and Facebook exist to the benefit and enjoyment of many, but they also collect loads of information. Paradoxically this both increases freedom and surveillance,” Ulla Carlsson says.

ULF BENKEL

Catherine Beaunez

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PHOTO: PRIVATE

Global Free Speech – University of Gothenburg at The Book Fair The University of Gothenburg is attending this year's Book Fair in order to tackle the issue of free speech. This year and – especially – the next, when the Swedish Freedom of the Press Act celebrates its 250th anniversary.

We see on a daily basis how democracy and human rights are threatened and abused. This is especially true in the case of freedom of speech, an invaluable part of democracy in practice. It

is a universal right, but one with boundaries, a right that calls for responsibility and mutual respect. The debate on where to draw the line must be a public one.

The conditions for public discourse have changed and challenges have arisen in the form of globalisation, digitisation, commercialisation, surveillance and a media landscape in a state of transformation. New ways of

addressing freedom of speech follow — words and images acquire new meaning. This affects all our lives.

Facing the challenges of today in a constructive fashion calls for enhanced knowledge, knowledge spanning traditional subject divisions, and cooperation between different parts of society. That is why the University of Gothenburg has inititated the Global Free Speech platform.

PHOTO: ALEXANDER LAGERGREN

A NEW FOCUS EVERY YEAR FOCUS 2013: ROMANIAN LITERATURE

Partner: The Romanian Cultural Institute in Stockholm

Masha Gessen

Milena Busquets

THANKS TO THE special status we had at the Göteborg Book Fair 2013, we arranged over 50 events meant to highlight both Romania’s literary tradition and contemporary literary talents. Present were both authors who live in Romania, as well as some who have chosen to live elsewhere in the world and even to write in other languages. The Romanian theme has also triggered a boom in translations and therefore a deepened understanding of Romanian literature, history and society. The last two were themselves hot topics at the Book Fair and continue to be part of the programme of the Romanian Cultural Institute in Stockholm, forever a forum for cross-cultural dialogue.

DAN SHAFRAN DIRECTOR OF

THE ROMANIAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE IN STOCKHOLM

FOCUS 2014: BRASILIAN LITERATURE

Ian Buruma

For this prestigious event, the Brazilian delegation was composed by 24 representatives, including novelists, poets, dramatists and scholars. Coming from different cultural backgrounds, they represent the rich diversity of our contemporary literature. We are certain that Brazil's participation at the Fair has contributed to increase Swedish interest in Brazilian literature, which in the past few years has been attracting more and more attention worldwide.

Adam Zagajewski

ANDRÉ MACIEL, HEAD OF THE CULTURAL DIVISION, MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL RELATIONS IN BRAZIL

Mona Sahlin

Jan Guillou PHOTO: CAISA BROMBERG, GREGORY CIVERA, MONIKA FRANZON, JOHANNA HELANDER, NIKLAS MAUPOIX & PETER KNUTSON

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DON'T MISS

VOICES FROM ICELAND

THURSDAY

11.00–11.45

Sagas for all times

Participants: Lars Lönnroth, Einar Kárason, Erik Andersson, Klas Östergren Language: Swedish 15.00–15.45

Great literature for small readers

Participants: Áslaug Jónsdóttir, Þórarinn Leifsson, Bergrún Íris Sævarsdóttir 17.00–17.45

Love conquers all

Participants: Jónína Leósdóttir, Johanna Sigurðardóttir FRIDAY

12.00–12.45

Iceland and love

Participants: Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir, Jón Kalman Stefánsson 15.00–15.45

There is sometihing rotten in The Kingdom of Iceland Participant: Einar Már Guðmundsson Language: Scandinavian 17.00–17.45

Literary stand up the Icelandic way Participant: Andri Snær Magnason Language: Scandinavian 17.30–17.50

Can hard-boiled crime drame come fråm Iceland Participant: Árni Þórarinsson SATURDAY

10.00–10.45

Murder? In Iceland?

Participant: Arnaldur Indriðason 12.00–12.45

Crimes in the backwoods

Participants: Monica Kristensen, Árni Þórarinsson 16.00–16.20

Could the Icelandic financial crisis have been predicted?

Participant: Einar Már Guðmundsson Language: Scandinavian and English

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The sagas of Icelanders continue Ever since the Middle Ages the Icelanders have been exporting books en masse. Publisher Sigurður Svavarsson writes about a country where literature is an integral part of the national identity.

BOOKS ARE A BIG part of the Icelandic identity. It is a nation with no imposing ancient buildings, palaces, churches or fortresses to boast of, but one that has managed to preserve manuscripts from the 13th and 14th century, penned on calfskin, recording sagas and stories of great importance. During the middle ages, book production was intense enough to make books a vital export.

Writing and book production are still very much flourishing in Iceland. In spite of its small population of 330,000, a huge number of books are produced annually (roughly five titles for every 1,000 inhabitants). The Icelandicspeaking area being so small, book publishing is not very lucrative, but the editions are big

by Icelandic standards (around 25,000 copies at best). A first edition is normally 1,000 to 1,500 copies. With such a limited market, it's easy to make a name for yourself through self-publishing. The Icelandic authors to visit this year's Book Fair includes those who have launched their careers in this way.

For writers wanting to make a living from their craft, it is vital to attract an international readership. This has gone quite well in recent years – books and writers are once more an export commodity. In 2011, Iceland was the honorary guest at the Frankfurt Book Fair, during which numerous book rights were sold, leading to the translation into German of around 200 Icelandic titles. The effect of this can still be seen; 115 Icelandic books were, for instance, published in 20 languages last year.

THOSE VOICES FROM Iceland that will be heard at the Book Fair represent numerous genres – for example crime fiction writers such as Arnaldur Indriðason, the bestselling Icelandic writer internationally at the moment, and Árni Þórarinsson. But Göteborg will also be visited by novelists such as Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir, Einar Már Guðmundsson, Einar Kárason and Jón Kalman Stefánsson and poets like Gerður Kristný and Sigurbjörg Þrastardóttir. Andri Snær Magnason, the only writer who has won The Icelandic Literary Prize in all categories – fiction, fact and children's books – is also coming. Other children's writers include Áslaug Jónsdóttir and Þórarinn Leifsson. Jónína Leósdóttir, who has written a book about her life with Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, the world's first openly gay Prime Minister, is another voice from Iceland.

Of course, Icelandic sagas will have a natural home at the Book Fair. After years of intense work, the sagas are now available in updated versions in Swedish, Danish and Norwegian. This Nordic translation project has seen the involvement of more than fifty translators and editors.

We hope that our visitors will take the opportunity to aquaint themselves with these Icelandic writers, ensuring that their voices will be heard more often and in more places in Sweden – they deserve it.

SIGURĐUR SVAVARSSON, PUBLISHER AND PROJECT MANAGER

VOICES FROM ICELAND

Jón Kalman Stefánsson Einar Már Guðmundsson

Andri Snær Magnason

Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir

FOTO: JOHANN PALL VALDIMARSSON, ULLA MONTAN, EINAR FALUR INGÓLFSSON, ELSA B MAGNÚSDÓTTIR, ANTON BRINK, CHRISTOPHER LUND & SOFIA RUNARSDOTTER

Arnaldur Indriðason Jónína Leósdóttir

Áslaug Jónsdóttir

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PHOTO: HIPPO FÖRLAG

PHOTO: PRIVATE

11.00 Giacomo Marramao

12.00 Chih-Yuan Chen

13.00 Antony Beevor

10.00–10.45

12.00–12.45

12.00–12.45

CHARLES ARTHUR, ANNA-MARIA RIMM

CHIH-YUAN CHEN, MATS WÄNBLAD, HELENA BERGENDAHL

RANA MORTAJA, HAYA ATATRAH

“We know that you are living with the ducks.

So bring them to the bridge tomorrow for some diving practice. We’ll be waiting below, mouths wide open.” That is the menacing order from the crocodiles to Guji Guji in the eponymous book. The funny and clever tale of the “crocoduck” by Taiwanese writer and illustrator Chih-Yuan Chen is the recipient of this year’s Peter Pan Prize, awarded by the Swedish section of IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People) and Göteborg Book Fair. Chih-Yuan Chen in a conversation with writer Mats Wänblad and illustrator Helena ­Bergendahl about the visual and narrative style of the book, which reached the New York Times best seller list in 2005. The award diploma will be presented by a representative of Göteborg Book Fair and a scene from the play Guji Guji, based on the book, will be performed by Boulevardteatern.

Language: Chinese with Swedish interpretation

The Tamer Institute, which was awarded the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA) in 2009, promotes knowledge and reading among young Palesti­nians. Through the Novell Gaza project, the institute aims to provide youths in Gaza and the West Bank with an intellectually stimulating challenge while building a bridge of creativity between Palestine and Sweden. As part of this project, the participants write fiction stories that, for the second time, are about to be collected into a book.

Meet Rana Mortaja from Gaza and Haya Atatrah from the West Bank, both of them young participants in the project, in a conversation about how young Palestinians view the future and the present.

Moderator: Göran Rosenberg, journalist and writer.

Language: English

The writer on the global market

How would the Swedish book publishing business be affected if Amazon were to open bookstores here? Anna-Maria Rimm’s research project about publishing strategies and positioning on the Swedish market addresses issues such as vertical integration and what happens to the publishing business when a major corporation such as Amazon takes over, controlling every link in the book supply chain. What happens to the other publishers on the market? What are the consequences for the writers?

With: Anna-Maria Rimm, Literature scholar focusing on publishing, and Charles Arthur, British technology and science journalist and the author of Digital wars: Apple, Google, Microsoft and the battle for the Internet.

Moderator: Gunnar Ardelius, writer and chairman of The Swedish Writers’ Union.

Language: English Organizer: The Swedish Writers’ Union

11.00–11.45 GIACOMO MARRAMAO, FREDRIKA SPINDLER

Power and Freedom

Neglected for a long time, the topic of Power is back at the centre of philosophical consideration.

For Giacomo Marramao, the constant of Power – its “heart of darkness” – lies in a complex rooted since its origin in a perversion of the logic of identity. The perversion leads to an obsession viewing all strangers as threats and the stranger’s death or humiliation as a source of life. The innermost nature of power relations is thus the congealment, the ossification and the subjugation of creativity. Today, drawing a line of rupture and opposition to Power means not only to ensure the freedom for individuals and communities to transform themselves, but above all to enhance their ability to think and to create new worlds that represent an alternative to the current state of things. Giacomo Marramao, professor of theoretical and political philosophy at the University of Rome, in conversation with Fredrika Spindler, Associate Professor, philosophy, Södertörn University, about the essence of power.

Language: English Organizer: Italian Embassy in Stockholm and Italian Cultural Institute ”C.M. Lerici”

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PHOTO: JOHAN CAREY

THURSDAY SEPT 24

Award-winning Taiwanese crocoduck

Organizer: The Swedish section of IBBY

12.00–12.45 IAN McEWAN

Moral dilemmas as action

Ian McEwan, one of the major British novelists of our time, has a unique ability to condense issues of morality into exciting and action-packed stories. In his latest novel, The Children act, a high court judge faces a difficult case where a hospital seeks permission to perform a blood transfusion on a patient whoʼs parents, for religious reasons, opposes the procedure. McEwan, who made his literary debut in the 1970s, has been nominated for the Man Booker Prize no less than six times and received the prestigious award in 1998 for his novel Amsterdam. Several of his books have been adapted for the screen, including Atonement – which was nominated for seven Academy Awards.

A conversation with literary scholar Ingrid Elam about faith and reason and having to choose between life and death.

Language: English Organizer: Brombergs Bokförlag

Writing for life – young writers in Palestine

Organizer: Diakonia, Swedish study association Bilda, Behold Man/Church of Sweden, Natur & Kultur Foundation and Svenska Postkodlotteriet

13.00–13.45 WOLFGANG STREECK, SVERKER GUSTAVSSON

Democracy and Capitalism – can they coexist?

For the first thirty years after WWII, there was a reasonable degree of balance in power between democracy and capitalism. With deregulation and neoliberalism, the balance was offset in favour of capital. Democracy has been weakened and undermined. Have these two main principles become mutually exclusive? Professor W ­ olfgang Streeck, one of Germany’s leading sociologists, has written several books on democracy, capitalism and the consequences of the Euro crisis, including Buying time. He has also contributed several essays to the recently published anthology [Democracy or capitalism?]

[Demokrati eller kapitalism?] Sverker ­Gustavsson, Professor of political science, has addressed the state of European democracy in a string of articles and books.

Moderator: Carl Tham, ABF. Language: English Organizer: ABF Stockholm

HF HUNGARY IN FOCUS VI VOICES FROM ICELAND

13.00–13.45

14.00–14.45

14.00–14.45

ANTONY BEEVOR, PETER ENGLUND

GÁSPÁR MIKLÓS TAMÁS, ANDRI SNÆR MAGNASON

ARABELLA KOOPMAN, THULILE SELEKA, ELINA DRUKER

Two wars, two perspectives

What differing views of the greatest wars in history emerge when you look close or take the wide view? In his latest book, Ardennes 1944, Antony Beevor – one of the leading military historians of our time, with best sellers such as Stalingrad, Berlin: The Downfall 1945 and D-Day to his name – paints a dramatic and profoundly initiated picture of the battle that was to be the end of Hitler and Nazi Germany. The Ardennes offensive in December of 1944 was Hitler’s last attempt to turn the tide of war. Beevor’s Swedish counterpart, Peter ­Englund, has arrived at the year 1915 in his series on the ­Great War, an experimental work in historic writing focusing on the fates of single, usually unknown individuals rather than painting the big picture.

Moderator: Görrel Espelund, journalist.

Language: English Organizer: Historiska Media and Natur & Kultur

13.00–13.45 DANIEL KEHLMANN

A family chronicle for people who do not like family chronicles

In F, Daniel Kehlmann, whose 2005 novel Measuring the world became a world-wide success and was awarded the PO Enquist Literary Prize in 2008, presents a family in the midst of illusion and intrigue. In just a handful of pages, Kehlmann goes through several generations in the history of the Friedlands in order to focus on what the reader came for: the heroes of the book. In this tale, they are three brothers: a priest who does not believe in God, an artist working with forgeries and a financier involved in pyramid schemes, and their father, a failed writer who finds fame only when he resorts to quasi-philosophical garbage. Writer Daniel Sjölin in a conversation with Daniel Kehlmann about illusions, forgery and anti-family chronicles.

Language: English Organizer: Albert Bonniers Förlag

Translation, a sense of nationality and freedom of speech

In Hungary as well as Iceland, the translation of literary works and the effect of literature on language have been of vital importance in terms of national identity. This process has not been without complications, including both a liberating and inclusive sense of nationality as well as a more limited and vainglorious form of nationalism. Meanwhile, their literature is strength­ened by being translated and gaining respect outside of its linguistic borders. How has the transfer of literature from and to the domestic language affected the cultural and political climate? What are the similarities and differences between Iceland and Hungary when it comes to their history of literature translation?

With: Gáspár Miklós Tamás, Hungarian philosopher and translator, and Andri Snær Magnason, Icelandic writer.

Moderator: John Swedenmark, translator.

Language: English Organizer: Översättarcentrum

14.00–14.45 DAVE GOULSON, FREDRIK SJÖBERG

Bumblebees – small but important

Dave Goulson’s fondness for bumblebees has brought him from collecting insects and animals (including some more or less successful experiments in taxidermy) to a professorship in biology at the University of Sussex. As of 2006, he is head of Bumblebee Conservation Trust, whose aim it is to preserve bumblebees in the UK. With dedication and warmth, Dave Goulson tells us all you need to know about bumblebees (and then some) in his book A sting in the tale. A bigger story is contained herein: the health of bumblebees says a lot about the health of our planet. Dave Goulson in a conversation with Swedish writer and biologist Fredrik Sjöberg about things big and small – especially bumblebees.

Language: English Organizer: Volante

13.00–13.45 PÉTER ESTERHÁZY

God, the Communists and the melon fields

When the Communists came to power in Hungary in 1948, they sent Count Esterházy, along with his family, out into the countryside to harvest melons on fields belonging to a large estate once owned by the family. New times, a new life. What did God and/or Jesus have to do with it all, Péter Esterházy asks himself in his latest novel Márkváltozat [The version of Mark] and in this conversation with culture journalist Per ­Svensson.

Interpreted by publisher S ­ vante Weyler.

Language: German with Swedish interpretation Organizer: Balassi Institute and Weyler Förlag

14.00–14.45 LORETTA NAPOLEONI, PATRICK COCKBURN

Islamic State – a terrifying tale of success

The Islamic State has expanded into a huge machinery with many names. The organisation has redrawn the borders in the Middle East and imposed their own brutal interpretation of Sharia law over an area bigger than Great Britain. The hope for secular, democratic politics that many held in the wake of the Arab Spring has been squelched with the jihadist successes. How did ISIS manage to grow this strong? What role did Western policies play in the emergence of the organisation? These matters will be discussed by Italian journalist and terrorism expert Loretta Napoleoni, ­author of The Islamist Phoenix, and The Independent journalist Patrick Cockburn, whose book The Rise of Islamic State analyses the progress of the movement.

Moderator: Cecilia Uddén, journalist.

Language: English

The joy of reading in South Africa

PRAESA provides young South Africans with access to literature in many languages. C ­ reative reading and writing projects, focusing on the joy of reading, enrich the lives of children and youths in deprived areas. Meet Arabella Koopman and Thulile Seleka, who work with book publishing and the Nal’ibali project, a reading campaign involving a network of book clubs. They will talk to Elina Druker, a senior lecturer and member of the ALMA jury.

Language: English Organizer: Swedish Arts Council and Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA)

14.00–14.45 ÁLVARO MAGALHÃES, SINZIANA POPESCU, ÅSA LIND

Can kids be strong everywhere – how free is children’s literature?

Literature for children and young people ­reveals our attitude towards children and their abilities.

There are different views on what children’s literature ought to be about. What do we want to write about for young readers, and what can we write about, as seen from within a European context?

What makes readers react, to new or old literature?

With Álvaro Magalhães, Portugal, S ­ inziana Popescu, Romania, and Åsa Lind, Sweden.

Moderator: Åsa Warnqvist, The Swedish Institute for Children’s Books.

Language: English Organizer: EUNIC and The Swedish Institute for Children’s Books

15.00–15.45 PAULA HAWKINS

Down and Dirty

Out of work, divorced, alcoholic. A new kind of anti-heroine is emerging in literature, far from the graceful, upright, luxury-seeking and physically attractive female characters we have been following in earlier literature. In The Girl on the train, journalist and thriller debutant Paula Hawkins portrays three women who all show signs of being mentally unstable in something akin to a state of war. Is this a sign of the times? The Girl on the train made it to the top of the American best seller list in its first week, inviting comparisons from critics with Gillian Flynn. Paula Hawkins shares her thoughts on the new literary anti-heroine in a conversation with journalist and writer Andres Lokko.

Language: English Organizer: Massolit

Organizer: Celanders förlag and Fri Tanke förlag

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PHOTO: PRIVATE

15.00–15.45

PHOTO: DOBOS TAMÁS

THURSDAY SEPT 24 ÁSLAUG JÓNSDÓTTIR, ÞÓRARINN LEIFSSON, BERGRÚN ÍRIS SÆVARSDÓTTIR

Great literature for small readers

Children’s literature is flourishing in Iceland! What is the importance of books for children and young readers in a small language area like that of Iceland? Three writers, who all studied the visual arts and write as well as illustrate their stories, are here to represent Icelandic children’s literature. Áslaug Jónsdóttir illustrates the books in the Monster series and writes the stories together with Rakel Hemsdal from the Faroe Islands and Sweden’s Kalle Güettler. Þórarinn Leifsson (The man who hated children) and Bergrún Íris Sævarsdóttir (My friend the wind) are both nominated for the Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize.

Moderator: Katti Hoflin, writer and head of Stockholm City Library.

Language: English Organizer: Icelandic Literature Center and The Nordic House in Reykjavík

16.00 Anna Jókai

16.00 Noémi Szécsi

JUDIT BENYOVSZKI, BARNABAS LIPODI, ÅSA FAHLÉN, BO JANSSON

What do we dare to say?

About what, when and how may we speak freely? Teachers from Hungary have been invited for a conversation with Swedish teachers. They compare the possibilities available to them in their respective countries. Judit ­Benyovszki, primary and upper secondary school teacher, B ­ arnabas ­Lipodi, university teacher, Åsa Fahlén, Adjunct professor, and Bo Jansson, Chairman of Lärarnas riksförbund (The national union of teachers in Sweden), in a conversation helmed by Anna-Lena Hernvall, editor-in-chief of Skolvärlden magazine.

Language: English

PHOTO: PRIVATE

PHOTO: MAGNUS FRÖDERBERG

15.30–15.50

Organizer: LR and Skolvärlden

16.00–16.45 NOÉMI SZÉCSI, KRISZTINA TÓTH, ANNA JÓKAI, ÁGNES JUDIT KISS, KATALIN MEZEY

Being a female writer in contemporary Hungary

What is the status and role of women on today’s Hungarian culture scene and in contemporary literature? A conversation with five influential Hungarian writers: Noémi Szécsi, author of The FinnoUgrian vampire, Krisztina Tóth, author of Pixel, Anna Jókai, author and former head of the Hungarian writers’ union, Ágnes Judit Kiss, poet and writer, and Katalin Mezey, publisher and poet.

Moderator: Lena Ulrika Rudeke, literature scholar.

Language: English and Hungarian with English interpretation

16.00 Krisztina Tóth

17.00–17.45

17.00–17.45

JÓNÍNA LEÓSDÓTTIR, JÓHANNA SIGURÐARDÓTTIR

TAGHREED NAJJAR, YARA BAMIEH, SAMAR MAFOUZ BARRAJ

Love conquers all

Daniel Kehlmann made his breakthrough with the adventurous and inventive novel Measuring the world. Now he is back with a different kind of novel, F, about a failed writer whose life changes drastically after his participation in a hypnosis show. F is a novel about illusion and deception, penned in a buoyant mood.

Language: English

Coming out as gay is hardly an attention-grabber these days in Iceland, where civil unions have been legal since 1996 and where marriage law is gender neutral since 2010. But when J­ ónína Leósdóttir and Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir were married in 2010, it did make the world news.

Sigurðardóttir became the world’s first openly gay Prime minister. When they first met back in 1983, they were both married with children and had never experienced a love affair with another woman. For a long time they kept their relationship secret, due to prejudice in society. Now, journalist, writer and playwright Jónína Leósdóttir has written a tell-all book, Jóhanna and I, [By Jóhanna] about their life and marriage. Meet them in a conversation with culture journalist Stefan Ingvarsson.

Language: English

Organizer: Albert Bonniers Förlag

Organizer: Icelandic Literature Center

Organizer: Balassi Institute

16.30–16.50 DANIEL KEHLMANN

The star of German literature

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17.00 Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir

Arabic youth and children’s literature in today’s Middle East

Arabic youth and children’s literature is on the rise, but largely unknown in Sweden. Meet writer and publisher Taghreed Najjar (Jordan), writer and illustrator Yara Bamieh (Palestine), and writer Samar Mafouz Barraj (Lebanon) in a conversation with their Swedish counterpart Mats Kempe about writing, creativity, children’s reading habits and their thoughts on literature for children and youths in today’s Middle East.

Language: English Organizer: Internationella biblioteket with support from The Swedish Institute in collaboration with Den Globala Skolan/ The Swedish Council for Higher Education, and publishing company Trasten

PHOTO: SOFIA RUNARSDOTTER

BF HF BRAZIL VI VOICES HUNGARY IN FOCUS IN FOCUS VC VOICES FROM FROM CATALONIA ICELAND

PHOTO: RÓBERT VADAS

PHOTO: KNUT KOIVISTO

FRIDAY SEPT 25

10.00 Norman Manea

11.00 Ágnes Heller

12.00 Jón Kalman Stefánsson

10.00–10.45

10.00–10.45

11.00–11.45

NORMAN MANEA, ARIS FIORETOS

JONAS HASSEN KHEMIRI, DANIEL KEHLMANN

DANIEL GOLDIN

In free countries people often wonder how repressive systems work and how it comes that whole peoples grow to accept injustices and power abuses. The key is to “convert” those thinking differently, especially the young and by all means, realizes the protagonist of Aris Fioretos’ new novel, Mary. The young woman who is held hostage after protesting against the military junta in her country is forced to choose between covering for her lover and protecting the fruit of their love growing inside of her. The Jewish boy in Norman ­Maneas short story collection October, eight o’clock doesn’t know which way to turn either – after spending the very first years of his life in a labour camp, he is faced with the perspective of a lifetime in the “savioursʼ ” prison of a country. Is it possible for an individual to win the fight against the system, and if so, at what price?

Moderator: Ulrika Knutson, writer and journalist.

Language: English

The PO Enquist Literary Prize is awarded annually to “a young author reaching out into Europe”.

Some years have now passed since Jonas Hassen ­Khemiri (2006) and Daniel Kehlmann (2008) received the prize, and their journey has since extended far beyond the confines of Europe. Jonas Hassen Khemiri has just finished a novel Allt jag inte minns [All I canʼt remember] about love and economy, about Samuel who tries to fill his life with something of lasting value, finding little success. In his novel F, Daniel Kehlmann writes about a family whose life revolves around illusion and fraud. A conversation between two fellow European writers about authenticity and disguise, about literature as the art of deceit as well as a truth serum.

Moderator: Lisa Irenius, culture editor at Svenska Dagbladet.

Language: English

Libraries have long been regarded as places where knowledge and information are collected and disseminated. This has made them vital for social equality and citizen enlightenment. Today, how­ ever, when all information is readily available in one’s smartphone and inequality keeps growing, we need to redefine the mission statement of the library. Daniel Goldin, head of the hyper modern Vasconcelos library in Mexico City and one of the world’s leading proponents of reading, is of the opinion that libraries have to become exceedingly welcoming places, even to those unaccustomed to reading. He is here to discuss the importance of inviting people for a moment’s genuine, undisturbed reading, opening their eyes to the inner core of reading.

Presented by: Katti Hoflin, writer and head of Stockholm City Library.

Language: English

Organizer: The Romanian Cultural Institute in Stockholm, Norstedts and 2244

11.00–11.45

How much can freedom cost?

10.00–10.45 GYÖRGY SCHÖPFLIN, KATALIN MEZEY, ANNA JÓKAI, ÁDÁM BODOR, ÁGNES JUDIT KISS

1956

The year 1956 is a watershed in the history of Hungary. Why do people talk in terms of before and after the popular uprising against Communist dictatorship? After the revolt, many fled the country, writers not the least. How does exile affect your identity? In what way did writers in exile enrich the literature of their native country? How does the revolt of 1956 make its presence known in Hungarian literature?

With: György Schöpflin, European Parliament member, historian and political scientist, Katalin Mezey, publisher and writer, Anna Jókai, author and former head of the Hungarian writers’ union, Ádám Bodor, a Hungarian writer born and raised in Romania and active in the resistance against Ceaușescu’s oppressive regime, and Ágnes Judit Kiss, poet and writer.

Moderator: Klas-Göran Karlsson, History professor.

Language: English and Hungarian with English interpretation

Heading out into the world

Organizer: Albert Bonniers Förlag

World-class reading promoter

Organizer: the Swedish Arts Council and Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award

ÁGNES HELLER, PER MAGNUS JOHANSSON

12.00–12.45

A conversation between Hungarian-American philosopher Ágnes Heller and psychoanalyst and historian Per Magnus Johansson. The conversation will revolve around the fundamental concepts of freedom, oppression, censorship and dreams and accentuate what drove this independent, intellectual woman to leave Communist Hungary in search of a home for herself outside of Europe, initially in Australia and then New York. What brought Ágnes Heller back to her roots and Budapest? What are the differences and similarities between the Hungary she left behind and the one she eventually returned to? How was resistance articulated during Communist dictatorship and what forms does resistance take in today’s Hungary?

Language: English

AUÐUR AVA ÓLAFSDÓTTIR, JÓN KALMAN STEFÁNSSON

Power and resistance in Hungary

Iceland and love

At the heart of Jón Kalman Stefánsson’s Fish have no feet and Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir’s The Greenhouse, there is love. These novels have been embraced all over Europe, from north to south. Because they are exotic? Because their authors know something that only Icelanders know? Because love contrasts in a special way against a backdrop of lava and windswept moors? Hear their answers in a conversation with journalist Mats Almegård.

Language: English Organizer: Icelandic Literature Center and Weyler Förlag

Organizer: ARCHE /Freudianska föreningen

Organizer: Balassi Institute

15

FRIDAY SEPT 26 PHOTO: LISBETH SALAS

12.30–12.50 PAULA HAWKINS

The Girl on the Train

Paula Hawkins is a British journalist whose breakthrough novel, The Girl on the train, has garnered a lot of attention. Told from the perspectives of three different women and rooted in the thriller genre, the novel lets us share their broken dreams and realisations about how little we really know about the things around us, when an every­ day event suddenly becomes potentially fatal. In a conversation with journalist Tara Moshizi.

Language: English Organizer: Massolit

14.00–14.45 FRANK WESTERMAN

Investigation into a mass death

17.30 Guadalupe Nettel PHOTO: CORINE VEYSSELIER

One night in August, 1986, all life in a remote valley in Cameroon is wiped out. Close to 2,000 people lie dead on the ground, along with their livestock. But the huts remain standing and the trees are intact.

What happened? Every explanation that has arisen through the years has given birth to new myths about what really occurred. In Stikvelley [Choke valley], Dutch writer and journalist Frank Westerman examines every aspect of this mystery. Westerman, whose books have been translated into 15 languages, has drawn comparisons to notabilities such as Bruce Chatwin and Ryszard Kapuściński.

Meet him in a conversation with journalist Cecilia Uddén about the origins of myths and tales and about how a riddle may have several answers.

Language: English

14.00–14.45 JOSEF WINKLER, IVA PEKARKOVA, MELANIA MAZZUCCO

Breaking free from family and gender roles

14.00 Melania Mazzucco

ÁDÁM BODOR, ANNA JÓKAI, ENDRE KUKORELLY, EMŐKE LIPCSEY, NOÉMI SZÉCSI, FERENC VINCZE

What distinguishes contemporary Hungarian literature?

16

“In spite of the rather hysterical pledges after last week’s horrifying murders, free speech isn’t absolute,” Ian Buruma wrote after the Charlie ­Hebdo attack in January, 2015. Buruma, a Dutch-­ American Professor in human rights and journalism at Bard College, USA, has previously written about filmmaker Theo van Gogh, who was murdered in the middle of the street in Amsterdam in 2004. Russian-American journalist and writer Masha Gessen, who was given the T ­ ucholsky award by Swedish PEN in 2013, has spent years covering the Putin regime. Her book about Pussy Riot, Words will break cement, gained a lot of attention and she is also deeply committed to gay rights in Russia. What are Ian Buruma’s and Masha Gessen’s views on the state of free speech in the world of 2015? What are the challenges, threats and possibilities?

Moderator: Björn Wiman, culture editor at Dagens Nyheter.

Language: English Organizer: Brombergs Bokförlag and Natur & Kultur

15.00–15.45 BEATRICE ALEMAGNA, LAURA CARLIN, MARI KANSTAD JOHNSEN

Three picture book artists, three countries

16.00–16.45 PHOTO: HEIKE STEINWEG

14.00–14.45

Organizer: Balassi Institute

Relative freedom of speech

Organizer: Rabén & Sjögren

Organizer: EUNIC

Are there any features completely unique to contemporary Hungarian literature? Any themes only addressed by Hungarian writers? A conversation between writers Ádám Bodor, Anna Jókai, Endre Kukorelly, Emőke Lipcsey, Noémi Szécsi and Ferenc Vincze.

Moderator: Ingrid Elam, literature scholar.

Language: English and Hungarian with English interpretation

IAN BURUMA, MASHA GESSEN

Beatrice Alemagna (France/Italy), Laura Carlin (Great Britain) and Mari Kanstad Johnsen (Norway) have all been praised for their artistically innovative picture books and their unique visual language. They belong to a new generation of visual storytellers who create picture books for children that are also works of art. Their sense of humour, aesthetics and depictions of adults and society at large appeal to young and old alike.

Their books are radical yet universal and accessible – and at the absolute forefront in today’s world of children’s literature.

Moderator: Sara Teleman, illustrator and writer.

Language: English

Organizer: Leopard Förlag

Considering the preeminence of social structures based on patriarchy, family and religion, we might ask ourselves: are we truly free? Or is it just an illusion? In times of globalisation and openness, is it possible to break free from stereotypes and attain complete freedom from social conventions?

Or do we need social roles in order to feel that we are part of a community? Three writers with different backgrounds have tackled the t­ heme of the struggle for modern-day individuals to gain freedom: Josef Winkler, Austria, Iva ­Pekarkova, Czech Republic, and Melania Mazzucco, Italy.

Moderator: Johanna Koljonen, journalist.

Language: English

15.00–15.45

BÉLA JÁVORSZKY, ILDIKÓ MÁRKY, GUNNAR D HANSSON, MARIA ORTMAN, KATALIN MEZEY

The challenges of translation

During the Communist era, translated literature (into and from Hungarian) played a vital role in Hungary’s national and cultural identity. How important are translations today? What happens to literature when translated from two languages as different as Hungarian and Swedish? Do the conditions presented by different languages influence the character of the translation?

With: Béla Jávorszky, translator of Swedish poetry and prose into Hungarian, Ildikó Márky and Gunnar D Hansson, Péter Esterházy’s Swedish translators, Maria Ortman, who have translated Péter Nádas into Swedish, and Katalin Mezey, poet and publisher of Nordic literature in Hungary.

Moderator: Johan Öberg, translator and critic.

Language: Swedish and Hungarian with Swedish interpretation Organizer: Balassi Institute

17.00 Irena Brežná

HF HUNGARY IN FOCUS VI VOICES FROM ICELAND

16.00–16.45

17.00–17.45

17.00–17.45

MILENA BUSQUETS, ANDRÁS VISKY, PAULINA PUKYTĖ

ESZTER BABARCZY, ATTILA MONG, ANDRÁS STUMPF

HASSAN BLASIM, JERKER VIRDBORG

The media situation in Hungary has been the subject of constant dispute since the national conservative Fidesz party won the election in 2010. ­There have been reports about self-censorship, centralised control of public service and more stringent laws regarding free media. At the same time, there is an abundance of vigorous alternative and oppositional media outlets, and last winter the owner of one of the country’s largest media corporations – formerly a Fidesz faithful – declared open war on the government. What lies at the heart of the media wars? What is true and what is false in the battle for public discourse?

With: Eszter Babarczy, philosopher, historian, media scholar and one of the initiators of the 2011 protests in support of freedom of speech, Attila Mong, who was sacked from state radio after protesting the media laws of 2010 and now is the assistant editor-in-chief of Atlatszo.hu, and András Stumpf, a journalist at online magazine Mandiner.

Moderator: Gabriel Byström, author of Tystnadens triumf [Triumph of Silence], about the politics of Hungary.

Language: English

When the unthinkable happens, when absurdity feels like realism. Short story writers Hassan Blasim and Jerker Virdborg share a fondness for absurd depictions of today’s war-torn world, forcing us to confront the darkest horrors of our time through their stories. Award-winner Hassan Blasim captures the infernal state of contemporary Iraq and from his new home in Finland he has revolutionised Arab literature. The brutal and sometimes darkly humorous stories in his collection The Iraqi Christ bring magic realism to mind, from Kafka to Borges, as well as the traditional Arabic fairy tale. Blasim, born in 1973 in Iraq, is a trained filmmaker living in Finland as of 2004. In his celebrated collection Skyddsrummet Luxgatan [The shelter at Luxgatan], Jerker Virdborg portrays a Sweden in a state of war. In these stories, invasion strikes close to home, concepts are shattered and security is a luxury. The two writers will talk about the logic of violence and literature as an opposing force.

Moderator: Karin Olsson, culture editor at Expressen.

Language: English

Free markets and free speech – do they work?

Today, free speech is taken for granted within the field of literature almost everywhere in Europe.

Political censorship has been replaced by a virtually free cultural market. But what kind of literature is in demand when smaller publishing houses are absorbed by multinational media corporations and the growing industry of self-publishing circumvents traditional publishers? Is creativity and quality bound to be curbed if authors ­write with the market in mind? Spanish writer and journalist Milena Busquets comes from a family of publishers whose company was sold to Random House. Romanian lyricist, essayist and playwright András Visky represents the Hungarian minority in Romania and has, like Busquets, founded his own publishing company. Lithuanian artist, writer and cultural commentator Paulina P ­ ukyte˙ provides insightful analysis of today’s globalised culture. A discussion on freedom of speech and the terms of the free market with Swedish p ­ ublisher Svante Weyler.

Language: English Organizer: EUNIC and Massolit

16.00–16.45 OWEN JONES

The Establishment

Owen Jones is the rising star in the field of British social criticism. In his headline-grabbing book The Establishment he portrays the financial powersthat-be whose growing influence over politics is shaking the democratic system to the core. The developments seen in Great Britain are taking place in Sweden as well, as journalist Katrine Marçal has noted. She is here to discuss The Establishment with Owen Jones – the modus operandi of the decision-makers, and how they get away with it all. It is time to raise our eyes and see who are really in charge.

Language: English Organizer: Ordfront förlag

16.30–16.50 OTTO OZOLS, ANDRIS KANGERIS

Revenge of the Latvians

In an interesting and innovative way, writer Otto Ozols has managed to blend electrifying thriller with in-depth historical insight, offering the ­reader a glimpse of the events that have shaped contemporary world history.

Language: Swedish and English Organizer: Latvian Literature Centre and Lava Förlag

Hungarian media wars

Organizer: Swedish PEN

17.00–17.45 IRENA BREŽNÁ, KATJA PETROWSKAJA, JOSEF WINKLER

The family trend in German-language literature

The family is a recurring theme one in recent German-language literature, and one that has formed the storytellers themselves. The literary quest for one’s roots and security on one hand, and literature as a means of liberation from linguistic poverty and oppressive family structures on the other. Writers Irena Brežná, Switzerland, Katja Petrowskaja, Germany, and Josef Winkler, Austria, take their cue from this tension in a conversation about the return of the family, belonging and home as complex and indispensable aspects of the personal narrative and literary writing.

Moderator: Mats Almegård, journalist.

Language: German Organizer: Drei Länder – eine Sprache: Goethe-Institut Stockholm, and the Embassies of Austria and Switzerland

17.00–17.20 XIAOLU GUO

Cinematic storytelling

“I learned the art of storytelling from film, not by reading,” Chinese writer and filmmaker Xiaolu Guo has said. She discovered early on that she was more interested in creating fantasy worlds than in living in the real one. Her new novel, I am China, is an epic winding through continents and decades. Xiaolu Guo in a conversation with Yukiko Duke, editor of Swedish literature magazine Vi läser, about cinematic storytelling, alternating between writing and filmmaking and selfcensorship, something she feels free from today as she is no longer writing in Chinese.

Language: English

Worst case scenario – about violence and literature

Organizer: Albert Bonniers Förlag

17.30–17.50 ÁRNI ÞÓRARINSSON

Can hard-boiled crime drama come from Iceland?

The novels about Einar have brought Árni ­Þórarinsson great international success. Initially, the idea was to create a kind of educational novel revolving around the hard-case private eye familiar to the genre, but set in the Icelandic scenery rather than the seedy parts of America. A conversation about how conditions form the detective story – or is it the other way around?

Moderator: Maria Neij, journalist.

Language: English Organizer: Bazar Förlag

17.30–17.50 GUADALUPE NETTEL

Mexico, violence and literature

Starting out from Guadalupe Nettel’s El cuerpo en que nací [The Body I was born in], a depiction of Mexico in the 1970s and 1980s, Nettel and journalist Erik de la Reguera talk about how literature can help you understand the mechanisms behind the country’s violence and corruption.

Language: English Organizer: Natur & Kultur

Organizer: Alfabeta Bokförlag

17

PHOTO: HARRI HINKKA

PHOTO: ELENA BLANCO

PHOTO: JOHANNA HELANDER

SATURDAY SEPT 26

15.00 Kirmen Uribe

10.00 Adam Zagajewski

11.00 Hassan Blasim

10.00–10.45

10.00–10.45

11.00–11.45

PÉTER ESTERHÁZY, KRISZTINA TÓTH, ANDRÁS TÖRÖK, ENDRE KUKORELLY, DÁNIEL VARRÓ

ADAM ZAGAJEWSKI, KATJA PETROWSKAJA, IRENA BREŽNÁ, OLA LARSMO

XIAOLU GUO, HASSAN BLASIM

Budapest is sometimes called the heart of Europe, but the capital of Hungary is not merely a geographical centre. It is a place that has attracted people throughout history and that has always absorbed outside influences. What has this diversity meant to the culture and literature of the city? What form does diversity take today? A conversation between Péter Esterházy, Krisztina Tóth, writer and poet whose work includes the short story collection Pixel, András Török, expert in cultural history, journalist and translator, Endre Kukorelly, writer and poet, and Dániel Varró, a poet who has just been translated into Swedish.

Moderator: Ingrid Elam, literature scholar.

Language: English and Hungarian with English interpretation

Freedom of speech is usually seen as a prerequisite for democracy. How is freedom of speech affected by the rapid redrawing of Europe’s political map? Have the threats against it taken on different forms? If so, which are the new c­ hallenges facing today’s writers in Europe compared to those 25 years ago? A conversation about the boundaries of free speech will take place with Polish poet Adam Zagajewski, who in 1987 was given the Tucholsky award by Swedish PEN, UkraininanGerman writer Katja Petrowskaja, Swiss writer and human rights activist Irena Brežná and Ola Larsmo, writer and chair of Swedish PEN. Moderator: Per Svensson, writer and culture journalist.

Language: English

Organizer: Balassi Institute

Organizer: EUNIC and Swedish PEN

10.00–10.45

10.30–10.50

ARNALDUR INDRIÐASON

LINDA OLSSON, TOM SAINSBURY

Where can a detective writer find inspiration in Iceland, a country whose crime statistics are among the lowest in the world? Obviously, it can be done. For Arnaldur Indriðason it’s going great, even. His award-winning books about detective Erlendur Sveinsson have been published in more than 30 countries and sold millions of copies. In his latest book, Oblivion, a body is found near an American military base. In parallel Erlendur leads a solitary investigation of a cold case: the disappearance of a young girl ten years earlier. In a conversation with Yukiko Duke, editor of literature magazine Vi läser, Arnaldur Indriðason talks about his writing and about the specific challenges facing an Icelandic suspense writer.

Language: English

Hidden behind the name Adam Sarafis, there is a new and exciting writers’ duo: Linda Olsson (celebrated author of, among other things, Let me sing you gentle songs) and Thomas ­Sainsbury (scriptwriter and TV host from New Zealand) have penned a political suspense novel about the international meat industry. They are here to talk about how they decided to work together and how they discovered the fascinating topic of their first cowritten book, and reveal what didn’t make it into the novel.

Moderator: Maria Neij, journalist.

Language: English

In the heart of Europe

Murder? In Iceland?

Organizer: Icelandic Literature Center and Norstedts

Freedom – fact or fiction?

Nothing is forgotten

Organizer: Massolit

Faraway, so close

How does exile affect a person’s view of their native country? Writer/filmmaker Xiaolu Guo was born in a Chinese fishing village, but as of 13 years she resides in London. Her books, including the hit novel A concise Chinese-English dictionary for lovers, have been translated into more than 20 languages and her latest, I am China, is a winding tale that begins in the late 1980s before progressing twenty years on. Hassan Blasim, another writer and filmmaker, fled from his native Iraq and has been living in Finland since 2004. Blasim, whom British newspaper The Guardian dubbed “perhaps the best writer of Arabic fiction alive”, is being published in Swedish translation this year in the form of The Iraqi Christ, a collection of short stories set against a backdrop of war. What do these writers hone in on from their vantage points in faraway exile? How much of the filmmaker’s gaze do they apply in their writing?

Moderator: Roger Wilson, culture reporter.

Language: English Organizer: Alfabeta Bokförlag and Albert Bonniers Förlag

11.30–11.50 LAINI TAYLOR, LENA KARLIN

Choosing words – a writer and her translator

American writer Laini Taylor has gained a worldwide following with her trilogy: Daughter of smoke and bone, Days of blood and starlight and Dreams of gods and monsters. Her translator, Lena Karlin, has often been acknowledged for her work. A conversation with a celebrated writer and her translator in a setting where the audience is invited to participate with questions and thoughts – befitting Laini Taylor’s interactive attitude towards her readers.

Moderator: Ika Johannesson, journalist with a penchant for popular culture.

Language: English Organizer: Bazar Förlag

18

HF HUNGARY IN FOCUS VI VOICES FROM ICELAND

12.00–12.45

14.00–14.45

15.00–15.45

IAN BURUMA

ÁDÁM NÁDASDY, NOÉMI SZÉCSI, TOMAS RIAD

HARKAITZ CANO, KIRMEN URIBE

Imagine a language without the words “he” or “she”, where gender is completely absent. Voilà, behold one of the peculiarities of the ­Hungarian language. But Hungarian is different in other ways as well. These and other lingustic issues will be discussed by poet and linguist Ádám ­Nádasdy, who has among other things translated the works of Shakespeare into Hungarian, writer Noémi Szécsi, who took advantage of her language’s absence of gender in The Finno-Ugrian vampire, and Tomas Riad, a linguist and member of the Swedish Academy.

Language: English

A brief analysis of what it means to write in the margins of the biggest literary systems This seminar aims to be a reflection on writing in minority languages. In a highly homogenized linguis­tic landscape, minority literatures – the ones that have fewer speakers – often remain on the margin of the main literary systems. In the global arena, the presence of these literatures is limited not because of their quality but because of the difficulties when it comes to reaching a bigger audience. On the basis of the Basque situation and guided by the experiences of the writers Kirmen Uribe and Harkaitz Cano, this seminar will delve into this problem trying to find new perspectives that enable us to bring more visibility to the languages and literatures that break the global trends of the biggest literary systems.

Moderator: Andreas Ekström, journalist.

Language: English

Did peace really arrive?

In the spring of 1945, the whole world breathed a sigh of relief. But 70 years after the end of WWII, there are still lingering questions regarding the actions of some nations, both during the final days of the war and after. Recently, a harsh debate raged between Swedish columnists about the role of Stalin and the Soviet Union. In Year zero, Ian Buruma reminds us of how French, British and Dutch troops, once the war was over, ruthlessly tried to reimpose colonial rule in Algeria, Vietnam and present-day Indonesia. Ian Buruma, a professor in human rights and journalism at Bard College, USA, in a conversation with Björn Linnell, senior advisor at Natur & Kultur, about a peace far more brutal than many would like to admit.

Language: English Organizer: Natur & Kultur

12.00–12.45 MONICA KRISTENSEN, ÁRNI ÞÓRARINSSON

Crimes in the backwoods

What happens to a small, close-knit society where everybody knows your name when a foul deed suddenly casts its shadow over the peace and quiet? In their latest suspense novels, M ­ onica Kristensen and Árni Þórarinsson have both set off for remote areas in order to explore the effect of crime on people living in isolation. In Kristensen’s Kullunge [The Cool child], a five-year-old girl disappears without a trace in Svalbard, and in Þórarinsson’s latest novel The seventh son a reporter sent to the remote area of Vestfirðir finds himself in strange predicaments. Monica Kristensen, one of Norway’s foremost polar explorers, has written four crime novels so far, all set in Svalbard. Árni Þórarinsson, a former journalist, is one of Iceland’s best known writers.

Moderator: Maria Neij, journalist.

Language: English Organizer: Icelandic Literature Center, Leopard förlag and Bazar Förlag

13.00–13.45 CARMEN BUGAN, ASTRID SEEBERGER

Children and Europe’s dark history

Carmen Bugan and Astrid Seeberger have both written critically acclaimed debut novels rooted in their own childhood. How do adults’ dramatic experiences affect the children? Carmen Bugan’s Burying the typewriter tells about growing up in Ceauşescu’s Romania and about the constant harassments and interrogations that the family was subjected to after the father’s open protest against the dictatorship. Astrid Seeberger’s Nästa år i Berlin [Next year in Berlin] revolves around a mother who never can get away from her experiences as a fugitive during the Second World War and about her family in the GDR whose dreams are crushed time and again.

Moderator: Henrik Berggren, journalist and writer.

Language: English Organizer: The Romanian Cultural Institute in Stockholm, Weyler förlag and 2244

Language without gender

Organizer: Balassi Institute

14.00–14.45 GUADALUPE NETTEL, MILENA BUSQUETS

How close to yourself can you go?

Where is the line between fiction and autobiography? Guadalupe Nettel’s latest novel is a re­vealing, auto-fictional novel about growing up in a dysfunctional family with parents implementing the progressive ideals of the 1970s. Milena Busquets’s latest book constitutes a long and intense confrontation with her deceased mother.

A few years ago, the renowned literature magazine Granta called Mexico’s Guadalupe Nettel one of the finest untranslated writers in the world.

Milena Busquets, from Spain, has been called a Françoise Sagan for the 21st century. A conversation between the writers about their respective novels, both recently translated into Swedish, and about how true to life you can be in your writing.

Moderator: Stefan Ingvarsson, culture journalist.

Language: English Organizer: Natur & Kultur and Massolit

15.00–15.45 LAINI TAYLOR

Feminism, fame ... and fantasy!

American writer Laini Taylor has gained a huge following, in the blogosphere not the least, with her books about Karou. In these books we meet a strong and independent heroine with blue hair, fluent in a number of languages – not all of them human. But in a rapidly growing genre – Young Adult – Laini Taylor is not just a role model in how she draws strong female characters, but in her attitude towards her target audience. For her own part, she feels that the difference between youths and adults is that grownups “tend to be a little bigger and hairier than children. But not always.” Meet a modern, outspoken writer in a fascinating conversation about fantasy, writing techniques and visions for the future as well as her books, Daughter of smoke and bone, Days of blood and starlight and Dreams of gods and monsters.

Moderator: Ika Johannesson, journalist with a penchant for popular culture.

Language: English Organizer: Bazar Förlag

Small is big

Organizer: The Etxepare Basque Institute

15.00–15.45 OLAV WESTPHALEN, CATHERINE BEAUNEZ, LIV STRÖMQUIST

Unwritten rules and the limits of humour

How are cultural taboos expressed in cartoons and illustrations? And for what purpose? Does the ­graphic form have a special place as a medium for cultural and political criticism? Is there a specific line that ought not be crossed? That simply has to be crossed? Seen against the tragic events in Paris this January, these questions are more relevant than ever. Illustrators from different cultural spheres discuss the unwritten rules of their craft and whether there should or shouldn’t be limitations to humour.

With: Olav Westphalen, Germany, Catherine Beaunez, France, and Liv Strömquist, Sweden.

Moderator: Fredrik Strömberg, Seriefrämjandet.

Language: English Organizer: EUNIC

15.30–15.50 CONN IGGULDEN

Master of the historic novel

Conn Iggulden has won a large readership with his series of fast-paced historical novels, first about Julius Caesar and then about Genghis Khan.

His latest project is a series of books about the Wars of the Roses, the bloody civil war in England in the middle of the 15th century, when the Lancasters and the Yorks fought for the crown.

Language: English Organizer: Albert Bonniers Förlag

16.00–16.20 EINAR MÁR GUÐMUNDSSON

Could the Icelandic financial crisis have been predicted?

Journalist Erik Helmerson and Einar Már Guðmundsson in a conversation about the Icelandic financial crisis. What caused it? In his latest novel Einar Már Guðmundsson portrays the progress of Icelandic society in the form of a family chronicle. How can Iceland’s history help us understand the mechanisms that brought about the crash of 2008?

Language: Scandinavian and English Organizer: Natur & Kultur

19

SUNDAY SEPT 27

12.00 Conn Iggulden

13.00 Sally Green

13.00 Lilian Thuram

11.00–11.45

12.30–12.50

13.00–13.45

ENDRE SZKÁROSI, KATALIN LADIK, ENDRE KUKORELLY, EMŐKE LIPCSEY

MILENA BUSQUETS

SORAYA POST, LILIAN THURAM, STAFFAN TAPPER, LOVISA FHAGER HAVDELIN

The Hungarian avant-garde

Avant-garde has historically been big in Hungary: performance, dadaism, visual arts, sonic poetry.

What are the common points shared by these concepts? What importance did avant-gardism have during the Communist era? A conversation offering a glimpse into the Hungarian avant-garde.

With: sound and performance artist and lecturer Endre Szkárosi, who has been active within experimental theatre since the early 1970s, Katalin Ladik, performance artist and poet known for her erotic poems that have been translated into several languages, poet Endre Kukorelly and writer Emőke Lipcsey , who started out as an avant-garde poet with lyrical texts and visual and sonic poetry.

Moderator: Jonas Ingvarsson, assistant professor in Literature at the University of Skövde.

Language: English and Swedish Organizer: Balassi Institute

12.00–12.45 CONN IGGULDEN

A king amongst storytellers

Conn Iggulden is a British former teacher who had a sensational breakthrough with his Emperor series, about the adventures of young Julius Caesar. This year will see the Swedish translation of the second installment in his series about the Wars of the Roses, the legendary and bloody civil war that shook England between 1455 and 1485.

In his entertaining fashion, Conn Iggulden talks about how storytelling was handed down to him from his Irish mother, about his great grandfather, the Scottish bard, and about his father, a former bomber pilot. And he explains how to write historical fictions based on fact.

Moderator: Peter Whitebrook, journalist.

Language: English Organizer: Albert Bonniers Förlag

20

PHOTO: LEFALHER

PHOTO: BEN GOLD

PHOTO: MARK ALLAN

HF HUNGARY IN FOCUS VI VOICES FROM ICELAND

This too shall pass

Having just buried her mother, Blanca takes refuge in her family’s summer house, bringing along her children, former husbands, lovers and friends, for consolation as well as a zest for life.

Milena ­Busquets, who hails from a famous Spanish publishing family, has gained worldwide attention with her debut novel, earning the nickname “Françoise Sagan for the 21st century”.

A conversation with writer and literature critic Kristoffer Leandoer about family ties in general and mothers in particular.

Language: English Organizer: Massolit

13.00–13.45 SALLY GREEN

Record-breaking fantasy

There are many ways to end up in the Guinness Book of World Records. British fantasy writer Sally Green did so in impressive fashion when her debut novel Half bad was translated into 45 languages – before it had even been published. In this dark, magical adventure, Nathan is struggling to master his innate superpower, as monstrous as it is powerful. His mother is a White witch and his father a Black witch. Nathan is torn between both sides, good and evil. Sally Green, who recently released part two, Half wild, in a conversation with journalist Johanna Koljonen about her planned trilogy, predicted by many to become the next Twilight.

Language: English Organizer: Semic

Brilliantly battling prejudice

These are times when xenophobic slogans once more echo through the streets of Europe and Sweden, when refugees are on the move in great numbers and Romani people can be seen begging on street corners. Polarisation is increasing. Inclusion versus exclusion. Soraya Post, a member of the European Parliament, is one of the writers who have contributed to The Order of the Teaspoon's anthology Inte en främling [No stranger]. This is a book celebrating diversity, highlighting people who have personally experienced alienation.

Lilian Thuram was a player on the French football team that won the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 European Championship. After his football career, he has devoted his time and energy to combating prejudice based on ethnicity through his foundation Lilian Thuram – Éducation contre le racisme.

He recently published Mes étoiles noires: de Lucy á Barack Obama [My black stars: From Lucy to Barack Obama]. A conversation about identity, xenophobia and how to further positive attitudes in society, with Staffan Tapper, head of Swedish football team Malmö FFʼs project against racism, and Lovisa Fhager Havdelin, project manager at The Order of the Teaspoon.

Language: Swedish and French with Swedish interpretation Organizer: Arranged by Norstedts, The Order of the Teaspoon and Vaktel Förlag

822

PHOTO: NIKLAS MAUPOIX

Gﾃ傍EBORG BOOK FAIR 2014

3254

PHOTO: ALEXANDER LAGERGREN

NUMBERS OF EXHIBITORS

NUMBERS OF VISITORS

1352

NUMBERS OF ACCREDITED JOURNALISTS

PHOTO: NIKLAS MAUPOIX

97 133

PHOTO: NIKLAS MAUPOIX

TOTAL NUMBER OF PROGRAMME ITEMS

PARTICIPANTS Alemagna, Beatrice

Fri 15.00–15.45

Almegård, Mats

Fri 12.00–12.45

Thu 17.00–17.45

Olsson, Karin

Fri 17.00–17.45

Sat 14.00–14.45

Olsson, Linda

Sat 10.30–10.50

Fri 14.00–14.45

Ortman, Maria

Fri 16.00–16.45

Sat 14.00–14.45

Fri 17.00–17.45

Irenius, Lisa

Fri 10.00–10.45

Ardelius, Gunnar

Thu 10.00–10.45

Jansson, Bo

Thu 15.30–15.50

Arthur, Charles

Thu 10.00–10.45

Jávorszky, Béla

Atatrah, Haya

Thu 12.00–12.45

Johannesson, Ika

Babarczy, Eszter Bamieh, Yara

Fri 17.00–17.45 Thu 17.00–17.45

Beaunez, Catherine Sat 15.00–15.45

Ozols, Otto

Fri 16.30–16.50

Szkárosi, Endre

Pekarkova, Iva

Fri 14.00–14.45

Tamás, Gáspár Miklós Thu 14.00–14.45

Sat 11.30–11.50

Petrowskaja, Katja

Fri 17.00–17.45

Tapper, Staffan

Fri 11.00–11.45

Per Magnus

Sat 10.00–10.45

Popescu, Sinziana

Thu 14.00–14.45

Post, Soraya

Sun 13.00–13.45

Sat 11.30–11.50

Sat 15.00–15.45

Teleman, Sara

Fri 15.00–15.45

Thu 15.30–15.50

Fri 10.00–10.45

Reguera, Erik de la

Bergendahl, Helena Thu 12.00–12.45

Fri 14.00–14.45

Riad, Tomas

Fri 16.00–16.45

Rimm, Anna-Maria Thu 10.00–10.45

Thuram, Lilian

Sun 13.00–13.45

Rosenberg, Göran

Tóth, Krisztina

Thu 16.00–16.45

Sat 13.00–13.45 Fri 17.00–17.45

Bodor, Ádám

Brežná, Irena

Bugan, Carmen Buruma, Ian

Busquets, Milena

Fri 17.30–17.50

Þórarinsson, Árni

Sat 14.00–14.45

Rudeke, Lena Ulrika Thu 16.00–16.45

Fri 10.00–10.45

Kanstad, Johnsen

Fri 15.00–15.45

Sævarsdóttir, Bergrún

Fri 14.00–14.45 Fri 17.00–17.45

Mari

Íris

Karlin, Lena

Sat 11.30–11.50

Schöpflin, György

Sat 13.00–13.45

Kehlmann, Daniel

Sat 10.00–10.45

Török, András

Sat 10.00–10.45

Uddén, Cecilia

Thu 14.00–14.45

Sainsbury, Thomas Sat 10.30–10.50

Karlsson, Klas-Göran Fri 10.00–10.45

Fri 17.30–17.50 Sat 12.00–12.45

Thu 15.00–15.45

Sat 10.00–10.45

Thu 13.00–13.45

Thu 12.00–12.45

Fri 16.30–16.50

Fri 14.00–14.45

Fri 10.00–10.45

Uribe, Kirmen

Sat 15.00–15.45

Thu 13.00–13.45

Seeberger, Astrid

Sat 13.00–13.45

Warnqvist, Åsa

Thu 14.00–14.45

Fri 15.00–15.45

Thu 16.30–16.50

Seleka, Thulile

Thu 14.00–14.45

Varró, Dániel

Sat 10.00–10.45

Sat 12.00–12.45

Fri 10.00–10.45

Sigurdardottir,

Fri 16.00–16.45 Sat 14.00–14.45 Sun 12.30–12.50

Carlin, Laura

Thu 15.00–15.45

Tham, Carl

Kangeris, Andris

Cano, Harkaitz

Jónsdóttir, Áslaug

Fri 16.00–16.45

Sat 11.00–11.45

Byström, Gabriel

Jones, Owen

Pukyt˙e, Paulina

Sun 13.00–13.45

Taylor, Laini

Benyovszki, Judit

Blasim, Hassan

Thu 16.00–16.45

Sun 11.00–11.45

Thu 13.00–13.45

Berggren, Henrik

Jókai, Anna

Thu 16.00–16.45

Fri 16.00–16.45 Sat 15.00–15.45

Johansson,

Szécsi, Noémi

Beevor, Antony

Fri 17.00–17.45 Sat 15.00–15.45 Fri 15.00–15.45

Kempe, Mats

Thu 17.00–17.45

Kiss, Ágnes Judit

Thu 16.00–16.45

Knutson, Ulrika Koljonen, Johanna

Johanna

Westerman, Frank

Fri 14.00–14.45

Thu 17.00–17.45

Westphalen, Olav

Sat 15.00–15.45

Weyler, Svante

Thu 13.00–13.45

Sjöberg, Fredrik

Thu 14.00–14.45

Fri 10.00–10.45

Sjölin, Daniel

Thu 13.00–13.45

Fri 10.00–10.45

Snær Magnason,

Fri 14.00–14.45 Sun 13.00–13.45

Andri Spindler, Fredrika

Fri 16.00–16.45

Whitebrook, Peter

Sun 12.00–12.45

Thu 14.00–14.45

Wilson, Roger

Sat 11.00–11.45

Thu 11.00–11.45

Wiman, Björn

Fri 15.00–15.45

Vincze, Ferenc

Fri 14.00–14.45

Winkler, Josef

Fri 14.00–14.45

Chen, Chih-Yuan

Thu 12.00–12.45

Koopman, Arabella Thu 14.00–14.45

Stefánsson,

Cockburn, Patrick

Thu 14.00–14.45

Kristensen, Monica Sat 12.00–12.45

Jón Kalman

Druker, Elina

Thu 14.00–14.45

Kukorelly, Endre

Duke, Yukiko

Fri 17.00–17.20

Sat 10.00–10.45

Strömberg, Fredrik Sat 15.00–15.45

Virdborg, Jerker

Fri 17.00–17.45

Sat 10.00–10.45

Sun 11.00–11.45

Strömquist, Liv

Sat 15.00–15.45

Visky, András

Fri 16.00–16.45

Fri 17.00–17.45

Fri 14.00–14.45

Streeck, Wolfgang

Fri 12.00–12.45 Thu 13.00–13.45

Fri 17.00–17.45

Ekström, Andreas

Sat 15.00–15.45

Ladik, Katalin

Sun 11.00–11.45

Stumpf, András

Wänblad, Mats

Thu 12.00–12.45

Elam, Ingrid

Thu 12.00–12.45

Larsmo, Ola

Sat 10.00–10.45

Swedenmark, John Thu 14.00–14.45

Zagajewski, Adam

Sat 10.00–10.45

Svensson, Per

Öberg, Johan

Fri 14.00–14.45

Sat 10.00–10.45

Leifsson, Þórarinn

Englund, Peter

Thu 13.00–13.45

Leósdóttir, Jónína

Thu 17.00–17.45

Espelund, Görrel

Thu 13.00–13.45

Lind, Åsa

Thu 14.00–14.45

Esterházy, Péter

Thu 13.00–13.45

Linnell, Björn

Sat 12.00–12.45

Sat 10.00–10.45

Lipcsey, Emőke

Fri 14.00–14.45

Fahlén, Åsa

Thu 15.30–15.50

Fhager Havdelin, Lovisa

Sun 13.00–13.45

Leandoer, Kristoffer Sun 12.30–12.50

Avsändare: Bok & Bibliotek i Norden AB SE-412 94 Göteborg

Thu 15.00–15.45

Sun 11.00–11.45

Lipodi, Barnabas

Thu 15.30–15.50

Lokko, Andres

Thu 15.00–15.45

Fioretos, Aris

Fri 10.00–10.45

Mafouz Barraj, Samar Thu 17.00–17.45

Gessen, Masha

Fri 15.00–15.45

Magalhães, Álvaro

Goldin, Daniel

Fri 11.00–11.45

Manea, Norman

Fri 10.00–10.45

Goulson, Dave

Thu 14.00–14.45

Marçal, Katrine

Fri 16.00–16.45

Green, Sally

Sun 13.00–13.45

Márky, Ildikó

Fri 16.00–16.45

Guðmundsson, Sat 16.00–16.20 Fri 17.00–17.20 Sat 11.00–11.45

Gustavsson, Sverker Thu 13.00–13.45 Fri 16.00–16.45

Hassen Khemiri, Jonas Hawkins, Paula

Heller, Ágnes Helmerson, Erik

Iggulden, Conn

Thu 12.00–12.45

Mezey, Katalin

Thu 16.00–16.45

Fri 10.00–10.45

Mortaja, Rana

Thu 15.00–15.45

Moshizi, Tara

Fri 10.00–10.45 Fri 16.00–16.45 Fri 17.00–17.45 Thu 12.00–12.45 Fri 12.30–12.50

Fri 12.30–12.50

Nádasdy, Ádám

Sat 14.00–14.45

Fri 11.00–11.45

Najjar, Taghreed

Thu 17.00–17.45

Sat 16.00–16.20 Thu 15.00–15.45 Fri 11.00–11.45 Sat 15.30–15.50 Sun 12.00–12.45

Napoleoni, Loretta Thu 14.00–14.45 Neij, Maria

Sat 10.30–10.50

Sat 12.00–12.45

Indriðason, Arnaldur Sat 10.00–10.45

Ólafsdóttir,

Ingvarsson, Jonas

Auður Ava

Sun 11.00–11.45

Fri 17.30–17.50

Nettel, Guadalupe

The Seminar Progr amme

Seminarieprogrammet

Péter esterhá zy

God, the Com ists and the melonmun fields mAsHA gessen

388

Seminarier

Fri 14.00–14.45

McEwan, Ian

Mong, Attila

Hernvall, Anna-Lena Thu 15.30–15.50 Hoflin, Katti

Mazzucco, Melania

Fri 17.30–17.50 Sat 14.00–14.45 Fri 12.00–12.45

Fri 16.00–16.45

BOKMÄSSAN GöteborG book fair

Thu 14.00–14.45

www.BOKMASSAN.SE

Einar Már

Hansson, Gunnar D

Porto betalt

Thu 13.00–13.45 Sat 10.00–10.45

Marramao, Giacomo Thu 11.00–11.45

Guo, Xiaolu

BOKMÄSSAN 2015 SEMINARIEPROGRAMMET

22

Ingvarsson, Stefan

Ljusglimt i mörk tid Semina

Antony Beevor / ArnALdur IndrIðAson / KerstIn eKmAn Conn IgguLden / CLArA Henry / IAn mCewAn / XIAoLu guo JonAs HAssen KHemIrI / PAuLA HAwKIns / Péter esterHázy mILenA Busquets / JonAs JonAsson / tomAs BAnnerHed sALLy green / IAn BurumA / HAssAn BLAsIm / LAInI tAyLor ILon wIKLAnd / FredrIK reInFeLdt / KAroLInA rAmqvIst ALeX sCHuLmAn & sIgge eKLund / mAgnus HärenstAm LIv strömquIst / AgnetA PLeIJeL / dAnIeL KeHLmAnn

rS

Masha Gessen / Guadalupe nettIan BuruMa / ÁGnes heller / Ian Mcewan conn IGGulden el / arnaldur IndrIðason / sally Green paula hawkIns / MIlena Busquets/ patrIck coc laInI taylor / / auður ava ÓlafsdÓttIr / ÁdÁM kBurn hassan BlasIM Bodor / loretta napo noéMI szécsI / JÓn kalMan stef leonI norMan Manea Ánsson/ XIaol carMen BuGan / krIsztIna tÓth / antony Beevu Guo / owen Jones / danIel kehlMan or n

september 24 –

24 – 27 september 2015 svenska mässan göteborg

27, 2015 the swed ish exhibition

center

ALL 388 SEMINARS! BOK_Semprog_omslag_150408.indd 1

2015-05-13 11:00

This is the Book Fair ­seminar ­programme presenting the seminars in languages other than Scandinavian.

Altogether 388 seminars are presented in the Swedish version of the seminar ­programme.

You find all programmes at our website www.goteborg-bookfair.com.

NOBEL PRIZE LAUREATES AT THE GÖTEBORG BOOK FAIR

Willy Brandt, 1990

Joseph Brodsky, 1988 and 1993

Shirin Ebadi, 2006

Dario Fo, 2005

Nadine Gordimer, 1989 and 2010

Günter Grass, 1994

Seamus Heaney, 1995

Imre Kertész, 1996 and 2003

Doris Lessing, 1986 and 1995

Herta Müller, 1993, 2008 and 2011

Kenzaburo Oe, 1992

Orhan Pamuk, 1995, 2005 and 2006

José Saramago, 1991

Isaac B. Singer, 1985

Wole Soyinka, 1987 and 1996

Tomas Tranströmer, 1988, 1990, 1996, 2000 and 2012

Desmond Tutu, 2007 and 2014

Derek Walcott, 1993

Mario Vargas Llosa, 2011

Elie Wiesel, 1996

Avsändare: Bok & Bibliotek i Norden AB/ Göteborg Book Fair SE-412 94 Göteborg

Porto betalt