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Herborg Kråkevik. Photo: Mona Nordøy
Kjell Westö. Photo: Pax
Vestfold Literature Festival – enrich your life with books With the aim of making literature increasingly accessible by bringing it to the reader’s hometown, the Vestfold Literature Festival uses all of Vestfold as its stage, with events taking place across all municipalities every November. Established in 1997, the leading literary festival on the west side of the Oslo fjord is today seen as one of the top events in the Norwegian culture calendar. By Ingrid Opstad
What started in 1997 as a smaller festival has expanded rapidly throughout the years. After celebrating its 20th anniversary last year, 2018 is set to become another successful one in Vestfold. “Our opinion is that you are likely to have a richer life with books than without,” festival manager Steinar Engeland explains. By using the public libraries as an important arena, Engeland is determined to provide great writers to the people. “We want to bring the authors as close to home as we can, and therefore 98 | Issue 117 | October 2018
work closely with the public libraries in each of the municipalities in Vestfold to make this happen. The library is the home of the books, and we are proud to help build up the audience’s interest for libraries across the county.”
A diverse programme for all ages With this year’s programme having just been published, it is clear that the festival is yet again packed full of exciting events. With both famous authors and newcomers on the programme, and everything from performances, author
meetings, theatre, quizzes, and concerts, you will find something here for all ages to enjoy. “We want to cover the whole lifecycle, but our main focus is on children in primary school and the adult audience who loves to read.” By combining people’s interest for reading and writing with exciting events and happenings throughout the week, Engeland hopes to cater for all age groups and tastes. Quality and variety are key factors, and there is a wide selection of ticketed and free events occurring.
The best of the best During the first week of November, you will have the opportunity to attend events both day and night throughout the whole of Vestfold, which is, in fact, Norway’s smallest county. “Our goal is