Huge interest in Nordic children’s and young people’s literature at the international book fair in Bucharest. From 20 – 24 November the large Nordic stand was visited by the public, authors and the publishing industry.
For four days, Nordic literature attracted much popular and professional attention. This happened at the international book fair in Bucharest, Gaudeamus, which had chosen the Nordic Region as its main theme this year. The Nordic Council of Ministers and the five Nordic embassies in Bucharest organised the Nordic programme.
The choice of the Nordic Region as the main theme at the international book fair is just the latest in a series of Nordic drives abroad. The Romanian organisers are thus underlining the international focus on the Nordic Region and on Nordic art and culture which began in Washington earlier in the year with the cultural festival Nordic Cool.
At the fair in Bucharest, the Nordic Council of Ministers presented, amongst other things, a completely new exhibition on the Nordic Council Literature Prize and the Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize, and the public gained an insight into the current trends in children’s books in the Nordic countries. The visitors at the book fair were given access to a number of presentations on ways to stimulate children’s love of reading and on the differences between Nordic and Rumanian children’s literature.
„There is no doubt that there is a great difference in both the content and the presentation of children’s and young people’s literature in the Nordic Region and Romania. For example, Nordic writers address difficult issues such as grief, loneliness and neglect by adults in their books. These are almost non-existent in Romanian children’s literature, which presents a more traditional and clear-cut childhood”, says Senior Advisor in the Nordic Council of Ministers, Anna Enemark.
She continues:
„This difference between Nordic and Romanian children’s literature gave rise to interesting dialogues during the fair, and this was exactly one of our intentions, to create dialogue and interest from a completely different part of Europe than we normally deal with. We are pleased with the great interest in Nordic literature in general and an impressive number of Nordic works have been translated into Romanian”, explains Anna Enemark.
The Nordic Council of Ministers had also invited the recognised expert in children’s and young people’s literature, editor and PhD Anette Øster to speak about the trends in modern Nordic children’s literature and how the publishing houses were getting better at reaching out to readers, libraries and teachers.
As well as the spots on Nordic literature the visitors were also given the opportunity to get to know more about Nordic co-operation and the Nordic Council of Ministers’ various areas of co-operation. Romanian television and radio showed great interest in the Nordic countries, the Nordic model and Nordic co-operation during the four days of the fair.
Contacts
Anna Enemark
Phone +45 29 69 29 23
Email [email protected]
Jesper F. Schou-Knudsen
Phone +45 33 96 03 55
Email [email protected]
Source: Norden
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