By Ljiljana Maletin Vojvodić //

A month ago, during my research residency in Bergen, I extensively explored the city’s literary landscape, celebrated in books such as „Bergeners“ by Bergen-based author Tomas Espedal, or by Karl Ove Knausgaard in his famous „My Struggle“ No. 5, where he describes his time spent at Bergen’s Writing Academy, where one of his teachers was the last Nobel Prize winner, Jon Fose. You can find my interview with Writing director Sivert N Nesbo, as well as an article titled „Bergen Bookish Vibe,“ on the Portal Art Box in the English section. Now, let’s shift our focus to the sixth Literature Festival in Bergen (LitFestBergen), hosted at The House of Literature, where the acclaimed Knausgaard himself is one of the invited writers.

LitFestBergen, running from February 7-11, 2024, at The House of Literature in Bergen, is Western Norway’s literary hub, offering a platform for literature, debate, and cultural experiences. This year’s lineup boasts big names in fiction such as Karl Ove Knausgård, German author Judith Hermann, and the international Booker Prize winner Georgi Gospodinov from Bulgaria.

Also gracing the festival is Adania Shibli, the Palestinian author who was disinvited from receiving a literary prize at the Frankfurt Book Fair last spring due to the escalation of violence in the Israel/Palestinian region following an attack from Hamas. During the official opening of LitFestBergen, Shibli has been invited to deliver the acceptance speech she would have given in Frankfurt.

The Bergen International Literary Festival for Non-Fiction and Fiction (LitFestBergen) has rapidly become a significant player in Bergen’s cultural landscape, garnering attention locally, nationally, and internationally. Participants in LitFestBergen engage with authors from around the world and Norway, whose works directly address crucial global questions. The festival prides itself on its literary, linguistic, cultural, and geographical diversity.

This year’s theme is „dissolution,“ focusing on the suffix „-solution.“ What dissolution trends do we observe in the world today? And how can literature contribute to finding solutions for both individuals and major global issues?

Undoubtedly, the highlight this year is the presence of the renowned Norwegian writer Karl Ove Knausgård, currently residing in London. Knausgård’s literary journey traces back to his time at the Writing Arts Academy in Bergen from 1988 to 1989. His debut novel „Out of the World“ earned him the distinction of being the first author ever to receive the Critics’ Prize with a debut novel. His autobiographical work „My Struggle,“ published in 2009, has been translated into 35 languages, earning him prestigious awards such as the Swedish Academy’s Nordic Prize (2019), Die Welt’s Literature Prize (2015), and the Wall Street Journal’s Innovator Award for Literature (2015). His latest novel, „Nattskolen“ (The Night School, 2023), is the fourth volume of the Morning Star series.

During February 8th and 9th, three events connected to or featuring Knausgaard himself are already sold out.

Munch: Art, Literature, Madness

In 2017, Karl Ove Knausgård published ‘So Much Longing on Such a Small Surface,’ offering insights into Munch’s life. In his latest book, ‘The Storm,’ a biography of Edvard Munch, Ivo de Figueiredo provides a close portrait of the enigmatic artist and his time.

The author of ‘The Storm,’ will be joined by Frode Sandvik, curator at the KODE art museums, which own the third-largest Edvard Munch collection in the world. In this event, they will delve into the art and life of Edvard Munch.

Live Transmission: A Time for Knausgård

Karin Haugen, commentator and former editor of Bokmagasinet—a book review magazine in the newspaper Klassekampen—will engage in conversation with Karl Ove Knausgård to explore themes of evil, death, and eternal life as depicted in his Morning Star series. Together, they will discuss a range of topics, from good and evil to literary aspirations, providing insights into Bergen, where Knausgård lived and studied as an ambitious young man in the nineties.

City Walk: Karl Ove Knausgård

Karl Ove Knausgård resided in Bergen from 1986 through the nineties. His experiences in Bergen, described in „My Struggle 5 (Some Rain Must Fall)“ and the Morningstar series, have left an indelible mark. International authors, locals, and visitors are invited to walk in his footsteps. The meeting point is the festival office at Litteraturhuset, guided by Professor Frode Helmich Pedersen, who will conduct the tour in English.

For more information, visit LitFestBergen’s official website.