Nordic-Baltic Literature Forum "National Literature in the 21st Century: Insights and Perspectives"

The 'National Literature in the 21st Century: Insights and Perspectives' forum is being held as part of the Tallinn Book Fair at the Estonian National Library on 5 April from 10 am to 16 pm. The Nordic Council of Ministers' Offices in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania initiated the project which has grown out from the concept of the Nordic Library Week, in order to create a platform for discussions about the vitality of modern literature and the status of libraries in the society.

"The nature and the place of literature have changed, as have a great many values and beliefs in this rapidly changing world, and we are using new terminology, acting in new ways and using new tools," said Eha Vain, Cultural Adviser at the Nordic Council of Ministers' Office in Estonia, about why the forum is being organised.

Speakers: Katarina Gäddnäs (Finland) - writer, culture journalist and the project manager of the Marienhamn Literature Days; Liāna Langa (Latvia) - poet, translator, editor of a literary magazine; Hrafn Andrés Harðarson (Iceland) - poet and the director of the Kopavogur Library; Søren Vinterberg (Denmark) - film and literature critic at the Danish daily Politiken, translator of novels and comics; Johan Unenge (Sweden) - writer, illustrater and cartoonist, the Swedish reading ambassador 2011-2013; Sigurður Ólafsson (Iceland) - project manager of the Nordic Council's Children and Young People's Literature Prize's Secretariat at the Nordic House in Reykjavík; Jan Kaus (Estonia) - writer, film and literature critic; Laimantas Jonušys (Lithuania) - translator, literature critic; Silje Riise Næss (Norway) - the House of Literature in Oslo, project manager. Click here to find out more about the speakers!

Writers and literarians from the Nordic and Baltic countries will be invited to speak about:

• How to emphasise and distinguish quality literature from other literary works? What are the criteria for quality literature?
• What is the correlation between national and translated literature?
• What is needed to strengthen the role and status of national literature?
• How should the state interfere in supporting and promoting national literature?
•  What are the latest trends in literature? What kind of books people actually read and buy?
• E-books versus books in classical form.
• How does a writer cope and create in existing circumstances?
• Libraries are becoming more and more important in cultural, educational and social meaning.
• How do the libraries see their mission? What kind of interesting forms and methods are used in their work to contribute to the literacy skills and to attract (new) readers?

Click here to view the detailed programme of the event.

Expected results: exchange of experiences, introducing successful models, maping new tendences in todays literature, networking within the branch
Target groups: librarians, authors, translators, publishers, teachers, book sellers

Date, time, place: April 5, 2013 from 10-16 at the National Library of Estonia, Tallinn
Language: English
Attendance: free of charge but pre-registration is required latest on April 3 (contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Our gratitude goes to: Estonian Publishers' Association, Estoninan Librarians' Association, Nordic House in Reykjavik