This is the 18th time the book fair is being held in Beijing and with a regular attendance by representatives from about 60 countries, it is one of China’s largest international book fairs aimed at introducing “excellent books from around the world into China and leading Chinese books to the world”.
NORLA aims at promoting Norwegian fiction and non-fiction literature abroad. This includes anything from world renowned dramas by the famous playwright Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) to popular crime novels by Jo Nesbø (1960-) and the like. At the non-fiction end, Norwegian publications occupy an exceptionally large proportion of the world market relative to the small size of the language population. In fact, according to UNESCO, Norwegian, as source language, ranks 16th in the world, just ahead of Arabic.
Among the non-fiction books promoted at this year’s fair is Terje Tvedt’s “Water. Journeys into the Past and Future of Water.” This fascinating book, written by one of the leading world experts on the role of water in human society, takes the reader on a fascinating journey through four continents probing into questions of how water is both used and perceived by different societies. He argues that despite the modern man’s "water blindness" - the inability to thoroughly understand water’s fundamental role in shaping people’s strategies and relations – contemporary society is more dependent on water than ever before. This book should therefore be of particular interest to readers in China where issues such as water safety, energy and supply are, particularly in rural areas, of pivotal importance for future sustainability and development.
You can find more information on the selection of fiction and non-fiction books that NORLA will bring with them here. (Non fiction) (Fiction).
For more on NORLA, please visit their website.
For more on the Beijing International Book Fair, please see the official website.
Should you like to book an appointment with NORLA at the fair, please send an e-mail to firmapost@norla.no
A map of the venue location can be found here.