The Norwegian thriller writer talks about his obsession with farting, why he loves writing his Doctor Proctor books for children plus gives a lesson on how to pronounce his name this interview by children's reading group The Book Bunch Continue reading... ...
From Knut Hamsun's classic story of starvation to Karl Ove Knausgård's autobiographical opus, here is the novelist's pick of Norwegian books in translation Norway is many things to many people who have never set foot on its shores. It is the Land of the Midnight Sun, of 1,000 fjords, where the northern lights dance across endless skies. It is also the home of Harry Hole and Hanne Wilhelmsen, where...
Conflict and fears of famine have led donors to pledge $600m to South Sudan. Get the full story on the Oslo conference What happened? Valerie Amos, the UN undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs, and Norways minister of foreign affairs, Børge Brende, chaired a conference in Oslo on Tuesday 20 May to raise funds for South Sudan traumatised by civil war . #SouthSudanConf Donors pledge...
Ammaz Qureshi told girlfriend in online video call to discipline daughter by plunging her headfirst into bucket of water A British man who told his girlfriend to plunge her 21-month-old daughter's head into a bucket of water during an online video call has been jailed for nine years over the toddler's death. Ammaz Qureshi was in London when he gave his Norwegian lover Yasmin Chaudhry instructions on...
President's chief of staff scolded diplomat over 'fawning' award Diplomat describes day as his 'most embarrassing at the UN' Barack Obama's administration rebuked Norway after he won the 2009 Nobel peace prize , saying it was an awkward honour for an as-yet untested leader, a Norwegian diplomat revealed on Thursday. "My most embarrassing day at the UN, at the time when I was Norway's ambassador...
No representatives of Norwegian government will meet spiritual leader when he visits after row with China over Nobel prize The Norwegian government is facing increasing pressure over its decision to snub the Dalai Lama when he arrives in the country on Wednesday, despite the fact that he has been invited by the Nobel committee to mark the 25th anniversary of his Nobel peace prize. When the exiled Tibetan...
Acclaimed Swedish film-maker is to direct the seventh book in Jo Nesbø's Harry Hole crime detective series Xan Brooks meets Tomas Alfredson Tomas Alfredson is to direct The Snowman , an adaptation of the seventh book in Norwegian author Jo Nesbø's series of crime novels about hardboiled Oslo detective Harry Hole. Variety reports the acclaimed Swedish director of Let the Right One In and Tinker...
American expert flies to Norwegian Ekofisk field to stop an oil well spewing out into the North Sea Mr Red Adair , the American oil well control expert, is flying to Norway this afternoon to take charge of efforts to seal the Bravo 14 well in the Ekofisk field, which has been spewing oil into the North Sea for the past week. He was called in yesterday by the American headquarters of Ekofisk's operators,...
Artists claim recreating exhibition will help country confront its colonial past. Bwesigye bwa Mwesigire is not convinced As part of mammoth celebrations of the 200th anniversary of Norway s constitution, the government is funding two artists to re-enact a "human zoo", which will open to the public on 15 May. Oslos original human zoo or Kongolandsbyen was central to Norways world fair in...
Joan Smith and Melissa Gira Grant debate whether the UK should adopt the 'Nordic model' and reform prostitution laws Outlaw buying sex, says Caroline Spelman Will nobody listen to the sex workers? Continue reading... ...
Syria has promised that most of its 1,300-ton stockpile will be delivered by 13 April, when a meticulous plan will swing into action Interactive guide: how the weapons will be destroyed In the middle of the MV Cape Ray's cavernous car deck stand two large white tents. With their interior lights casting eerie shadows of the constant activity within, they look like twin crime scenes. But the commanders,...
Hollywood takes on tale of dangerous dives, risky pipe installation and a decades-long battle for compensation A dark Nordic mystery played out beneath the icy waves of the North Sea almost 40 years ago is now to find a dramatic resolution in Hollywood. A brave band of Norwegian divers, who put their lives at risk and unwittingly damaged their health by working up to 400m below the surface, may soon...
Switzerland, Iceland and the Netherlands also scored well in Social Progress Index, which takes focus off economic output New Zealand has come first in a global index that ranks countries by social and environmental performance rather than economic output in a drive to make social progress a priority for politicians and businesses. The Social Progress Index (SPI) , published on Thursday, rates 132...
The latest Nordic noir drama begins tonight on More4 and this time it's the Norwegians bringing the thrills A TV series with a title that essentially means "greed" is always a good start for me. And, in the first episode of Mammon, the latest Scandinavian thriller to follow in the eerie footsteps of The Killing , Borgen and The Bridge , there's plenty of underhand pilfering to fill the conspiracy-shaped...
John Crace goes back to the well of childhood to crunch the Norwegian author's autobiographical novel to 600 words • Hari Kunzru on Karl Ove Knausgaard: the latest literary sensation Writing about writing. Writing about not writing. Who cares which when the bandwagon is rolling? My father's death, the birth of my children, not writing my book and my general uselessness were all in the bag. So what...
It may not have won – but local daily Namdalsavisa's triumphant initiative for local bands was an inspiration in its own way The garlands, of course, go to the victors: from Ukraine, Croatia, Turkey and Denmark inter alia , after two full years of the European Press Prize. But often the entries that don't quite win have their own attraction. Take "Bandwagon", from a little local daily, Namdalsavisa...
Norwegian artist known for his expressive use of colour and tone, who gained much of his inspiration from the natural world The Norwegian artist Kjell Nupen, who has died aged 58 from cancer, was a leading figure in Scandinavian culture. With his expressive technique and lyrical approach to nature, not to mention an element of angst, he developed a definite Nordic identity. He was inspired by Edvard...
Malaysian authorities warn of lengthy process after Australian and US aircraft unable to find objects detected on satellite Tania Branigan Daniel Hurst ...
'Slow-TV' pioneers behind eight-hour knitting epic are following the action at specially-built bird houses over three months They have already given us a slow train to Bergen, a six-day ferry cruise on the fjords and an eight-and-a-half hour knitting epic. Now the channel behind Norway's marathon "Slow TV" broadcasts – billed as an antidote to the frantic data overload of the internet and twitter...
Vanessa Svebakk, who lost her daughter in Utøya massacre, says proposed site for Memory Wound memorial is 'ludicrous' The mother of the youngest victim killed by Anders Behring Breivik in Norway has called for a proposed memorial to be scrapped, claiming many of the bereaved families have not been consulted about its construction. Vanessa Svebakk, who lost her 14-year-old daughter Sharidyn Svebakk-Bohn...