The Nordic Culture Fund at the Göteborg Book Fair

Nordic Summit on Literary Policy

This year, like last year, the Book Fair is preparing a summit on literary policy. While last year’s summit focused on the organisation of the Swedish literary scene, this year the Fair will broaden the perspective to include the Nordics and the Nordic literary cooperation. The contributors of the summit will represent politicians, scientists, as well as artists and those employed in the cultural field. The most pressing questions of cultural politics are on the agenda. With discussions and conversations about the prerequisites and conditions for the literary scene, about the reading habits of children and the future of school libraries, the importance of bookshops as a cohesive institution in cities and regions, the Summit’s goal is to strengthen the dialogue about literary politics in the Nordics.  

The Summit is hosted By the Book Fair, in partnership with Västra Götaland’s Cultural Board, as well as The Nordic Culture Fund. 

The Fund’s director, Maria Mediaas Jørstad, comments on the event:  

The cultural politicy in the Nordics protects reading and literature. There are many similarities between the Nordic countries, both in terms of the organisation of the cultural field, as well as its institutional relationships. All the same, we see the changes in the Nordic societies and its global surroundings calling for a renewed and active dialogue across our borders, about the conditions and prerequisites for the literary field. That’s why it has been important for the Nordic Culture Fund to contribute to the creation of this important arena, which might provide a starting point for a conversation about Nordic literary politics in a long-term perspective. 

Last year’s summit made clear the difficulty of discussing the cultural politics of a single Nordic country, without talking about cooperation. This year, the excitement will surround whether or not it’s difficult to discuss Nordic cooperation, without mentioning European or international relations.  

Seminar on “International Cultural cooperation in a new era” 

In addition to hosting the Summit, The Nordic Culture Fund is hosting a seminar about the future of cultural cooperation. Does pandemic, geopolitical and natural instability reveal the importance of finding cultural common ground and arenas of cooperation? On what ground can we find cooperation, and in which arenas? How do we encourage and strengthen a meaningful and open dialogue about the future of international cultural cooperation? Contributing to this seminar is Linda Zachrison of Göteborg Stadsteater, Kristin Danielsen of Arts and Culture Norway, Madeleine Sjöstedt of the Swedish Institute, Stefan Ingvarsson of the Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies, and Susanna Pettersson of the Finnish Cultural Foundation.  

The host of the seminar will be Ellen Wettmark, leader of Bonniers Konsthall, and the conversation will be introduced by Maria Mediaas Jørstad.