Susanne Christensen's Blog

A series of happy events the last few days. The Norwegian papers presented their critic's favorite books 2025 and Svalene got zero mention, but then posts showed up on Facebook. The writers Nikolaj Frobenius and Bror Hagemann mentioned Svalene. Then NRKs critic Anne Cathrine Straume also mentioned Svalene, to my big surprise. Just at few days later, this very morning, the book was nominated for Lytternes roman­pris (NRK). This prize goes along wih a proper weeklong discussion on the radio. It's gonna be fun. Check the dates 2nd to 6th of March 2026 for this extended public discussion on the nominated books.

My book is in the stores now! We have a small release party today in Oslo: Rosa Bøker 19.00.

I'm extremely thrilled to present the cover of my up and coming book that will be out on May 23. The talented Swedish designer Sara R. Acedo is the genius behind it. What can I say, it looks abstract, but it's not. It's a photo of a very specific place that some of the text circles around. I'm looking forward to present the book around Norway and elsewhere.

According to the publisher Oktober in Oslo my new book will be out the 23th of May. You can check out the title right here. It is inspired by David Lack's book Swifts in a Tower that was originally published in 1956. From ancient times there has been many funny ideas of how birds get through the winter. Maybe they hibernate in lakes under the ice? Lack presents a historic summary of what we thought before we began to accept and understand bird migration in the late 18th century. Swifts famously almost never stop flying, and it is thought that the so-called evening ascent, that previously made us wonder if they sleep on the moon, really means that they sleep while gliding down from great hights. Also I'm aware that swifts ("tårnseilere") are not swallows ("svaler"), but I needed fewer syllables. Sorry about that, birders. It is all explained in the book (that is, btw, only partly about birds).

The amazing Double Edge Theater visits the PIT Porsgrunn International Theater Festival and on June 9 and 10 they perform the play Leonora, la maga y la maestra about Leonora Carrington and her relationship with the Chilean filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky. Both days there will be a short introduction to Carrington, her life and art, by myself. I hope to see you in Porsgrunn.

Nervous and excited about this. From Tuesday the 7th of June, the coming week, a wonderful seminar is happening in Venice curated by La Biennale di Venezia, the world's oldest biennale. It's gonna be a wild bonanza of Leonora related talks, and you can follow the events on the biennale website. On Wednesday the 8th I'm joining Gloria Orenstein and Ánde Somby for a session about the interconnections between Leonora Carrington and Sámi Noaidis (shamans). Check out the whole programme here

A bunch of super thrilled reviews in Norwegian media after Samlaget published The Hearing Trumpet, the legendary Leonora Carrington novel, in translation by Gunstein Bakke. Reviewers in Morgenbladet, Vårt Land, Dag & Tid and Klassekampen all find different details in this wild ride of a novel, first published in French in 1947, but written in the 50's. At the same time the Venice Biennale announce more details about their main exhibition opening in April and named after another Carrington story, The Milk of Dreams.

So excited for this brand new translation of Leonora Carringtons novel The Hearing Trumpet (1974). One of the first days of January it will be released into the world. The language is new norwegian, lovely translation by Gunstein Bakke and afterword by yours truly. There are some Carrington events taking place, I know of one in Bergen, if we are allowed due to Covid-19. Thank you so much to Bakke and to Samlaget editor David Allan Aasen.

Just before corona happened I got the job as the new editor of Norwegian Art Yearbook that existed since 1992, almost 30 years. It's a forum for long essays on art and a documentation of highlights in the Norwegian art world through the year. When times were better the publication was both in English and Norwegian. It's been a struggle to make this first book as editor. I was in lockdown in Copenhagen most of 2020, and the galleries were closed down. This issue has become a document of how corona hit the Norwegian art world. Release today at Kunstnernes Hus, 7pm in the academy room on the back of the building. Bergen release next week 5th of November at Bergen Kunsthall. The book can be bought through our publisher Uten tittel and all regular bookstores in Norway.

Det mest utrolige er sket. Leonoras rejse, den danske udgave som udkom i 2020, modtager den danske kritikerpris opkaldt efter Georg Brandes. Jeg er utrolig stolt og rørt. Bogen kom først ud på norsk i 2019 på Forlaget Oktober. Georg Brandes-prisen blev indstiftet i mit fødselsår 1969, og listen af modtagere er mildt sagt imponerende. Tusind tak til Litteraturkritikernes Lav.

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