Beyond Nordic Noir: The reception of contemporary Norwegian literature in Spain

There is now a wide variety of genres over and above crime fiction that are published in Spanish including testimony, narrative fiction, and confessional, but it is difficult to put them all in a particular box. That said, there are some similarities to what I can hypothise make them attractive to a Spanish audience based on my extensive reading of literature reviews in Spain and my research on Norwegian literature. The main ideas that have surrounded contemporary Norwegian narrative in Spain include: the importance of Karl Ove Knausgård's work in introducing Norwegian literature on the Spanish market and the popularity of blending reality and fiction; a very direct and raw prose which is very emotional and also perhaps that contrasts with the literature of other latitudes; and, comment on the welfare state. I will take each of these in turn.

A name appeared on the international scene that marked a ‘before’ and ‘after’ in terms of the expansion of Norwegian literature beyond its borders: Karl Ove Knausgård. With his work Min kamp, a series of six autobiographical novels published between 2009 and 2011, Knausgård achieved a prominent place in Spanish bookstores and, undoubtedly, without this figure it would be difficult to understand the reception of the authors who came after him. Proof of the importance that Knausgård has had in the diffusion of the Norwegian narrative in Spain is the number of times he is mentioned when talking about other authors. His name is even present when it comes to criticizing this omnipresence. For example, Alberto Olmos wrote in El Confidencial: "since Karl Ove Knausgaard convinced the whole world that he was a great writer, anything coming from Norway tends to be critically sheltered under his shadow" (author's translation). And he added with a certain irony: "It is a little sad that all the literature of a country, when an internationally successful author emerges in that country, is conditioned by what he says, the coffees he drinks or the whims of that internationally successful author”.

When we talk about Knausgård, we also talk about the border between reality and fiction, a border with which many authors play and many readers enjoy. This is precisely one of the most often mentioned elements in reviews of contemporary Norwegian fiction in Spain, both to describe the Norwegian literary scene and as a lure for the public. Many journalists discuss the success that autofiction has experienced in Norway, which is also reinforced through interviews with writers such as Vigdis Hjorth, who said to Andrés Seoane for La Lectura in 2022: "Norwegians are very entertained by books that tell the story of family breakups or marriages of writers". Naturally, this blurred boundary between reality and fiction has been mentioned especially in discussions about Hjorth's works. For example journalist Mila Méndez said about Arv og miljø (Will and Testament) in La Voz de Galicia in 2020: "In the Scandinavian country, there is already talk of a new genre: the literature of revenge. As happened with Nordic Noir, its native crime novel, Norwegian autofiction has crossed borders. In Spain, authors like Manuel Vilas also play with the limits between the personal and the imaginary. But it is in Norway where this format is taking center stage. Arv og miljø has sold more than 150,000 copies there”.

The opportunity to read new voices, the possibility of discovering the distant Norwegian culture in a more every day and emotional way, the new translations and, undoubtedly, the good quality of the books have made readers interested in genres other than Nordic noir.

The Spanish public seems to be very interested in different types of stories including testimony, narrative fiction, and confessional, coming “in from the cold” (as the media like to say). The quality of the works, combined with increased support for translation and the work of publishers and translators, is making it possible for more and more readers in Spain to access contemporary Norwegian literature. Hopefully, works of other genres will also begin to arrive soon, such as poetry, which has a smaller presence in the Spanish market. Nevertheless, it is possible to say that the link that books have established between the North and South of Europe remains strong and has a hopeful future.