Focus projects

From 2022 to 2025, Litteraturhuset is embarking on a large-scale initiative focused on African literature, history, and societal discourse, with the assistance of an artistic council comprised of authors and experts from the African continent and its diaspora. The aim is to amplify more voices from the African continent, providing both children and adults in Norway with a more nuanced understanding of Africa and crucial global issues.

Literature Beyond Borders is a long-term collaboration between Litteraturhuset and the literary houses Kıraathane in Istanbul, Wêjegeh Amed in Diyarbakir, Literarisches Colloquium Berlin, and Paul Celan Literaturzentrum in Chernivtsi, Ukraine.

The House of Literature has created "Multilingual Storytelling Session": digital storytelling sessions where children can listen to stories and fairy tales told in two languages simultaneously!

The storytelling sessions are especially aimed at bilingual children and children with minority backgrounds, providing these children with the opportunity to listen to fairy tales in Norwegian and their own native language and/or their parents' language. In this way, the series can contribute to enhancing language education for both children and parents, while also demonstrating that minority languages have a rightful and natural place when we are talking about literature.

Events that highlight lgbt+ themes, are important in our work for inclusion and diversity. By focusing on queer literature and culture, the House of Literature aspires to bring lgbt+ authors and other important cultural voices into the spotlight, listen to the questions they raise, and contribute to their voices being heard.

Through the project “Directly from the House of Literature”, we livestream selected events directly to public libraries throughout the country. We focus particularly on the parts of Norway that are not covered by houses of literature of their own. This way, conversations taking place at the House of Literature are made available for a Norwegian audience from Longyearbyen in the north, to Lillesand in the south.

The House of Literature maintains an ongoing focus on Sami and Kven/Norwegian-Finnish literature. The aim of this initiative is to increase knowledge about the history and culture of Norway's indigenous peoples and national minorities, as well as minority literature within the majority society.

To ensure the future of literature, the House of Literature is interested in promoting new literary voices as well as more established ones. We highlight new voices through several regular events, such as:
Salon! With Sandra Kolstad combines conventional “open mic” with relaxed, but educational conversations on writing as art and practice. Each night offers inspiration and reflection with some of Norways most prolific artists and educators, with Kolstad as a regular host.

Each December, we organise our own Debutant Days, an annual event established with the Norwegian author Ingvar Ambjørnsen, which is dedicated to those who have made their debut as authors of general fiction within the last year. Two days in a row, established authors present their new colleagues, and welcome them into their world. For a lot of new authors, this is their first meeting with the literary scene, where they are presented, read, make connections, and receive information from important literary associations.

FormidlerU is our own mentor program for new authors for children and young adults. Supported by Talent Norge, Forleggerforrningen, NBU, NFFO, Kulturtanken and Norsk Forfattersentrum, we have created a mentorship program where new authors of children’s and young adults’ literature are invited to workshops, personal mentorship, and practice in presentation.

The House of Literature annually invites schools across the country to join our program addressing hate speech. Hate speech is deeply problematic both for individuals and for our democracy. How does hate speech affect us and what can we do when faced with it? How can we prevent hatred and create a society where everyone feels safe to contribute?

We offer schools a combination of a stage production here at the House of Literature in Oslo and a set of teaching materials. The stage production is recorded and available for participating schools across the country.