2011:1

At SBR we work a lot with people in the business of seeking publicity and exposure for their national literatures. One sought-after route these days is to be chosen as the focus country, or geographical area, at a major book fair. A whole continent, Africa, was in that coveted position at last autumn’s Gothenburg Book Fair and Swedish publishers, especially small independents, significantly boosted the number of titles they published from Africa as a result (Source: Svensk bokhandel). It is impossible to gauge the benefits precisely, of course, but everyone is keen to seize the opportunity. ‘Les lettres nordiques à l’honneur!’ announces the website of the Salon du Livre in Paris this spring, offering a fine array of authors assembled by the Nordic countries, and Finland is investing serious time and money, including gearing up translators of Finland-Swedish, as it prepares to be the focus country at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2014.

Then there is the positive effect of being a prizewinner: this brings an inevitable boost to sales, and to visibility, even internationally. SBR and publications like it always make sure to list any prizes a book has won. Are we prize–obsessed in the modern publishing world? Of course we are, but if everyone’s a prizewinner, how then to judge new fiction for translation?

Who can publishers consult? Not many can justify the cost of employing scouts. Some may ask translators: a few translators have the ear of individual publishers; a larger number act as readers. Agents are major players in the Nordic field now, for good or ill. But some publishers might say the whole point is the thrill of making their own discoveries. We remind our readership that SBR is an independent voice. Publishers looking for advice that is not profit-led publicity department hype can find here not only tasters and articles but also reviews written by a panel of contributors who can read Swedish, many of whom work as publishers’ readers.

In this issue we also offer extracts from Waste, which won the 2010 August Prize for Sigrid Combüchen, who has featured in our pages for many years. There are two newer authors to discover, as well as an interview with Henrik Berggren on his new biography of Olof Palme, a man whose fate fascinates beyond borders. Our reporters bring you their impressions of the 2010 Gothenburg Book Fair, fortunately unaffected by volcanic ash clouds or other problems besetting similar events around the world.