‘The Rabbit’ and ‘The Blue Star’ No. 1 in Denmark
The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep by Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin and The Blue Star by Jan Guillou are both No. 1 on the Danish bestseller list, the former in the category of Family & Lifestyle and the latter in Fiction.
Oscar nominated Morten Tyldum acquires the film rights to Bobbie Peers’ ‘William Wenton’
The film rights to Bobbie Peers’ William Wenton and the Luridium Thief have just been acquired by Oscar nominated film director Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game) in a preemptive deal.
‘Norma’ No. 1 in Finland
Sofi Oksanen’s highly anticipated new novel Norma has gone straight to No. 1 on the official bestseller list in Finland. The stand-alone novel is a dark family drama with fantastical undertones, and introduces yet another facet of Oksanen’s authorship.
‘The Rabbit’ No. 3 in the US
The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep debuts at No. 3 on New York Times Bestseller list for Picture Books.
Photo: Appendix Fotografi
New Screenwriter – Simon Stålenhag
The acclaimed artist, concept designer and author of Ur Varselklotet (2014) Simon Stålenhag (b. 1984) is best known for his highly imaginative images and stories portraying illusive sci-fi phenomena in mundane, hyper-realistic Scandinavian landscapes. Ur Varselklotet was ranked by The Guardian as one of the ‘10 Best Dystopias’, where it is joined by works such as Franz Kafka’s The Trial and Andrew Niccol’s Gattaca.
Not only have Stålenhag’s unique and cinematic images earned him a worldwide fan base, but have also made him a go-to storyteller, concept artist and illustrator for both the film and computer gaming industry. Simon Stålenhag’s work can be seen in films such as Searching for Sugarman (2012), directed by Malik Bendjeloull, and in games such as Ripple Dot Zero (2013).
‘The Rabbit’ No. 2 in the UK
The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep debuts at No. 2 on the official UK bestseller list for children’s books.
Jo Nesbø and Erik Axl Sund on Der Spiegel’s bestseller list
Jo Nesbø’s “jewel of a novel” about a hitman in the 70s, Blood on Snow, and Erik Axl Sund’s “deeply touching” novel Glass Bodies, are No. 2 and No. 3 respectively on Der Spiegel’s trade paperback list this week.
‘Those Who Failed’ published in Sweden
A reality TV star is found murdered in an abandoned school building, shot in the head with a bolt gun. Tied to a classroom chair, he’s been positioned facing a corner of the room with a dunce cap on his head. A several pages long exam paper has been nailed to the back of the chair. Judging by the number of wrong answers, the victim failed the most important test of his life.
In Those Who Failed, the fifth book in Hjorth & Rosenfeldt’s internationally bestselling series about Sebastian Bergman, Sebastian and his team are faced with a complex and devious serial killer that will threaten the very existence of the team.
Photo: Appendix Fotografi
New Screenwriter – Jonna Bolin-Cullberg
Jonna Bolin-Cullberg (b. 1965) is a successful writer for television, known for her work on Sjätte dagen (1999), Dubbelliv (2010) and Mördaren ljuger inte ensam (2013), among others. Jonna has gained extensive experience from working on various film and TV-productions in different genres, spanning from children’s TV to crime novel adaptations. Bolin-Cullberg is also a qualified actor educated at the Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama in London, but it was after starting working as a writer on the hit show Skilda världar (1996) that Jonna made the conversion from the art of acting to the art of writing drama.
Photo: Marius Batman Viken
New Author – Jørn Lier Horst
Jørn Lier Horst (b. 1970) has with his award-winning crime fiction novels about police inspector William Wisting joined the elite of Nordic crime fiction writers. Having worked as a police officer and head of investigations before becoming a full-time author, Horst brings a unique brand of suspense and realism to the table, distinguishing himself as an expert observer of human interaction. With his books selling over a million copies in his home country alone, Horst has established himself as one of the most addictive voices to come out of Scandinavia.