Photo: Jacob Hansen

Jesper Ganslandt joins Salomonsson Agency

Director and writer Jesper Ganslandt has since his dynamic debut work, the much acclaimed Falkenberg Farewell (2006), established himself as one of the most fearless voices in Scandinavian filmmaking.

Falkenberg Farewell was nominated for the prestigious Nordic Council’s Film Prize and chosen as Sweden’s submission for the Academy Awards. Ganslandt’s second feature, The Ape (2009), received great reviews, among else in The Guardian where he was declared “a new star director.” In 2018, Ganslandt opened the International Film Festival Rotterdam with Jimmie, which was lauded by the press and nominated for ‘Best Nordic Film’ at the Gothenburg Film Festival.

Ganslandt recently finished shooting the drama 438 Days, which is based on the award-winning novel of the same name by Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye. 438 Days will premiere in 2019.

Fredrik Backman, Lars Kepler and Stina Jackson on the Swedish bestseller lists

Fredrik Backman’s just published Anxious People debuts with a bang on the official weekly bestseller lists, going straight to No. 2 in hardcover, No. 2 in audio, and No. 3 in e-book. Lars Kepler’s Lazarus joins Backman on the hardcover list, featuring at No. 4. Stina Jackson and The Silver Road meanwhile come in at No. 5 on the e-book list.

Horst & Enger and Anne Holt on the Norwegian bestseller lists

Death Deserved, the first book in Jørn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger’s new joint series, is once again No. 2 on the official paperback bestseller list in Norway, and No. 1 on the e-book one. Horst & Enger are joined by Anne Holt on the e-book list, where she comes in at No. 5 with A Grave for Two.

‘A Higher Justice’ No. 5 in the Netherlands

Hjorth & Rosenfeldt’s A Higher Justice is No. 5 on the Dutch hardcover bestseller list for crime fiction this week.

‘Amazing Facts About Baby Animals’ published in Sweden

A whimsically illustrated collection of fascinating, surprising, and funny facts about baby animals and their parents, from the author of The Illustrated Compendium of Amazing Animal Facts.

Who doesn’t love baby animals? Amazing Facts About Baby Animals is an adorable celebration of all kinds of fuzzy, fluffy, scaly, and feathery animal babies and their parents. This charming collection by beloved Swedish artist Maja Säfström is full of interesting, weird, and funny facts about animals before they are born (elephants are pregnant for 22 months!), when they are born (whales are born tail-first so they don’t drown!), and life as babies (parrots give their offspring names! Baby macaques have snowball fights!). Perfect for art- and nature-loving kids and adults, this sweet book makes a wonderful gift and conversation starter for the whole family.

The weekly Swedish bestseller lists

Stefan Ahnhem’s Motive X brings home the silver on the latest weekly betseller list for paperbacks. Not far after his No. 2 placement comes Stina Jackson and The Silver Road, which places No. 5 in paperback, and No. 3 in e-book. On the hardcover list Lars Kepler comes in at No. 4 with their long-running bestseller Lazarus.

The weekly Norwegian bestseller lists

Week 16 (April 15-21) sees Jørn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger occupy both No. 1 on the e-book list and No. 2 on the paperback list with Death Deserved. Jørn Lier Horst also appears together with Hans Jørgen Sandnes on the hardcover list, where their Operation Sable Forest is No. 3. Anne Holt nabs the No. 4 spot on the e-book list with A Grave For Two.

Selma Vilhunen interviewed in The New York Times

2017 saw Selma Vilhunen’s documentary Hobbyhorse Revolution premiere at the Tampere Film Festival and win the Risto Jarva Main Prize in a national competition. The documentary also won the title of ‘Best Documentary’ at the 2018 Jussi Awards.

The hobbyhorse phenomenon has now reached the US. The New York Times interviews Vilhunen about the fascinating subculture, praising the way her documentary “captured its subjects in long spells of raucous joy.”

To read the article in the New York Times, click “Read more” below.

Read more

‘The Katharina Code’ shortlisted for the Petrona Award

Jørn Lier Horst’s The Katharina Code has been shortlisted for the Petrona Award 2019 for ‘Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year’.

The judges praise the novel, calling it a “finely plotted thriller with a strong sense of unresolved justice.” They also give the following glowing review of Horst’s novels about William Wisting: “Horst’s ‘William Wisting’ novels are distinguished by their excellent characterisation and strong plots.”

The Petrona Award’s winner will be announced on May 11th during the annual international crime fiction convention CrimeFest, held in Bristol.