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).

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.

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.

Henning Mankell, one of the greatest pioneers of Scandinavian crime fiction, has passed away. Loved by readers all over the world and deeply engaged in social and political issues, the world has lost a wonderful man. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends.

It has just been announced that Jo Nesbo’s and Anne Holt’s Bulgarian translator Eva Kaneva has been awarded NORLA’s Translator’s Award 2015. Eva Kaneva was born in Bulgaria in 1985 and has a Master’s degree in translation and Nordic literature from the University of Sofia. Kaneva has achieved recognition as a talented young translator into Bulgarian. She has experience with translations of a range of different texts and the breadth of her professional expertise finds reflection in the diversity of authors and periods represented by the works she has translated.

The first episode of the TV-series Modus based on Anne Holt’s novels about Inger Johanne Vik, primarily Fear Not aka Modus (Inger Johanne Vik #4), was watched by a mind-blowing total of 1,22 million viewers last night. Swedish newspaper Expressen says: “This is by far the best Swedish drama series that TV4 has broadcasted during its 25 years of existence.”