When tallying 2023’s book sales in Norway, the clear winner is Jørn Lier Horst. Even with no new Wisting novel being published last year, Horst’s popular and long-selling backlist puts him at No. 1 on the list of most sold authorships.

Jørn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger’s Victim, the fifth novel in the Blix & Ramm series, is the No. 1 most borrowed library book of the latter half of 2023 in Norway. Stigma and Unhinged, book 4 and 3, also feature among the most borrowed titles of the fall/winter season.

The house across the yard is about to be demolished, but something is not right. Inside, a curtain suddenly flutters, one Bengt Gustav has never seen before. He enters the house even though he isn’t supposed to, and on the second floor he finds a door marked “1984.” It becomes the first in a series of time-travels, where Bengt Gustav is given the opportunity to fix everything that has gone wrong for his father through the years, all the things his father blames his alcoholism on. Only, things never get any better.

The only calm place left to Bengt Gustav is the water. Lowering himself into the bathtub, he thinks about Guillaume Néry, who for a long time held the world record in freediving. In the water, Bengt Gustav sees his lifeboat from below, the one he is in all by himself. The lifeboat that will save him when his father derails.

Bengt Gustav finally realizes that he has to let more people onto his lifeboat, right now. That will be the only way he and his father can find a way forward.

Fifty-five Meters Below the Surface is a warm, beautiful novel for middle graders about keeping your head above the surface and letting other people in.

The readers of Aftenposten Junior have chosen Jørn Lier Horst as the Author of the Year in 2023. He wins ahead of J.K. Rowling after being voted by young readers.

The books about Detective Agency No. 2 are one of Norway’s bestselling children’s book series of all time, with a total print run of 3 million copies. Several of the books have been adapted into films, and there has also been a theatrical production based on the popular universe. In 2022, Tiril, Oliver, and Åtto were named the all-time Norwegian children’s book characters by the readers of the industry website Bok365.

Critically acclaimed Exodus, directed by Abbe Hassan and written by Kristoffer Cras and Abbe Hassan, is nominated for a Guldbagge Award in the category Best Screenplay.

The Guldbagge Awards Gala is arranged by the Swedish Film Institute in collaboration with SVT and will take place at Cirkus in Stockholm on January 15, 2024.

Erik Svedberg-Zelman was born in 1996 and spent his early years in the city of New York. At the age of 12, he embarked on a transformative journey, moving to Sweden. Erik possesses the unique distinction of having both Swedish and (American) English as his native languages, a reflection of his Swedish mother and American father. During his adolescence, his passion for skateboarding turned in to a career and took him on a global adventure, competing in various locations all over the world.

Erik’s journey took a new turn when he pursued education at Malmö Theatre Academy, marking the beginning of his exploration into the world of acting. His talent and dedication were evident in numerous theatrical productions at Malmö Stadsteater and the Royal Dramatic Theatre.

One of his notable performances was in the monologue production titled Jag säger ingenting alls at Teater Brunnsgatan Fyra, which was given significant attention for its compelling narrative.

Very soon Erik Svedberg-Zelman can be seen as one of the central figures in The Helicopter Heist, directed by Daniel Espinosa for Netflix. Additionally, he takes on the lead role as Fredrik in Düsseldorf, Skåne, set to premiere globally at Gothenburg Film Festival in January. Moreover, Erik is set to grace the stage at the Royal Dramatic Theatre with the premiere of Svindel-Kärlekens Antarktis, a play by Sara Stridsberg, scheduled to premiere in March 2024.

Erik Svedberg-Zelman’s journey is marked by a seamless transition from the streets of New York to the stages of Malmö and beyond, showcasing his versatility and commitment to the arts.

Daniel Espinosa’s new feature film, Madame Luna, will have its world premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) and is one out of the three selected Swedish films to be screened at the prestigious festival, which takes place between 25 January and 4 February 2024.

Inspired by true events, Madame Luna is a thrilling drama about an Eritrean refugee who is washed ashore in Libya, and with time becomes one of the most notorious human smugglers with deep ties to the Italian Mafia.

The film is written by Maurizio Braucci, Suha Arraf and Espinosa, and produced by David Herdies for Momento Film.

Madame Luna will have its Swedish cinema premiere this spring.

The Electric State Roleplaying Game is gathering attention on the Kickstarter platform, where it has gained close to 5.000 backers and topped its initial goal with more than 3,4 million SEK as the final date approaches on Wednesday, December 20.

The Electric State RPG is a tabletop RPG based on the art book The Electric State by acclaimed visual artist and author Simon Stålenhag. The Electric State RPG will feature never-before published art made by Stålenhag for the original art book project, and is written by Nils Hintze, who also worked on the Tales From the Loop RPG.