Kader Abdolah (1954) is the nom de plume
of the Iranian born author Hossein Sadjadi Ghaemmaghami whose childhood
dream was of becoming a writer like both of his grandfathers. Abolah
has been living in the Netherlands since 1988 and has written thirteen novels in Dutch and had previously published two while still living in Iran. Abdolah´s works have been translated in several languages, including Icelandic.
Naja Marie Aidt (1963)
is a Danish poet, novelist and short-story writer who was awarded the
Nordic Council Literature Prize in 2008 for her short story collection Baboon. She published her first book, a collection of poetry called As Long as I’m Young, in 1993 and has since written books for children, poetry, short-stories, plays and film scripts. Aidt currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Tariq Ali (1943) is a novelist, filmmaker and political campaigner. He was born in Lahore, which was a part of India but later became a part of Pakistan, but has been living in England for decades. Ali is a columnist for The Guardian
and a regular commentator for BBC. Ali´s work include historical noves,
set in the Islamic world, but he has also published critical analysis
of current events. In his book, Bush in Babylon (2003), Ali uses both poetry and essays to describe the cause and effect of the war in Iraq.
Jesse Ball
(1978) is an American poet and novelist whose star has been rising
during the last couple of years. His poems have been published in
magazines but he has also published books of poetry. The book Vera & Linus
from 2006 was a project he worked on with his wife, poet Thordis
Bjornsdottir. The pictures in the book are Ball´s but he and
Bjornsdottir wrote the poems together. Jesse Ball latest works include
the novels Samedi is Deafness (2007) and The Way Through the Door (2009).
Junot Diaz (1968) is originally from the Dominican Republic but moved to the U.S.A. as a young boy where he has lived since. Diaz became publicly recognized for his short-story collection Drown (1996) and was awarded the Pulitzer prize in 2008 for his novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (2007) which also has been listed as one of the best novel of 2007. The New Yorker has listed Diaz as one of the greatest authors of the 21st century.
Assia Djebar (1936) is the nom de plume
of the Algerian-born writer, scholar and award-winning film maker
Fatima-Zohra Imalayen. Djebar, who is considered to be one
North-Africas most influential writers, made her debut in 1957 with the
novel La Soif. Her works often deal with the
obstacles faced by women and the influence of war, especially on the
lives of women. Currently, Djebar is currently a professor of
Francophone literature at the University of New York and a member of
the prestigious Académie Francaise.
Johan Harstad
(1979) is a Norwegian novelist, short-story writer and playwright. His
first book was a collection of short prose and was published in 2001.
In 2005, Harstad published the novel Buzz Aldrin, hvor ble det av deg i alt mylderet?(Buzz Aldrin, What Happened To You in All The Confusion?) which has been translated to several languages, including French and German. Harstad´s novel, Hässelby,
from 2007 has also been praised by critics and readers. Harstad
currently holds a one year position as a playwright at The National
Theater of Norway in Oslo.
Gintaras Grajauskas
(1964) is a Lithuanian novelist, short-story writer and poet. He also
plays bass guitar and sings in a popular rock band called Rokfeleriai.
Grajauskas published his first book in 1993, the prize-winning poetry
collection Tattoo. Grajauskas´ works often seem to tell
stories of the mundane but underneath, the reader comes across
unexpected irony which describes a whole new reality in the text.
Bergtóra Hanusardóttir
(1946) is a Faroese writer and poet. She has also been an active member
in the women´s movement for equal rights and participated in U.N.
conferences on the matter. She first published poetry in a magazine and
has been publishing short-stories, poetry and plays ever since. Her
latest work is the novel Burtur (2008). The works of Bergtóra Hanusardóttir have been translated to Swedish, Danish, Norwegian and German.
Benn Q. Holm
(1962) decided to become an author at an early age. He studied
comparative literature at the University of Copenhagen and has
published essays and articles in newspapers and magazines. Holm
received critical acclaim for his book Hafnia Punk,
published in 1998, which describes the lives of people in Copenhagen in
a realistic manner. Holm has also written books for children and
published essays on soccer. Some of Holm´s works have been adapted for
television.
Jóannes Nielsen
(1953) is one of the most popular contemporary Faroese authors and his
work include collections of poems, essays, plays and novels. Nielsen
has four times been nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize.
His novel, Glansbílćtasamlararnir (2005), became a bestseller in the Faroe Islands.
Luis López Nieves (1950) comes from Puerto Rico
and is considered to be one of the most original authors in his
homeland. He has twiced been awarded the National Literature prize in
Puerto Rico, first for his collection of historical short stories The True Death of Juan Ponce de Léon in 2000 and second for his novel Voltaire’s Heart in 2005 which was recently published in Icelandic translation.
Sofi Oksanen (1977) is a Finnish born author of Estonian heritage whose novel Purge (2008) has been very well received among critics and readers. Oksanen was awarded two prestigious book awards in Finland
for it and the book ranked number one on best sellers lists in 2008.
Oksanen´s use of the language is considered to be unique and she charms
her readers with her outstanding narrative on a difficult subject.
Anne B. Ragde
(1957) is a Norwegian author who made her debut in 1986 with a
children´s book and her first novel was published in 1990. Ragde writes
books for all ages and has received multiple prizes for her works.
Ragde´s novel, Berlin Poplars, which is the first of
three in a trilogy about the dysfunctional Newhov-family, was published
to general acclaim and has been translated to several languages,
including Icelandic.
David Sedaris
(1956) is an American writer and comedian who has been nominated for
the Grammy Awards. He published his first short-stories and essays in Barrel Fever
in 1994 and has since published five collections of essays that all
have become bestsellers. David Sedaris´ writings are allegedly
autobiographical and in them he writes about his upbringing, his
friends and family and current life.
Ngugi Wa Thiong´o (1938) is an influential Kenyan writer and scholar who has during the last decades been living in the U.S.A.
His first books were written in English but later he started using his
native tongue, Gikuyu. Wa Thiong´o´s use of the mother tongue is his
way to sculpt the identity of his nation in a post-colonial era. Wa
Thiong´o was imprisoned in Kenya and went on a self-imposed exile after he got out.
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