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FROM SHELF TO ZERO: Erika Fatland is one of the critical winners this fall with the non-fiction book “Høyt. A journey through the Himalayas ». But the Cultural Council rejected the book. Photo: Private
Erika Fatland is hailed by critics as one of our best non-fiction writers, and her new book “High” is called “a masterpiece.” On Monday, the book was rejected by the Cultural Council.
The book was not purchased by the Cultural Council’s purchase plan for non-fiction works and is therefore not purchased for Norwegian libraries.
The author Erika Fatland herself did not think it was true when she received the message.
– I must admit that I did not see it coming, Fatland tells VG.
His two previous critically acclaimed books, “The Frontier” and “The Soviet Union” were bought, and after the new book “Stop, a journey in the Himalayas” was acclaimed by the majority of Norwegian critics, nor He had even considered the possibility of not being bought. Hostal.
Dagbladet gave the book a roll of 6 and believed that Fatland would reach a new higher level. The VG critic got a 5 on the book, who believes that Fatland “renews the travel genre”, and Aftenposten called it nothing less than “a masterpiece” and wrote that Fatland is one of the best travel writers Norway has ever seen. fostered. Adresseavisen also scored 6.
Read VG’s book review here!
But the Cultural Council’s non-fiction evaluation committee concluded that the book does not have the “necessary literary, linguistic, content and communication requirements that apply to purchasing a book,” at least if they have followed their own evaluation criteria found in the Cultural Council report. websites.
– Last week, Norwegian libraries even highlighted the book as a book they went and waited for, in an article in Klassekampen that there was such a long wait to buy non-fiction books. So now they’re waiting in vain, says Fatland, who thinks this is a good example that the nonfiction takeover scheme doesn’t work.
The man Erik Fosnes Hansen also current in the book: Crazy reading party!
– Damn unfair
While about 85 percent of all fiction books are purchased, only about 25 percent of non-fiction books are purchased. That means around 90 books a year. Of these 90, one of the most critically acclaimed nonfiction books hasn’t arrived this year.
– It feels damn unfair. Here is a difference in treatment that is out of the question. Non-fiction is treated like a stepmother, and this shows that they do not follow developments. Norwegian non-fiction maintains a very high standard and is also making a name for itself internationally. All that’s missing is that we are on an equal footing with fiction writers when it comes to being bought from Norwegian libraries, says Fatland.
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The Norwegian Nonfiction Writers and Translators Association believes that if Erika Fatland’s book had had the novel genre designation, it would certainly have been bought by the Cultural Council.
– The time has come to eliminate this differential treatment of authors based on the genre in which they write. The contracting plan for non-fiction works should be done automatically at the earliest opportunity, says Arne Vestbø, general secretary of the Norwegian association of non-fiction writers and translators.
He points out that this is not the only critically acclaimed nonfiction title not bought for libraries.
– Just before the summer, VG journalist Shazia Majid won the bookstore’s non-fiction award for her essential book “Out of the shadows” which is about the first generation of Pakistani immigrant women, but this has also not been bought for libraries through the Cultural Council. Actually, I would describe it as a democratic problem, says Vestbø.
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Powerful over immigrant women! Book Review: Shazia Majid: “Out of the Shadows”
Erika Fatland has not received any reason why the book was not purchased. The nonfiction evaluation committee does not justify its rejections.
The budget decides
The Cultural Council informs VG that the budget framework plays an important role in the purchase of titles.
– In addition to evaluating quality, the nonfiction evaluation committee must also prioritize within budget. This means they have a demanding task and that every year they have to say no to many good books, says Grete Stuevold Madsbakken, head of the literature section at the Cultural Council.
– Fatland is hailed as one of our best non-fiction writers, how to avoid considering the book “High” as one of the around 90 that are bought?
– The evaluation committee has previously estimated that they could have bought almost twice as many securities as the current financial framework allows, says Madsbakken.
Anne Oterholm, committee leader at the Cultural Council, emphasizes that while the fiction purchase scheme is automatic, the non-fiction purchase scheme is a selective scheme.
– This means that many, in fact the vast majority, are not bought, says Oterholm.
Today, a research group from Volda University College presented a report, which has evaluated the various literature schemes administered by the Cultural Council, including the non-fiction acquisitions scheme. The committee now proposes changes to the skewed distribution between nonfiction and fiction.
– They propose changes that make the non-fiction hiring scheme more similar to the fiction scheme. We will consider the proposals contained in the report, but it is clear that the state budget proposal in October did not exactly come with extended budget caps here. The automatic scheme has many advantages, but it will come at a cost, says Oterholm.
