Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: The Bird Tribunal
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE: 2/8/1983
WEBSITE:
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY: Norwegian
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnes_Ravatn * http://orendabooks.co.uk/agnes-ravatn/ * http://norwegianarts.org.uk/event/the-dark-world-of-agnes-ravatn/ * http://www.crimefictionlover.com/2016/10/the-bird-tribunal/
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: no2009050417
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/no2009050417
HEADING: Ravatn, Agnes, 1983-
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100 1_ |a Ravatn, Agnes, |d 1983-
670 __ |a Gi lyd, c2008: |b t.p. (Agnes Ravatn)
670 __ |a OCLC, Apr. 1, 2009 |b (hdg.: Ravatn, Agnes, 1983- ; usage: Agnes Ravatn)
PERSONAL
Born February 8, 1983, in Ølen, Rogaland, Norway; children: son.
EDUCATION:Attended the University of Bergen.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Dag & Tid, columnist.
AWARDS:P2’s listener’s prize, and the Youth’s Critic’s Prize, both for The Bird Tribunal.
WRITINGS
Contributor to Gily: Tekstar 1968-2008, by Kjartan Fløgstad, Gyldendal (Oslo, Norway), 2008.
The Bird Tribunal was adapted as a play in Oslo, Norway, 2015.
SIDELIGHTS
The Bird Tribunal, Agnes Ravatn’s first book to be translated in English, is a psychological thriller that follows celebrity Allis Hagtorn. Hounded by scandal, Allis leaves her entire life behind to work as a caretaker in the remote Norwegian countryside. Sigurd Bagge, who hires Allis, tells her that his wife is away for the season, and he needs someone to cook and take care of the garden. Siggurd spends most of his time working in his office, which suits Allis fine, and on the rare occasions when she’s lonely, Allis heads into the nearby town. A shopkeeper there warns her that Siggurd and his estate aren’t all that they seem, but Allis isn’t sure she agrees. In fact, she and Siggurd slowly grow closer, bonding over their shared love of Norse mythology. Yet, as Allis relates the Norse tale of Balder and the bird tribunal, the line between reality and mythology begins to blur.
Discussing the novel in an online Trip Fiction interview, Ravatn explained: “I started writing the book all the way back in 2007, but at one point I was stuck, and I think mostly because I didn´t know the characters well enough. So I began working on their backgrounds. What were their secrets, what kind of fall from grace had Allis experienced, why was Bagge behaving the way he did? And eventually, the story started going again.” Online Crime Fiction Lover correspondent Jeremy Megraw praised the author’s efforts, asserting: “Even if you think you’ve solved the core mystery, Allis’ fear and fascination will keep you turning the pages until the dramatic, harrowing end. Ravatn’s masterful prose and Rosie Hedger’s careful and clear translation makes for absolutely captivating reading. The Bird Tribunal is suffused with dark imagery . . . creating a foreboding atmosphere that gets under the skin and stays there. Like a lunar eclipse, each revelation is another form of darkness.” Nicola Mira, writing on the Thriller Books Journal Website, was also impressed, and she declared that “The Bird Tribunal isn’t a crime novel and, by the conventional genre canon, not one you would classify as a thriller. Yet it is brimming with suspense, created with unerring skill by Agnes Ravatn.” Mira went on to conclude that “Allis, and the readers, are caught in the spell spun by Ravatn around Sigurd’s mysterious life, and the beautiful landscape that envelops them does the rest. There is little plot to speak of in this cleverly weighted psychological novel, and yet it leads readers on irresistibly, to a dramatic conclusion that is as chilling as it is surprising.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, November 28, 2016, review of The Bird Tribunal.
ONLINE
Crime by the Book Blog, http://crimebythebook.com/ (February 11, 2017), review of The Bird Tribunal.
Crime Fiction Lover, http://www.crimefictionlover.com/ (October 10, 2016), Jeremy Megraw, review of The Bird Tribunal.
Norwegian Arts Website, http://norwegianarts.org.uk/(August 21, 2017), author profile.
Thriller Books Journal, http://www.thrillerbooksjournal.com/ (February 27, 2017), Nicola Mira, review of The Bird Tribunal.
Trip Fiction, http://www.tripfiction.com/ (August 21, 2017), author interview.*
Agnes Ravatn
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Norwegian columnist, journalist and novelist Agnes Ravatn
Agnes Ravatn (born 8 February 1983 in Ølen) is a Norwegian novelist, columnist and journalist.
She debuted in 2007 with the novel Veke 53 ('Week 53'). Ravatn is a columnist and journalist for Nynorsk newspaper Dag og Tid. A series of essays for the publication were released in 2009 as Stillstand ('Standstill'). In 2011 came her second books of essays, "Folkelesnad", on Norwegian magazines. [1]
References[edit]
Jump up ^ Kleppo, Kristine (22 May 2009). "Hverdagsheltinne". ABC Nyheter (in Norwegian). Retrieved 24 May 2009.
Agnes Ravatn
Agnes-Ravatn.ashx Agnes Ravatn (b. 1983) is an author and columnist. She made her literary début with the novel Week 53 (Veke 53) in 2007. Since then she has written three critically acclaimed and award-winning essay collections: Standing still (Stillstand), 2011, Popular reading (Folkelesnad), 2011, and Operation self-discipline (Operasjon sjøldisiplin), 2014. In these works Ravatn shows her unique, witty voice and sharp eye for human fallibility. Her second novel, The Bird Tribunal (Fugletribuanlet), 2013, is a strange and captivating story about shame, guilt and atonement. Ravatn received The cultural radio P2’s listener’s prize for this novel, a popular and important prize in Norway, in addition to The Youth’s Critic’s Prize. The Bird Tribunal was also made into a successful play, which premiered in Oslo in 2015. It is published by Orenda Books in September 2016.
Titles by Agnes Ravatn
Royal Norwegian Embassy
Events Categories About
September 11, 2016
The dark world of Agnes Ravatn
at Bloody Scotland International Crime Festival
image description
Back in January, we pegged the English translation of Agnes Ravatn’s novel The Bird Tribunal as one to look out for at the London Book Fair. This September, the author and columnist is coming to Stirling for the fifth Bloody Scotland festival of crime, noir and otherwise gore-spattered literature from around the world.
Already recognised in Norway as one of the sharpest young writers in her genre, Ravatn is on the verge of making waves in the UK literary scene, with her distinctive wit, gift for satire and sharp eye for human fallibility.
Born in Ølen, Rogaland in 1983, Ravatn initially studied music at the University of Bergen, but a subsequent creative-writing course at the Skrivekunstakademiet in Hordaland set her on the path to a career in literature, and she has been juggling journalism and fiction writing ever since.
In the space of a decade, Ravatn has amassed a cult following in Norway, for both her fiction and cultural criticism.Together with three colleagues, she launched a subversive Norwegian cultural commentary periodical in 2006, which was released in book form, as Ikke til hjemlån (Not for home loan), in 2008. Her debut novel, Veke 53 (Week 53), was named ‘Best Bergen Book’ in 2007 by the Natt & Dag arts and current affairs newspaper, and the following year, she received the Pastor Alfred Andersson-Rysst Literature Fund from Samlaget, and a literature scholarship from Rogaland county council.
Ravatn’s first collection of columns from the cultural and politics paper Dag & Tid was published in 2008, and in 2011 another collection of essays, Folkesnad (Popular Reading), was nominated for Norwegian literary accolade, the Brage Prize. In 2013 by her second novel Fugletribunalet (The Bird Tribunal), won the P2 Listeners’ Novel Prize, spawned a play that premiered in Oslo in 2015, and will be released in English this September. The translation, by Rosie Hedger, was given a PEN Translates award in June this year.
WHSmith has recently chosen Ravatn as one of the 12 up-and-coming authors on its Fresh Talent list and will be championing The Bird Tribunal from shop displays in stations and airports across the country.
To coincide with the release, Agnes Ravatn will be joining Iceland’s Yrsa Sigurgardottir and Sweden’s Erik Axel Sund at 3.15pm on Sunday 11 September for ‘Northern Lights’, Bloody Scotland’s discussion of the Nordic crime wave in literature.
Agnes Ravatn’s books
Operasjon Sjøldisiplin (Operation Self-discipline) Ravatn’s most recent work is a ‘self-help’ book chronicling her struggle to remain focused in the face of internet addiction. The result is a scientifically founded, practical guide to regaining willpower and self-control.
Fugletribunalet (The Bird Tribunal) Her first work to be published in English tells the strange tale of an Oslo TV broadcaster attempting to start again after a sex scandal. The job she takes on, as a maid for a reclusive man in a remote house by the sea, does not prove to be the respite she was seeking, however, as she becomes obsessively curious about her employer, the secret he is hiding and what he really wants from her.
Ravatn2
Folkelesnad (Popular Reading) Ravatn’s second collection of essays examines the world of magazine media and what it says about human nature and the passions and interests that define people. Do they reflect their readership? Offer simple escapism? Or do they have a more sinister agenda? Ravatn’s excoriating critique of mass media and popular taste is incisive, insightful and very, very funny.
Stillstand (Standing Still) Collating Ravatn’s essays for Dag & Natt into book form, Standing Still looks at situations where nothing happens. She takes us into the corners of society that are normally overlooked, such as the district court, the monastery and the Norwegian parliament’s speaker’s chair on 17 May – Norwegian constitution day – and recounts her own observations of these ‘empty spaces’. The result is a fascinating and entertaining portrayal of society, as seen from the gaps within it.
Ikke til hjemlån (Not for Home Loan) A deliberately amateurish collage of comic strip, collage, photography and commentary, this collection of cultural ephemera from Ravatn and her three collaborators is a hilarious assault on conventional good taste and the literary establishment.
Veke 53 (Week 53) Her debut novel paints a picture of a divorced middle-aged man forced to confront his dissatisfaction with life and take responsibility for the choices that he has made. Set in the run up to Christmas, the novel explores what it means to seek a second chance, without having the faintest idea how to go about finding one.
Written by
Mona Røhne
Norwegian Embassy London
Categories
Literature
Share this event
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Map
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Where and When:
Bloody Scotland International Crime Festival, Stirling, 11th September at 3.15pm
Website and tickets:
www.bloodyscotland.com
Norwegian Art
Related events
image description
January 13 to December 31, 2017
Nordic Matters 2017 continues at Southbank Centre
image description
August 12 to August 28, 2017
Norway’s Literary Stars Align For Edinburgh
at Edinburgh International Book Festival
View all events
Norwegian Arts
Norwegian Arts is a celebration of the best Norwegian creative and cultural happenings in the UK. Read more…
Sign-up for News and Updates
We hope you enjoy our features and please subscribe to our newsletter to ensure you stay ahead of the cultural calendar.
Contact
For editorial requests please contact:
Kristin Baann Asdal
kristin.baann.asdal@mfa.no
For PR/social media requests contact:
Sabine Zetteler
hello@sabinezetteler.com
Close
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Royal Norwegian Embassy
Events Categories About
September 11, 2016
The dark world of Agnes Ravatn
at Bloody Scotland International Crime Festival
image description
Back in January, we pegged the English translation of Agnes Ravatn’s novel The Bird Tribunal as one to look out for at the London Book Fair. This September, the author and columnist is coming to Stirling for the fifth Bloody Scotland festival of crime, noir and otherwise gore-spattered literature from around the world.
Already recognised in Norway as one of the sharpest young writers in her genre, Ravatn is on the verge of making waves in the UK literary scene, with her distinctive wit, gift for satire and sharp eye for human fallibility.
Born in Ølen, Rogaland in 1983, Ravatn initially studied music at the University of Bergen, but a subsequent creative-writing course at the Skrivekunstakademiet in Hordaland set her on the path to a career in literature, and she has been juggling journalism and fiction writing ever since.
In the space of a decade, Ravatn has amassed a cult following in Norway, for both her fiction and cultural criticism.Together with three colleagues, she launched a subversive Norwegian cultural commentary periodical in 2006, which was released in book form, as Ikke til hjemlån (Not for home loan), in 2008. Her debut novel, Veke 53 (Week 53), was named ‘Best Bergen Book’ in 2007 by the Natt & Dag arts and current affairs newspaper, and the following year, she received the Pastor Alfred Andersson-Rysst Literature Fund from Samlaget, and a literature scholarship from Rogaland county council.
Ravatn’s first collection of columns from the cultural and politics paper Dag & Tid was published in 2008, and in 2011 another collection of essays, Folkesnad (Popular Reading), was nominated for Norwegian literary accolade, the Brage Prize. In 2013 by her second novel Fugletribunalet (The Bird Tribunal), won the P2 Listeners’ Novel Prize, spawned a play that premiered in Oslo in 2015, and will be released in English this September. The translation, by Rosie Hedger, was given a PEN Translates award in June this year.
WHSmith has recently chosen Ravatn as one of the 12 up-and-coming authors on its Fresh Talent list and will be championing The Bird Tribunal from shop displays in stations and airports across the country.
To coincide with the release, Agnes Ravatn will be joining Iceland’s Yrsa Sigurgardottir and Sweden’s Erik Axel Sund at 3.15pm on Sunday 11 September for ‘Northern Lights’, Bloody Scotland’s discussion of the Nordic crime wave in literature.
Agnes Ravatn’s books
Operasjon Sjøldisiplin (Operation Self-discipline) Ravatn’s most recent work is a ‘self-help’ book chronicling her struggle to remain focused in the face of internet addiction. The result is a scientifically founded, practical guide to regaining willpower and self-control.
Fugletribunalet (The Bird Tribunal) Her first work to be published in English tells the strange tale of an Oslo TV broadcaster attempting to start again after a sex scandal. The job she takes on, as a maid for a reclusive man in a remote house by the sea, does not prove to be the respite she was seeking, however, as she becomes obsessively curious about her employer, the secret he is hiding and what he really wants from her.
Ravatn2
Folkelesnad (Popular Reading) Ravatn’s second collection of essays examines the world of magazine media and what it says about human nature and the passions and interests that define people. Do they reflect their readership? Offer simple escapism? Or do they have a more sinister agenda? Ravatn’s excoriating critique of mass media and popular taste is incisive, insightful and very, very funny.
Stillstand (Standing Still) Collating Ravatn’s essays for Dag & Natt into book form, Standing Still looks at situations where nothing happens. She takes us into the corners of society that are normally overlooked, such as the district court, the monastery and the Norwegian parliament’s speaker’s chair on 17 May – Norwegian constitution day – and recounts her own observations of these ‘empty spaces’. The result is a fascinating and entertaining portrayal of society, as seen from the gaps within it.
Ikke til hjemlån (Not for Home Loan) A deliberately amateurish collage of comic strip, collage, photography and commentary, this collection of cultural ephemera from Ravatn and her three collaborators is a hilarious assault on conventional good taste and the literary establishment.
Veke 53 (Week 53) Her debut novel paints a picture of a divorced middle-aged man forced to confront his dissatisfaction with life and take responsibility for the choices that he has made. Set in the run up to Christmas, the novel explores what it means to seek a second chance, without having the faintest idea how to go about finding one.
Written by
Mona Røhne
Norwegian Embassy London
Categories
Literature
Share this event
Map data ©2017 Google
Terms of Use
Report a map error
Map
Satellite
Where and When:
Bloody Scotland International Crime Festival, Stirling, 11th September at 3.15pm
Website and tickets:
www.bloodyscotland.com
Norwegian Art
Related events
image description
January 13 to December 31, 2017
Nordic Matters 2017 continues at Southbank Centre
image description
August 12 to August 28, 2017
Norway’s Literary Stars Align For Edinburgh
at Edinburgh International Book Festival
View all events
Norwegian Arts
Norwegian Arts is a celebration of the best Norwegian creative and cultural happenings in the UK. Read more…
Sign-up for News and Updates
We hope you enjoy our features and please subscribe to our newsletter to ensure you stay ahead of the cultural calendar.
Contact
For editorial requests please contact:
Kristin Baann Asdal
kristin.baann.asdal@mfa.no
For PR/social media requests contact:
Sabine Zetteler
hello@sabinezetteler.com
Close
Close
Close
September 11, 2016
The dark world of Agnes Ravatn
at Bloody Scotland International Crime Festival
image description
Back in January, we pegged the English translation of Agnes Ravatn’s novel The Bird Tribunal as one to look out for at the London Book Fair. This September, the author and columnist is coming to Stirling for the fifth Bloody Scotland festival of crime, noir and otherwise gore-spattered literature from around the world.
Already recognised in Norway as one of the sharpest young writers in her genre, Ravatn is on the verge of making waves in the UK literary scene, with her distinctive wit, gift for satire and sharp eye for human fallibility.
Born in Ølen, Rogaland in 1983, Ravatn initially studied music at the University of Bergen, but a subsequent creative-writing course at the Skrivekunstakademiet in Hordaland set her on the path to a career in literature, and she has been juggling journalism and fiction writing ever since.
In the space of a decade, Ravatn has amassed a cult following in Norway, for both her fiction and cultural criticism.Together with three colleagues, she launched a subversive Norwegian cultural commentary periodical in 2006, which was released in book form, as Ikke til hjemlån (Not for home loan), in 2008. Her debut novel, Veke 53 (Week 53), was named ‘Best Bergen Book’ in 2007 by the Natt & Dag arts and current affairs newspaper, and the following year, she received the Pastor Alfred Andersson-Rysst Literature Fund from Samlaget, and a literature scholarship from Rogaland county council.
Ravatn’s first collection of columns from the cultural and politics paper Dag & Tid was published in 2008, and in 2011 another collection of essays, Folkesnad (Popular Reading), was nominated for Norwegian literary accolade, the Brage Prize. In 2013 by her second novel Fugletribunalet (The Bird Tribunal), won the P2 Listeners’ Novel Prize, spawned a play that premiered in Oslo in 2015, and will be released in English this September. The translation, by Rosie Hedger, was given a PEN Translates award in June this year.
WHSmith has recently chosen Ravatn as one of the 12 up-and-coming authors on its Fresh Talent list and will be championing The Bird Tribunal from shop displays in stations and airports across the country.
To coincide with the release, Agnes Ravatn will be joining Iceland’s Yrsa Sigurgardottir and Sweden’s Erik Axel Sund at 3.15pm on Sunday 11 September for ‘Northern Lights’, Bloody Scotland’s discussion of the Nordic crime wave in literature.
Agnes Ravatn’s books
Operasjon Sjøldisiplin (Operation Self-discipline) Ravatn’s most recent work is a ‘self-help’ book chronicling her struggle to remain focused in the face of internet addiction. The result is a scientifically founded, practical guide to regaining willpower and self-control.
Fugletribunalet (The Bird Tribunal) Her first work to be published in English tells the strange tale of an Oslo TV broadcaster attempting to start again after a sex scandal. The job she takes on, as a maid for a reclusive man in a remote house by the sea, does not prove to be the respite she was seeking, however, as she becomes obsessively curious about her employer, the secret he is hiding and what he really wants from her.
Ravatn2
Folkelesnad (Popular Reading) Ravatn’s second collection of essays examines the world of magazine media and what it says about human nature and the passions and interests that define people. Do they reflect their readership? Offer simple escapism? Or do they have a more sinister agenda? Ravatn’s excoriating critique of mass media and popular taste is incisive, insightful and very, very funny.
Stillstand (Standing Still) Collating Ravatn’s essays for Dag & Natt into book form, Standing Still looks at situations where nothing happens. She takes us into the corners of society that are normally overlooked, such as the district court, the monastery and the Norwegian parliament’s speaker’s chair on 17 May – Norwegian constitution day – and recounts her own observations of these ‘empty spaces’. The result is a fascinating and entertaining portrayal of society, as seen from the gaps within it.
Ikke til hjemlån (Not for Home Loan) A deliberately amateurish collage of comic strip, collage, photography and commentary, this collection of cultural ephemera from Ravatn and her three collaborators is a hilarious assault on conventional good taste and the literary establishment.
Veke 53 (Week 53) Her debut novel paints a picture of a divorced middle-aged man forced to confront his dissatisfaction with life and take responsibility for the choices that he has made. Set in the run up to Christmas, the novel explores what it means to seek a second chance, without having the faintest idea how to go about finding one.
September 11, 2016 The dark world of Agnes Ravatn at Bloody Scotland International Crime Festival Back in January, we pegged the English translation of Agnes Ravatn’s novel The Bird Tribunal as one to look out for at the London Book Fair. This September, the author and columnist is coming to Stirling for the fifth Bloody Scotland festival of crime, noir and otherwise gore-spattered literature from around the world. Already recognised in Norway as one of the sharpest young writers in her genre, Ravatn is on the verge of making waves in the UK literary scene, with her distinctive wit, gift for satire and sharp eye for human fallibility. Born in Ølen, Rogaland in 1983, Ravatn initially studied music at the University of Bergen, but a subsequent creative-writing course at the Skrivekunstakademiet in Hordaland set her on the path to a career in literature, and she has been juggling journalism and fiction writing ever since. In the space of a decade, Ravatn has amassed a cult following in Norway, for both her fiction and cultural criticism.Together with three colleagues, she launched a subversive Norwegian cultural commentary periodical in 2006, which was released in book form, as Ikke til hjemlån (Not for home loan), in 2008. Her debut novel, Veke 53 (Week 53), was named ‘Best Bergen Book’ in 2007 by the Natt & Dag arts and current affairs newspaper, and the following year, she received the Pastor Alfred Andersson-Rysst Literature Fund from Samlaget, and a literature scholarship from Rogaland county council. Ravatn’s first collection of columns from the cultural and politics paper Dag & Tid was published in 2008, and in 2011 another collection of essays, Folkesnad (Popular Reading), was nominated for Norwegian literary accolade, the Brage Prize. In 2013 by her second novel Fugletribunalet (The Bird Tribunal), won the P2 Listeners’ Novel Prize, spawned a play that premiered in Oslo in 2015, and will be released in English this September. The translation, by Rosie Hedger, was given a PEN Translates award in June this year. WHSmith has recently chosen Ravatn as one of the 12 up-and-coming authors on its Fresh Talent list and will be championing The Bird Tribunal from shop displays in stations and airports across the country. To coincide with the release, Agnes Ravatn will be joining Iceland’s Yrsa Sigurgardottir and Sweden’s Erik Axel Sund at 3.15pm on Sunday 11 September for ‘Northern Lights’, Bloody Scotland’s discussion of the Nordic crime wave in literature. Agnes Ravatn’s books Operasjon Sjøldisiplin (Operation Self-discipline) Ravatn’s most recent work is a ‘self-help’ book chronicling her struggle to remain focused in the face of internet addiction. The result is a scientifically founded, practical guide to regaining willpower and self-control. Fugletribunalet (The Bird Tribunal) Her first work to be published in English tells the strange tale of an Oslo TV broadcaster attempting to start again after a sex scandal. The job she takes on, as a maid for a reclusive man in a remote house by the sea, does not prove to be the respite she was seeking, however, as she becomes obsessively curious about her employer, the secret he is hiding and what he really wants from her. Folkelesnad (Popular Reading) Ravatn’s second collection of essays examines the world of magazine media and what it says about human nature and the passions and interests that define people. Do they reflect their readership? Offer simple escapism? Or do they have a more sinister agenda? Ravatn’s excoriating critique of mass media and popular taste is incisive, insightful and very, very funny. Stillstand (Standing Still) Collating Ravatn’s essays for Dag & Natt into book form, Standing Still looks at situations where nothing happens. She takes us into the corners of society that are normally overlooked, such as the district court, the monastery and the Norwegian parliament’s speaker’s chair on 17 May – Norwegian constitution day – and recounts her own observations of these ‘empty spaces’. The result is a fascinating and entertaining portrayal of society, as seen from the gaps within it. Ikke til hjemlån (Not for Home Loan) A deliberately amateurish collage of comic strip, collage, photography and commentary, this collection of cultural ephemera from Ravatn and her three collaborators is a hilarious assault on conventional good taste and the literary establishment. Veke 53 (Week 53) Her debut novel paints a picture of a divorced middle-aged man forced to confront his dissatisfaction with life and take responsibility for the choices that he has made. Set in the run up to Christmas, the novel explores what it means to seek a second chance, without having the faintest idea how to go about finding one.Royal Norwegian Embassy Events Categories About September 11, 2016 The dark world of Agnes Ravatn at Bloody Scotland International Crime Festival Back in January, we pegged the English translation of Agnes Ravatn’s novel The Bird Tribunal as one to look out for at the London Book Fair. This September, the author and columnist is coming to Stirling for the fifth Bloody Scotland festival of crime, noir and otherwise gore-spattered literature from around the world. Already recognised in Norway as one of the sharpest young writers in her genre, Ravatn is on the verge of making waves in the UK literary scene, with her distinctive wit, gift for satire and sharp eye for human fallibility. Born in Ølen, Rogaland in 1983, Ravatn initially studied music at the University of Bergen, but a subsequent creative-writing course at the Skrivekunstakademiet in Hordaland set her on the path to a career in literature, and she has been juggling journalism and fiction writing ever since. In the space of a decade, Ravatn has amassed a cult following in Norway, for both her fiction and cultural criticism.Together with three colleagues, she launched a subversive Norwegian cultural commentary periodical in 2006, which was released in book form, as Ikke til hjemlån (Not for home loan), in 2008. Her debut novel, Veke 53 (Week 53), was named ‘Best Bergen Book’ in 2007 by the Natt & Dag arts and current affairs newspaper, and the following year, she received the Pastor Alfred Andersson-Rysst Literature Fund from Samlaget, and a literature scholarship from Rogaland county council. Ravatn’s first collection of columns from the cultural and politics paper Dag & Tid was published in 2008, and in 2011 another collection of essays, Folkesnad (Popular Reading), was nominated for Norwegian literary accolade, the Brage Prize. In 2013 by her second novel Fugletribunalet (The Bird Tribunal), won the P2 Listeners’ Novel Prize, spawned a play that premiered in Oslo in 2015, and will be released in English this September. The translation, by Rosie Hedger, was given a PEN Translates award in June this year. WHSmith has recently chosen Ravatn as one of the 12 up-and-coming authors on its Fresh Talent list and will be championing The Bird Tribunal from shop displays in stations and airports across the country. To coincide with the release, Agnes Ravatn will be joining Iceland’s Yrsa Sigurgardottir and Sweden’s Erik Axel Sund at 3.15pm on Sunday 11 September for ‘Northern Lights’, Bloody Scotland’s discussion of the Nordic crime wave in literature. Agnes Ravatn’s books Operasjon Sjøldisiplin (Operation Self-discipline) Ravatn’s most recent work is a ‘self-help’ book chronicling her struggle to remain focused in the face of internet addiction. The result is a scientifically founded, practical guide to regaining willpower and self-control. Fugletribunalet (The Bird Tribunal) Her first work to be published in English tells the strange tale of an Oslo TV broadcaster attempting to start again after a sex scandal. The job she takes on, as a maid for a reclusive man in a remote house by the sea, does not prove to be the respite she was seeking, however, as she becomes obsessively curious about her employer, the secret he is hiding and what he really wants from her. Folkelesnad (Popular Reading) Ravatn’s second collection of essays examines the world of magazine media and what it says about human nature and the passions and interests that define people. Do they reflect their readership? Offer simple escapism? Or do they have a more sinister agenda? Ravatn’s excoriating critique of mass media and popular taste is incisive, insightful and very, very funny. Stillstand (Standing Still) Collating Ravatn’s essays for Dag & Natt into book form, Standing Still looks at situations where nothing happens. She takes us into the corners of society that are normally overlooked, such as the district court, the monastery and the Norwegian parliament’s speaker’s chair on 17 May – Norwegian constitution day – and recounts her own observations of these ‘empty spaces’. The result is a fascinating and entertaining portrayal of society, as seen from the gaps within it. Ikke til hjemlån (Not for Home Loan) A deliberately amateurish collage of comic strip, collage, photography and commentary, this collection of cultural ephemera from Ravatn and her three collaborators is a hilarious assault on conventional good taste and the literary establishment. Veke 53 (Week 53) Her debut novel paints a picture of a divorced middle-aged man forced to confront his dissatisfaction with life and take responsibility for the choices that he has made. Set in the run up to Christmas, the novel explores what it means to seek a second chance, without having the faintest idea how to go about finding one. Written by Mona Røhne Norwegian Embassy London Categories Literature Share this event Map data ©2017 Google Terms of Use Report a map error Map Satellite Where and When: Bloody Scotland International Crime Festival, Stirling, 11th September at 3.15pm Website and tickets: www.bloodyscotland.com Norwegian Art Related events January 13 to December 31, 2017 Nordic Matters 2017 continues at Southbank Centre August 12 to August 28, 2017 Norway’s Literary Stars Align For Edinburgh at Edinburgh International Book Festival View all events Norwegian Arts Norwegian Arts is a celebration of the best Norwegian creative and cultural happenings in the UK. Read more… Sign-up for News and Updates We hope you enjoy our features and please subscribe to our newsletter to ensure you stay ahead of the cultural calendar. Contact For editorial requests please contact: Kristin Baann Asdal kristin.baann.asdal@mfa.no For PR/social media requests contact: Sabine Zetteler hello@sabinezetteler.com Close Close Close Royal Norwegian Embassy Events Categories About September 11, 2016 The dark world of Agnes Ravatn at Bloody Scotland International Crime Festival Back in January, we pegged the English translation of Agnes Ravatn’s novel The Bird Tribunal as one to look out for at the London Book Fair. This September, the author and columnist is coming to Stirling for the fifth Bloody Scotland festival of crime, noir and otherwise gore-spattered literature from around the world. Already recognised in Norway as one of the sharpest young writers in her genre, Ravatn is on the verge of making waves in the UK literary scene, with her distinctive wit, gift for satire and sharp eye for human fallibility. Born in Ølen, Rogaland in 1983, Ravatn initially studied music at the University of Bergen, but a subsequent creative-writing course at the Skrivekunstakademiet in Hordaland set her on the path to a career in literature, and she has been juggling journalism and fiction writing ever since. In the space of a decade, Ravatn has amassed a cult following in Norway, for both her fiction and cultural criticism.Together with three colleagues, she launched a subversive Norwegian cultural commentary periodical in 2006, which was released in book form, as Ikke til hjemlån (Not for home loan), in 2008. Her debut novel, Veke 53 (Week 53), was named ‘Best Bergen Book’ in 2007 by the Natt & Dag arts and current affairs newspaper, and the following year, she received the Pastor Alfred Andersson-Rysst Literature Fund from Samlaget, and a literature scholarship from Rogaland county council. Ravatn’s first collection of columns from the cultural and politics paper Dag & Tid was published in 2008, and in 2011 another collection of essays, Folkesnad (Popular Reading), was nominated for Norwegian literary accolade, the Brage Prize. In 2013 by her second novel Fugletribunalet (The Bird Tribunal), won the P2 Listeners’ Novel Prize, spawned a play that premiered in Oslo in 2015, and will be released in English this September. The translation, by Rosie Hedger, was given a PEN Translates award in June this year. WHSmith has recently chosen Ravatn as one of the 12 up-and-coming authors on its Fresh Talent list and will be championing The Bird Tribunal from shop displays in stations and airports across the country. To coincide with the release, Agnes Ravatn will be joining Iceland’s Yrsa Sigurgardottir and Sweden’s Erik Axel Sund at 3.15pm on Sunday 11 September for ‘Northern Lights’, Bloody Scotland’s discussion of the Nordic crime wave in literature. Agnes Ravatn’s books Operasjon Sjøldisiplin (Operation Self-discipline) Ravatn’s most recent work is a ‘self-help’ book chronicling her struggle to remain focused in the face of internet addiction. The result is a scientifically founded, practical guide to regaining willpower and self-control. Fugletribunalet (The Bird Tribunal) Her first work to be published in English tells the strange tale of an Oslo TV broadcaster attempting to start again after a sex scandal. The job she takes on, as a maid for a reclusive man in a remote house by the sea, does not prove to be the respite she was seeking, however, as she becomes obsessively curious about her employer, the secret he is hiding and what he really wants from her. Folkelesnad (Popular Reading) Ravatn’s second collection of essays examines the world of magazine media and what it says about human nature and the passions and interests that define people. Do they reflect their readership? Offer simple escapism? Or do they have a more sinister agenda? Ravatn’s excoriating critique of mass media and popular taste is incisive, insightful and very, very funny. Stillstand (Standing Still) Collating Ravatn’s essays for Dag & Natt into book form, Standing Still looks at situations where nothing happens. She takes us into the corners of society that are normally overlooked, such as the district court, the monastery and the Norwegian parliament’s speaker’s chair on 17 May – Norwegian constitution day – and recounts her own observations of these ‘empty spaces’. The result is a fascinating and entertaining portrayal of society, as seen from the gaps within it. Ikke til hjemlån (Not for Home Loan) A deliberately amateurish collage of comic strip, collage, photography and commentary, this collection of cultural ephemera from Ravatn and her three collaborators is a hilarious assault on conventional good taste and the literary establishment. Veke 53 (Week 53) Her debut novel paints a picture of a divorced middle-aged man forced to confront his dissatisfaction with life and take responsibility for the choices that he has made. Set in the run up to Christmas, the novel explores what it means to seek a second chance, without having the faintest idea how to go about finding one. Written by Mona Røhne Norwegian Embassy London Categories Literature Share this event Map data ©2017 Google Terms of Use Report a map error Map Satellite Where and When: Bloody Scotland International Crime Festival, Stirling, 11th September at 3.15pm Website and tickets: www.bloodyscotland.com Norwegian Art Related events January 13 to December 31, 2017 Nordic Matters 2017 continues at Southbank Centre August 12 to August 28, 2017 Norway’s Literary Stars Align For Edinburgh at Edinburgh International Book Festival View all events Norwegian Arts Norwegian Arts is a celebration of the best Norwegian creative and cultural happenings in the UK. Read more… Sign-up for News and Updates We hope you enjoy our features and please subscribe to our newsletter to ensure you stay ahead of the cultural calendar. Contact For editorial requests please contact: Kristin Baann Asdal kristin.baann.asdal@mfa.no For PR/social media requests contact: Sabine Zetteler hello@sabinezetteler.com Close Close Close September 11, 2016 The dark world of Agnes Ravatn at Bloody Scotland International Crime Festival Back in January, we pegged the English translation of Agnes Ravatn’s novel The Bird Tribunal as one to look out for at the London Book Fair. This September, the author and columnist is coming to Stirling for the fifth Bloody Scotland festival of crime, noir and otherwise gore-spattered literature from around the world. Already recognised in Norway as one of the sharpest young writers in her genre, Ravatn is on the verge of making waves in the UK literary scene, with her distinctive wit, gift for satire and sharp eye for human fallibility. Born in Ølen, Rogaland in 1983, Ravatn initially studied music at the University of Bergen, but a subsequent creative-writing course at the Skrivekunstakademiet in Hordaland set her on the path to a career in literature, and she has been juggling journalism and fiction writing ever since. In the space of a decade, Ravatn has amassed a cult following in Norway, for both her fiction and cultural criticism.Together with three colleagues, she launched a subversive Norwegian cultural commentary periodical in 2006, which was released in book form, as Ikke til hjemlån (Not for home loan), in 2008. Her debut novel, Veke 53 (Week 53), was named ‘Best Bergen Book’ in 2007 by the Natt & Dag arts and current affairs newspaper, and the following year, she received the Pastor Alfred Andersson-Rysst Literature Fund from Samlaget, and a literature scholarship from Rogaland county council. Ravatn’s first collection of columns from the cultural and politics paper Dag & Tid was published in 2008, and in 2011 another collection of essays, Folkesnad (Popular Reading), was nominated for Norwegian literary accolade, the Brage Prize. In 2013 by her second novel Fugletribunalet (The Bird Tribunal), won the P2 Listeners’ Novel Prize, spawned a play that premiered in Oslo in 2015, and will be released in English this September. The translation, by Rosie Hedger, was given a PEN Translates award in June this year. WHSmith has recently chosen Ravatn as one of the 12 up-and-coming authors on its Fresh Talent list and will be championing The Bird Tribunal from shop displays in stations and airports across the country. To coincide with the release, Agnes Ravatn will be joining Iceland’s Yrsa Sigurgardottir and Sweden’s Erik Axel Sund at 3.15pm on Sunday 11 September for ‘Northern Lights’, Bloody Scotland’s discussion of the Nordic crime wave in literature. Agnes Ravatn’s books Operasjon Sjøldisiplin (Operation Self-discipline) Ravatn’s most recent work is a ‘self-help’ book chronicling her struggle to remain focused in the face of internet addiction. The result is a scientifically founded, practical guide to regaining willpower and self-control. Fugletribunalet (The Bird Tribunal) Her first work to be published in English tells the strange tale of an Oslo TV broadcaster attempting to start again after a sex scandal. The job she takes on, as a maid for a reclusive man in a remote house by the sea, does not prove to be the respite she was seeking, however, as she becomes obsessively curious about her employer, the secret he is hiding and what he really wants from her. Folkelesnad (Popular Reading) Ravatn’s second collection of essays examines the world of magazine media and what it says about human nature and the passions and interests that define people. Do they reflect their readership? Offer simple escapism? Or do they have a more sinister agenda? Ravatn’s excoriating critique of mass media and popular taste is incisive, insightful and very, very funny. Stillstand (Standing Still) Collating Ravatn’s essays for Dag & Natt into book form, Standing Still looks at situations where nothing happens. She takes us into the corners of society that are normally overlooked, such as the district court, the monastery and the Norwegian parliament’s speaker’s chair on 17 May – Norwegian constitution day – and recounts her own observations of these ‘empty spaces’. The result is a fascinating and entertaining portrayal of society, as seen from the gaps within it. Ikke til hjemlån (Not for Home Loan) A deliberately amateurish collage of comic strip, collage, photography and commentary, this collection of cultural ephemera from Ravatn and her three collaborators is a hilarious assault on conventional good taste and the literary establishment. Veke 53 (Week 53) Her debut novel paints a picture of a divorced middle-aged man forced to confront his dissatisfaction with life and take responsibility for the choices that he has made. Set in the run up to Christmas, the novel explores what it means to seek a second chance, without having the faintest idea how to go about finding one. September 11, 2016 The dark world of Agnes Ravatn at Bloody Scotland International Crime Festival Back in January, we pegged the English translation of Agnes Ravatn’s novel The Bird Tribunal as one to look out for at the London Book Fair. This September, the author and columnist is coming to Stirling for the fifth Bloody Scotland festival of crime, noir and otherwise gore-spattered literature from around the world. Already recognised in Norway as one of the sharpest young writers in her genre, Ravatn is on the verge of making waves in the UK literary scene, with her distinctive wit, gift for satire and sharp eye for human fallibility. Born in Ølen, Rogaland in 1983, Ravatn initially studied music at the University of Bergen, but a subsequent creative-writing course at the Skrivekunstakademiet in Hordaland set her on the path to a career in literature, and she has been juggling journalism and fiction writing ever since. In the space of a decade, Ravatn has amassed a cult following in Norway, for both her fiction and cultural criticism.Together with three colleagues, she launched a subversive Norwegian cultural commentary periodical in 2006, which was released in book form, as Ikke til hjemlån (Not for home loan), in 2008. Her debut novel, Veke 53 (Week 53), was named ‘Best Bergen Book’ in 2007 by the Natt & Dag arts and current affairs newspaper, and the following year, she received the Pastor Alfred Andersson-Rysst Literature Fund from Samlaget, and a literature scholarship from Rogaland county council. Ravatn’s first collection of columns from the cultural and politics paper Dag & Tid was published in 2008, and in 2011 another collection of essays, Folkesnad (Popular Reading), was nominated for Norwegian literary accolade, the Brage Prize. In 2013 by her second novel Fugletribunalet (The Bird Tribunal), won the P2 Listeners’ Novel Prize, spawned a play that premiered in Oslo in 2015, and will be released in English this September. The translation, by Rosie Hedger, was given a PEN Translates award in June this year. WHSmith has recently chosen Ravatn as one of the 12 up-and-coming authors on its Fresh Talent list and will be championing The Bird Tribunal from shop displays in stations and airports across the country. To coincide with the release, Agnes Ravatn will be joining Iceland’s Yrsa Sigurgardottir and Sweden’s Erik Axel Sund at 3.15pm on Sunday 11 September for ‘Northern Lights’, Bloody Scotland’s discussion of the Nordic crime wave in literature. Agnes Ravatn’s books Operasjon Sjøldisiplin (Operation Self-discipline) Ravatn’s most recent work is a ‘self-help’ book chronicling her struggle to remain focused in the face of internet addiction. The result is a scientifically founded, practical guide to regaining willpower and self-control. Fugletribunalet (The Bird Tribunal) Her first work to be published in English tells the strange tale of an Oslo TV broadcaster attempting to start again after a sex scandal. The job she takes on, as a maid for a reclusive man in a remote house by the sea, does not prove to be the respite she was seeking, however, as she becomes obsessively curious about her employer, the secret he is hiding and what he really wants from her. Folkelesnad (Popular Reading) Ravatn’s second collection of essays examines the world of magazine media and what it says about human nature and the passions and interests that define people. Do they reflect their readership? Offer simple escapism? Or do they have a more sinister agenda? Ravatn’s excoriating critique of mass media and popular taste is incisive, insightful and very, very funny. Stillstand (Standing Still) Collating Ravatn’s essays for Dag & Natt into book form, Standing Still looks at situations where nothing happens. She takes us into the corners of society that are normally overlooked, such as the district court, the monastery and the Norwegian parliament’s speaker’s chair on 17 May – Norwegian constitution day – and recounts her own observations of these ‘empty spaces’. The result is a fascinating and entertaining portrayal of society, as seen from the gaps within it. Ikke til hjemlån (Not for Home Loan) A deliberately amateurish collage of comic strip, collage, photography and commentary, this collection of cultural ephemera from Ravatn and her three collaborators is a hilarious assault on conventional good taste and the literary establishment. Veke 53 (Week 53) Her debut novel paints a picture of a divorced middle-aged man forced to confront his dissatisfaction with life and take responsibility for the choices that he has made. Set in the run up to Christmas, the novel explores what it means to seek a second chance, without having the faintest idea how to go about finding one.
Agnes Ravatn: ‘Research is synonymous with procrastination, so I try to avoid it’
‘Just the thought of writing a historical novel is unbearable. To me, writing is about what could have happened, not what actually happened’
Mon, Nov 14, 2016, 14:57 Updated: Mon, Nov 14, 2016, 16:23
Martin Doyle
Agnes Ravatn: Research has always been synonymous with procrastination, so I try to avoid it. But I did have to do a massive amount of basic gardening research while writing The Bird Tribunal
Agnes Ravatn: Research has always been synonymous with procrastination, so I try to avoid it. But I did have to do a massive amount of basic gardening research while writing The Bird Tribunal
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What was the first book to make an impression on you?
Boy by Roald Dahl certainly made an impression. I read it as a child and actually literally fainted and woke up on the floor after reading the scene where the young Roald has a hernia removed. That’s when I knew that books can be powerful stuff.
What was your favourite book as a child?
I realise this may seem a little narrow-minded, but again: Roald Dahl. Matilda. Wonderful.
And what is your favourite book or books now?
Right now, I am reading the wonderful Norwegian author Vigdis Hjorth’s latest novel, and it is brilliant, as expected. In general, I turn to Montaigne’s essays again and again for amusement.
What is your favourite quotation?
“Can I join you ladies ... into one big lady?” – Groucho Marx
Who is your favourite fictional character?
The Norwegian novelist Dag Solstad is one of my favourite authors, and his books are populated with a number of deeply tragic and disturbingly realistic characters. My favourite is Bjørn Hansen, from the novels Novel 11, Book 18 and Novel 17. Highly recommended!
Which do you prefer – ebooks or the traditional print version?
I prefer printed books by far, although I have to admit I do read a lot of ebooks because it is so convenient. But the whole reading experience is rubbish compared with paper, so I don’t fear for the future of the print book at all. Its technology is simple, brilliant and almost unchanged throughout centuries.
What is the most beautiful book you own?
Almost all my books are well-worn paperbacks and none of them are particularly beautiful, but books are to be read, not watched.
Where and how do you write?
At home, from when I wake up, with a fountain pen and Tomoe River paper, with my phone and computer shut off. Yes, I am a recovering internet addict.
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What book changed the way you think about fiction?
I think here in Norway, Karl Ove Knausgaard’s books certainly changed the way lots of people think about what and how to write, including myself. He taught me that if you just write subjectively enough, then you might hit something that almost everyone can relate to. It reminds me of a Kurt Vonnegut quote: “Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.”
What is the most research you have done for a book?
To me, research has always been synonymous with procrastination, so I try to avoid it. If I suddenly start researching something, I immediately get suspicious. But I did have to do a massive amount of basic gardening research while writing The Bird Tribunal. My nightmare is that The National Gardening Association will run a fact check and slaughter the book.
What book influenced you the most?
Lord of the Flies made a deep and scarring impression, and while not necessarily influencing my writing, it influenced my view on human nature.
What book would you give to a friend’s child on their 18th birthday?
A nice notebook. My favourite notebook is the Seven Seas Writer from Nanami Paper!
What book do you wish you had read when you were young?
Ulysses, just so I could stop feeling guilty about not having read it as an adult.
What advice would you give to an aspiring author?
Write what you want to read.
What weight do you give reviews?
I don’t avoid reviews. On the contrary I often find them enlightening: “Oh, so that’s what my book is about!” Bad, stupid reviews are irritating, but I give them little weight. Bad, intelligent reviews hurt. Good reviews tend to glance off.
Where do you see the publishing industry going?
I prefer not to think about it!
What writing trends have struck you lately?
Writing trends rarely strike me, I think, and I don’t actively seek them.
What lessons have you learned about life from reading?
Don’t believe everything you read.
What has being a writer taught you?
Self-discipline.
Which writers, living or dead, would you invite to your dream dinner party?
Michel de Montaigne, Fran Lebowitz, Brian O’Nolan and Lydia Davis would make a nice party. I don’t think they would need my company; I would just be in the kitchen preparing the food and serving lots of wine.
What is the funniest scene you’ve read?
I remember reading a biography of F Scott Fitzgerald and finding the scene where he and Zelda are at a big, posh party in LA and collect all the purses they can find and boil them in an enormous saucepan very, very funny. But now I find myself old and boring, and I can’t stop thinking: What if that was my purse in the tomato sauce?
What is your favourite word?
Winter.
If you were to write a historical novel, which event or figure would be your subject?
Just the thought of writing a historical novel...! It’s unbearable. To me, writing is about what could have happened, not what actually happened.
What sentence or passage or book are you proudest of?
I am very proud of The Bird Tribunal, both the story in itself, the tone and the characters.
What is the most moving book or passage you have read?
I have to name another Norwegian author, who has the rare gift of writing in such a way that everyone who stumbles across her stories starts to cry! Ingvild H Rishøi is a young and extremely gifted author who writes socially concerned books without the politics destroying the beautiful prose. I highly recommend Vinternoveller (Winter Short Stories).
If you have a child, what book did you most enjoy reading to them?
I have an 18-month-old son and he is currently obsessed with In the Town All Year Round so I have to read that a couple of hours every day, whether I enjoy it or not. I look forward to the day that he is old enough to read Maria Parr’s wonderful, funny and moving children’s books. She is a new Astrid Lindgren.
Agnes Ravatn is author of The Bird Tribunal, translated from the Norwegian by Rosie Hedger. Orenda Books, £8.99
Lead Review and we chat to Agnes Ravatn
Author: tripfiction
Location
Content
Overall
The Bird Tribunal is a beautifully written, and beautifully translated, psychological thriller set in Norway. Brooding tension builds right from the beginning of the book through to its dramatic climax.
fullsizeoutput_244eAllis Hagtorn is 32. She was a successful TV presenter, but leaves her job (and her husband) in disgrace – having been caught ‘in flagrante’ with her boss. She is accused of having slept her way into her position. Her career is ruined. She answers an ad to be a housekeeper / gardener in a very quiet cottage on the banks of a remote fjord. She wants to run away. She imagines her new employer, Sigurd Bogge, will be an old widower (she knows he lives alone), but is surprised to discover he is in his mid 40s. He has a wife, but she is mysteriously ‘away’. Questions as to how long, or where, are rebutted. His conversation is monosyllabic, as he seeks to keep a distance between the two of them. Slowly his attitude thaws… and their relationship develops over a period of time into mutual obsession. Allis depends on Sigurd’s approval for everything she does, even though she is physically and mentally threatened. The abuse is tempered by periods of calm and remorse. As with many women in a similar situations, she runs away – and then comes back for more.
Both Allis and Sigurd are trying to escape episodes in their past. Both are tormented and looking for redemption. Their relationship is intense and tortured. You never quite know what will happen next, when Sigurd will next explode – and what will set him off. The tension at times is almost ‘unbearable’. Not a book that is easy to predict where it is going – except you have the constant feeling that it is not going to end up anywhere great. Agnes Ravatn is very talented at building a sinister and foreboding atmosphere – into which the reader gets sucked.
The Bird Tribunal has been selected for the English Pen Award, and the English Pen Award sponsored its English language edition through their Writers in Translation Programme. It was money extremely well spent.
Tony for the TripFiction team
Now for our interview with the author, Agnes Ravatn:
TF: In The Bird Tribunal, you have, with Allis and Sigurd, formed two extremely intense – but seriously damaged – characters. What was the process that led to their creation?
AR: That is a good question, and one that I find hard to answer. They both emerged over time, several years actually. I started writing the book all the way back in 2007, but at one point I was stuck, and I think mostly because I didn´t know the characters well enough. So I began working on their backgrounds. What were their secrets, what kind of fall from grace had Allis experienced, why was Bagge behaving the way he did? And eventually, the story started going again.
TF: In The Bird Tribunal, right from the start, there is a sense of foreboding. We somehow know that the story is not going to end well. How did you set about building this tension, drip feeding more and more about the previous lives of Allis and Sigurd, as the book progressed?
AR: My magic trick, which is not very magic, is not knowing too much. I am not a planner. My writing is always driven by curiosity and excitement, I don’t want too know what waits around the next corner. I have to know my characters, what motivates them?, how will they react in different situations?, et cetera. Then I can let the story evolve organically, and write more or less on instinct.
TF: The location in which a novel is set is of crucial importance to TripFiction. The location for The Bird Tribunal is very remote and very isolated. It seems very beautiful and very peaceful. Are Sigurd’s house, and its environs, based on anywhere with which you are familiar?
AR: Yes. I have stolen the summer house of my parents’ friends! It is a beautiful, old house, with the same steep stairs down into the fjord as in the book, not very far from where I grew up, on the west coast of Norway. I haven’t been there for probably 20 years or more, but it is a place that I can never forget.
TF: Your first book, Veke 53, was published in Norway in 2007. The second, Fugletribunalet (The Bird Tribunal), came out in 2013. That was six years apart – was The Bird Tribunal bubbling away in the background during this time?
AR: Yes, it was. I published a couple of essay collecions («Standstill», 2009, and «Popular reading», 2011») while always trying to work on my next novel. But it wasn’t before I deleted my Facebook and Twitter accounts, in 2012, that I managed to finish The Bird Tribunal!
TF: I think Rosie Hedger did a quite excellent job in translating The Bird Tribunal into English. How important do you think the translator is to the success of a book in an overseas market. What are the key attributes you look for in a translator?
AR: I agree, Rosie has done a fantastic job. I hope I can keep her forever! What I love about her work, is her capacity for capturing the enigmatic atmosphere in the book, and capturing the fine nuances in the prose. She has proven to be a very hard working, serious translator, no short cuts, and I almost think she has lifted my book to another level!
TF: How do you juggle your job as a journalist on Dag og Tid with your writing? Do you take sabbaticals in which you write, or do you somehow manage to fit in both on a daily basis?
AR: Yes, I take sabbaticals. I find combining writing with writing to be very hard – the journalism and the fiction writing is mutually sucking life and energy out of each other! And the closest deadline, hence the journalism, always wins. So I take long sabbaticals to write fiction. I find combining writing with more practical work much better. A year ago, I moved with my family from Oslo to a small homestead on the west coast of Norway, where we are surrounded by nature, peace and sheep! It is much cheaper to live here than in the city, so I can be a full time writer, and combine writing with chopping wood and gardening instead of journalism. That’s a much better life.
TF: Dag og Tid looks to be a very interesting, and successful, publication. I understand that, perhaps unusually, the language of the publication is Nynorsk. Can you tell me a little more about this?
AR: Dag og Tid («Day and Time») is an excellent weekly publication for politics, comment and culture, and one that I feel very lucky to be a part of. I have been given free hands to write about whatever interests me for almost ten years, whether it’s philosophy or politics or self discipline, and all the non-fiction books I have published have first been published as essays in Dag og Tid. Nynorsk («new norwegian») was created in the mid 19th century, as an alternative to Danish, which was then the only official written language in Norway. Nynorsk was meant to reflect the way normal people talk, and it is very similar to my dialect. Today, Nynorsk exists alongside Bokmål, a «norwegianized» form of Danish, and having two official written Norwegian languages is a resource.
TF: What is your next literary venture? What are you currently working on – and when can we expect to see it?
AR: I am currently working on a new novel, but I have no idea when it will be finished. I will be having a new baby in March next year, and knowing that a newborn can be a little time consuming, I don’t want to say anything that I might regret!
A big thank you to Agnes for answering our questions so comprehensively…
8/11/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
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The Bird Tribunal
Publishers Weekly.
263.48 (Nov. 28, 2016): p50.
COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
The Bird Tribunal
Agnes Ravatn, trans. from the Norwegian by Rosie Hedger. Orenda (IPG, dist.), $14.95 trade paper (192p)
ISBN 978-1-910633-35-9
Driven by scandal, TV personality Allis Hagtorn, the narrator of this intense psychological thriller from
Ravatn (Week 53), leaves her home, job, and partner to become a caretaker in a remote part of Norway by a
fjord. Sigurd Bagge, her new employer, tells Allis that he'll need someone at least through spring and
summer to cook and to tend to a neglected garden, the domain of his wife, who's away. He also warns her
that he'll be spending most of his time in his workroom. In the nearby town, where she rarely ventures, she
meets a surly shopkeeper, whose veiled hints and barbed comments disturb her. In fits and starts, Allis and
the taciturn Sigurd grow closer, fueled in part by her relating the Norse legend of Balder and by his
recounting a nightmare in which a bird tribunal declares him guilty of evil deeds. An unrelenting
atmosphere of doom fails to prepare readers for the surprising resolution that engulfs this flawed pair.
Agent: Eirin Hagen, Hagen Agency (Norway). (Jan.)
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
"The Bird Tribunal." Publishers Weekly, 28 Nov. 2016, p. 50. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA473149906&it=r&asid=ed78b8cc9938dbb5216cbdee289d36a9.
Accessed 11 Aug. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A473149906
THE BIRD TRIBUNAL
October 10, 2016 Written by Jeremy Megraw Published in iBook, Kindle, Print, Reviews 1 comment Permalink
agnes-ravatn-the-bird-tribunalWritten by Agnes Ravatn, translated by Rosie Hedger — Chalk up another win for the growing catalogue of new publisher Orenda Books. Here the company delivers a beguiling gem of crime fiction, translated from Norwegian, by talented new author Agnes Ravatn. You’ll be enraptured halfway through without encountering a single murder, detective or drop of blood. The Bird Tribunal is a triumph and Agnes Ravatn a major new voice.
Allis Hagtorn is not quite sure what to expect when she shows up to work at a house on the edge of the isolated Norwegian fjords. She’s answering an ad for a live-in caregiver for the taciturn man who lives there. Sigurd Bagge is a man of few words so she’s left to wonder what is wrong with her obviously well-built new employer. Why does he needs care and just where is his wife? Her main motive in taking the job was to escape her old life, which we hear more about as the story progresses. Although she’s acutely self-conscious, she strives to impress him with her gardening and cooking prowess while furtively glancing at his handsome features. What sounds like a set-up for a light-hearted rom-com, however, is anything but.
The disarming opening belies a deep psychological thriller characterised early on by a mounting sense of dread. Allis is cut off from the outside world, willingly on one hand because she’s running from her past and a sense of failure. But on the other, she seeks information about Bagge and his wife, but her sole source is cryptic and sneering remarks made by the creepy old grocer in the remote country store she bikes to.
Seeking solace in nature after one of Bagge’s many moods swings, Allis encounters a disturbing scene in the forest – a burnt clearing and charred nails like some grim fairy circle. The discovery marks the beginning of a series of revelations that deepens the sense of unease.
The first-person narrative provides tension as we are not sure if we can trust Allis’ limited perspective. Her enduring crush on Bagge, about whom she knows next to nothing, coupled with torment about her own self-worth lends a claustrophobic feel to the minimalist setting. The remote rural house has a Gothic ambiance that recalls the romance of Jane Eyre and the seething mystery of Rebecca. Latent mystery abounds in the house and its environs. Right from the start you are tantalised by a certain locked room. And then there’s the hidden cookbook belonging to the real elephant in the room, the missing wife. And outside, malevolent gulls and dead tits portend that Allis’ fledgling romance may not be so healthy as she wished.
Although Bagge is a nagging mystery, Allis rolls up her sleeves, determined to create order in the house, garden and her own life. She tries to tame her brooding Rochester, who only emerges from his chambers for meals. In the forced intimacy of their isolation a clumsy relationship starts to blossom, but only after Alli shares with Bagge a sad and lovely story derived from Norse mythology, the death of Balder. The act of storytelling breaks the ice between them, but when it’s his turn to tell his story, it is a deeply disturbing and hallucinatory vision, the titular bird tribunal.
The real breakthrough in their relationship comes when she cooks a meal from his wife’s cookbook, luring him out of his lair to begin a relationship and the validation she so craves. Rich with imagery and symbolism, Ravatn’s prose leaves out punctuation in character dialogues. This device works very well for our nervous narrator, who because she lacks self-confidence, neurotically rehearses speech before delivering it, and we realise it’s an actual utterance only after Bagge responds.
As Bagge alternately accepts, rejects, and scares the hell out of her, he also pleads for forgiveness and begins to reveals all of his secrets: the story of his wife Nor, a lunar eclipse, and finally, the secret of what lies hidden in the boathouse. With each revelation, Ravatn harnesses the darker aspect of nature, which serves her vivid prose as a narrative agent of mystery, violence and the supernatural. In the tradition of Nordic noir, nature itself is a main character in The Bird Tribunal, where ordinary objects are ominous ciphers, and even the dazzling beauty of the fjords oozes with darkness and latent murder.
Even if you think you’ve solved the core mystery, Allis’ fear and fascination will keep you turning the pages until the dramatic, harrowing end. Ravatn’s masterful prose and Rosie Hedger’s careful and clear translation makes for absolutely captivating reading. The Bird Tribunal is suffused with dark imagery from the ancient Eddas, creating a foreboding atmosphere that gets under the skin and stays there. Like a lunar eclipse, each revelation is another form of darkness.
Orenda
Print/Kindle/iBook
£4.79
CFL Rating: 5 Stars
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NORDIC NOIR BOOK REVIEW: THE BIRD TRIBUNAL BY AGNES RAVATN
February 11, 2017
THE BIRD TRIBUNAL by Agnes Ravatn
CBTB Rating: 4.5/5
The Verdict: hypnotic, trance-like suspense
Today I'm so excited to share a CBTB first: my first-ever blog tour! I've been waiting for just the right book to participate in a blog tour, and I most certainly found it with THE BIRD TRIBUNAL. This lyrical, haunting Norwegian crime novel is unlike anything I've read before, and completely wrapped me up in its trance-like atmosphere.
Plot (from the publisher):
Two people in exile. Two secrets. As the past tightens its grip, there may be no escape... TV presenter Allis Hagtorn leaves her partner and her job to take voluntary exile in a remote house on an isolated fjord. But her new job as housekeeper and gardener is not all that it seems, and her silent, surly employer, 44-year-old Sigurd Bagge, is not the old man she expected. As they await the return of his wife from her travels, their silent, uneasy encounters develop into a chilling, obsessive relationship, and it becomes clear that atonement for past sins may not be enough... Haunting, consuming and powerful, The Bird Tribunal is a taut, exquisitely written psychological thriller that builds to a shocking, dramatic crescendo that will leave you breathless.
In all honesty, I've never read a book quite like THE BIRD TRIBUNAL. This is no ordinary piece of crime fiction—it's not a "whodunnit" or even a "why-have-they-done-it." It's a taught, hypnotic story of two strangers cut off from the world, living in solitude with only one another's secrets for company.
This book doesn't develop following an ordinary plot structure: readers are thrust into life with Allis, our story's protagonist, as she begins acclimating to her new life as a caretaker for an enigmatic man living off an isolated fjord. We watch Allis begin exploring the realities of her new life, and slowly but surely are granted glimpses into the shameful past that led Allis to accept this post. Likewise, we are introduced to her mysterious boss, Bagge, bit by bit. A brooding and quiet man, Bagge is prone to bouts of anger—and Allis soon discovers that there is much more to his past than she could have imagined. As their interactions grow obsessive and tense, Allis begins to fear this mysterious man she has agreed to live with. Alternating between moments of fear and budding romantic interest, Allis finds herself thrown off-kilter by Bagge's abrupt mood swings, leaving the reader just as on edge as our protagonist herself.
The most striking aspect of THE BIRD TRIBUNAL is the haunting atmosphere that Ravatn has created. I read this book in one sitting, and found myself totally transfixed by the hypnotic quality of Ravatn's writing. Despite the non-traditional plot structure, I never once wondered what the author's end goal was—I was simply under Ravatn's spell, following her characters towards what I knew could only be a tragic end. If you're looking for a non-traditional, richly atmospheric suspense novel, this might just be the perfect choice.
A huge thank-you to Karen at Orenda Books for allowing me to take part in this blog tour! THE BIRD TRIBUNAL is available from Orenda Books now.
American readers: you can find this book as an e-book, or in paperback through Book Depository.
The Bird Tribunal – Agnes Ravatn
Nicola Mira February 27, 2017 Reviews 1 Comment
The-Bird-Tribunal-Vis-1A man and a woman are thrown together in an isolated house sitting atop a remote Norwegian fjord. The man, Sigurd Bagge, works all day at something unknown and unseen by the woman, Allis Hagtorn, who has answered Bagge’s ad for a live-in home helper, as his wife, Allis is told, is away for an unspecified period of time.
This is the setting for ‘The Bird Tribunal’ by Norwegian author Agnes Ravatn, who won two awards in her country for this, her second novel, which was also made into a play which premiered in Oslo in 2015.
Readers could be forgiven for feeling a little claustrophobic at the thought of a story with only two characters in it, rubbing shoulders day in, day out in a remote house, however starkly beautiful the landscape that Ravatn portrays may be. Even more so since the story is told by Allis herself, so there is no chance to have an insight into Sigurd’s thinking, at least not until the novel’s stunning finale.
Yet ‘The Bird Tribunal’ is a taut, suspenseful novel that has an incredible depth to it, as Ravatn delicately peels layer upon layer of Allis’ own life story. It is far from a crime novel in the classic sense, but its nerve-tingling tension I found irresistible, just as Agnes Ravatn’s pared-down yet lyrical writing.
Allis is in her early thirties, a former historian and TV presenter whose promising career was cut short by a scandal. She is both fragile and stubborn, a woman still shaken by the events that led to her professional demise and the shattering of her marriage, and who is desperate to put them behind her. A simple job cooking and keeping the house and garden for taciturn, reserved Sigurd seems to Allis the best way to forget herself and her troubles and forge a new beginning.
Not everyone’s therapy of choice, but Ravatn is brilliant at exposing by degrees Allis’ troubled mind, as the woman struggles to come to terms with her unusual new situation. Sigurd gives her the run of the house and especially the large garden, but demands she doesn’t eat meals with him and generally steer well clear of him, as he goes about his mysterious activity. Sigurd himself slowly develops as a deeply intriguing character, with no past the reader – or Allis – can know about and with a wife who’s conspicuous for her absence, in the flesh as much as in spirit. Sigurd is polite with Allis yet aloof, neither friendly nor unfriendly, but his mind is locked as tight as a safe.
As spring turns to summer then autumn, Sigurd gives Allis no indication of how long she will be needed to keep house for him. Allis is wary but content with this situation, as she tries to heal her mind, and as she grows increasingly attracted to the mysterious man.
Page after the page, the tension mounts. What does Sigurd do for a living? Why has he left the house with no explanation for several days, returning a seemingly broken man? How will the relationship with Allis pan out, as she, a city dweller, by dint of hard work and sheer force of will turns into a proficient cook, cleaner and gardener for the exacting man? Where is Sigurd’s wife, and why is she absent?
‘The Bird Tribunal’ isn’t a crime novel and, by the conventional genre canon, not one you would classify as a thriller. Yet it is brimming with suspense, created with unerring skill by Agnes Ravatn as she both steeps readers in the haunting atmosphere inside Sigurd’s property and keeps them at arms’ length, revealing only what they need to know to keep turning the pages.
Allis, and the readers, are caught in the spell spun by Ravatn around Sigurd’s mysterious life, and the beautiful landscape that envelops them does the rest. There is little plot to speak of in this cleverly weighted psychological novel, and yet it leads readers on irresistibly, to a dramatic conclusion that is as chilling as it is surprising.
Well done Orenda Books for publishing this Nordic gem in Rosie Hedger’s beautifully crafted translation, and for letting English-language readers discover an intriguing new voice from Scandinavia.
Agnes Ravatn
About Nicola Mira
Nicola Mira is a literary translator from Italian to English and vice versa. He lives in London and is a member of the Emerging Translators Network and English PEN. He began his translating career after half a lifetime in marketing (cosmetics and fashion) and has recently worked on a semi-autobiographical novella by G. D’Annunzio, ‘Licenza’. His passion for crime fiction dates back to his youth, and now his goal is reading crime fiction authors from every country in the world. He doesn’t have a favourite genre, what’s most important is the quality of the writing, though the crime author who tops his personal ranking – and not just in crime fiction - is Georges Simenon.
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