Made Abroad: Producing Norwegian World Literature in a Time of Rupture, 1900-50

MAP uncovers the paths of Norwegian literature towards a world readership during the first dramatic half of the 20th century. After Ibsen and Bjørnson had opened the global literary market, the road map to international success changed substantially. Authors increasingly depended on literary agents to navigate a new world of international copyright and publishing, and new visual media. Two world wars and the impact of Nazism, followed by the rising dominance of the Anglo-American book market and the English language, were game changers. How the works of Undset's and Hamsun's generations were made (or failed to become) world literature has never been studied comprehensively. The MAP team explores the publication and reception of Norwegian literature (highbrow and lowbrow) in Europe, the British Commonwealth and North America. We will explore the first literary agency in Norway, the impact of the Nobel Prize for Literature, women and children’s literature in translation, foreign film adaptations of books, the importance of religion and ideology for dissemination, and much more. The case of Undset’s global success will feature in several sub-projects. Furthermore, literature from a small language and country will highlight the asymmetries of world literature. MAP works with libraries, archives, and museums to uncover significant material in Norway and abroad. Participants have visited archives of authors, film companies and agencies in Norway, Europe and the USA, uncovering rich new material for further research. In 2023/24 an open kick-off-seminar at NB and two three-day-seminars for research participants and network have resulted in fruitful discussions of work-in-progress and relevant theory and methodology. Furthermore, MAP has provided participants with a course in law, ethics and privacy related to source material. MAP and its sub-projects have been presented at scientific and public events, in the press, social media and on our web page. In collaboration with NB, MAP has produced and launched research infrastructure in the form of an online bibliography of Norwegian literature abroad 1900-50 and two online publications with and on archival material, all open access. MAP has produced a total of 35 results in research and dissemination by 1 October 2024. MAP brings together an international and interdisciplinary team of scholars in book and media history. The main partners are the National Library of Norway (NB), the University of Oslo and the University of Tromsø, in collaboration with Nynorsk Kultursentrum and Lillehammer Museum. A PhD student in literature joined the project 1 September 2023 with a project on the Nobel receptions of Undset and Hamsun in France. An MA-scholarship has been awarded to a project on the Norwegian-American reception of Ibsen. Project manager is Aina Nøding, Research Librarian at NB.

MAP uncovers the paths of Norwegian literature towards a world readership during the first dramatic half of the 20th century. After authors like Ibsen and Bjørnson had opened the global literary market, the road map to international success changed substantially. However, how the works of Undset's and Hamsun's generations were made into world literature has never been studied comprehensively. While significantly rewriting literary history, MAP will also re-examine the centre-periphery dynamics on the global book market. Furthermore, it will highlight translation of small language literatures as a precondition for democratic access to and impact on the world stage. Through ground-breaking empirical, transcultural, and interdisciplinary research, MAP will produce the first history of Norwegian literature abroad and forge new approaches to literary research. It brings together renowned scholars of literature, modern history, book and media history, translation, and film studies. Sub-projects include Norwegian literature in Nazi-Germany and new transatlantic anglophone markets, the first literary agents, impact of the Nobel Prize, children’s literature in translation, foreign film adaptations of novels and plays, and more. The exceptional case of Undset’s global success will serve as a prism for several sub-projects. MAP works with libraries, archives, and museums to uncover significant new material in Norway and abroad. MAP's extensive plan for public dissemination and exchange include seminars, lectures, exhibitions, online publications of source material and results, and podcasts and other social media events. MAP is a joint venture between the National Library of Norway (project owner), Bournemouth University, Nynorsk Kultursentrum, Oslo Metropolitan University, the University of Oslo, and the University of Tromsø. The group of 8 scholars and a PhD fellow, headed by Dr. Aina Nøding (The National Library), is supported by a research network spanning 9 countries.