The book launch of the "Nordic Literature Translation Series" was held at the Danish Cultural Centre

On January 19, the book launch of the "Nordic Literature Translation Series" co-sponsored by the Danish Cultural Center and the Danish Research Center of the University of Foreign Chinese Beijing was held at the Danish Cultural Center.

Eric Messerschmidt, director of the Danish Cultural Center, extended a warm welcome to the guests, saying that the Nordic countries are increasingly closely linked to China, cultural activities are frequent, and the unique charm of Nordic literature has attracted more and more attention.

Wang Qinren, editor-in-chief of China Radio International Publishing House, introduced four Nordic literary classics from the book launch to the guests, including the novel "Chronic Innocence" by Danish writer Klauslif biye translated by Wang Yuchen and Yu Qi, the novel "About the Simple Life of the Same Man" translated by Xi Jingchen, the novel "The Imagination of the Simple Life of the Same Man" translated by Xi Jingchen, the novel "Mystery" by Nobel Prize winner and Norwegian writer Knut hamson, translated by Shi Qin'e, and the novel "Mystery" by Swedish writer Joanna Seder translated by Wang Mengda. The stars twinkle on the roof." These four new books and the previously published Icelandic literary classic "The Time of the Night" are the first Chinese translations of the "Nordic Literature Translation Series", a large-scale series of foreign literature books curated by China International Broadcasting Press. The Nordic Literature Translation Series plans to publish 50 to 80 contemporary works of literature from the five Nordic countries, mainly novels, with a small selection of representative short stories, poems and plays. The editor-in-chief of the series is Professor Shi Qin'e, an expert in Nordic literature at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and all works are directly translated from the original text, so that readers can read the original Nordic literature.

Xu Xin, deputy editor-in-chief of the "Nordic Literature Translation Series" and an expert in Swedish language and literature in Beiwai, elaborated on the planning ideas and implementation process of the "Nordic Literature Translation Series" in his speech, saying that the first batch of books can be released in just one year, which is inseparable from the efforts of all parties, and expressed gratitude to the strong support of the Nordic embassies in China and the cultural and art foundations, the translators and the editors of the publishing houses and other staff for their hard work. Wang Yuchen, translator of "Chronic Innocence" and director of the Northern Danish Research Center, highlighted the two new Danish books at the press conference, talking about the challenges encountered as a translator in the translation process and his unique insights into translation. Subsequently, the audience enjoyed the congratulatory video recorded by the contemporary Danish writer Heller especially for the book launch, and listened to the wonderful excerpts of four new Nordic books and talked about Nordic literature. After the launch ceremony, the guests watched the film "Hamson", which tells the life of the Nobel Prize winner and Norwegian writer Knutham.

The book launch was attended by cultural officials from the Nordic Embassy, literary circles and representatives of publishing houses, and the conference also attracted many teachers and students from Beijing universities. It is reported that in 2019, the "Nordic Literature Translation Series" plans to publish the second series of 6 to 10 titles.