Winje Agency

01/05/2026

The Danish edition of Ida Frisch’s "Black Dog" is out today (Sort hund, tr. Birgitte Steffen Nielsen, Batzer & Co) – and the first reviews are absolutely glowing!

“The language is so beautiful, so poetic, and so striking. It is like poetry in prose form, and at the same time, a steadily unfolding narrative about what truly matters in life.” - NORDJYSKE

“The novel’s chanting monotony doesn’t lull the reader to sleep, but keeps the tension at a breaking point. The real art lies in allowing the reader to create the novel’s scenography themselves—and the author does so flawlessly in this intense, perfect novel.” – Kulturen.nu ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Danish translation is the first of five international editions (and counting!).

Read more about this little gem of a novel here: https://winjeagency.com/books/264-ida-frisch-black-dog

Congratulations, Ida! What a wonderful start to "Black Dog"’s journey abroad! 🌍

Tiden Norsk Forlag
NORLA

21/04/2026

The French edition of Sigri Sandberg’s "The Fjord - A Long Row Home (Ro: om Sognefjorden og ein lang rotur heim, Det Norske Samlaget 2022) has gotten a wonderful review in none other than Le Monde! "À la rame - Un long voyage jusque chez moi" was published by Éditions Dalva and translated by Céline Romand-Monnier.

"By describing the serenity that comes over her as she rows surrounded by majestic nature, by evoking the relationships formed with her rowing companions, and by letting her childhood memories and adult emotions surface, Sigri Sandberg gradually gives new meaning to what might have seemed merely a sporting challenge or a privileged whim tinged with guilt. At each stage of her journey, as she revisits places she has lived at different times in her life, she continually asks herself, ‘Where is my place?’ Does a ‘home’ exist for her? The beauty of ‘The Fjord’ lies not only in the landscapes it describes, but in the discovery the author makes of literature as a place of her own."

Read the full review (in French): https://www.lemonde.fr/livres/article/2026/04/21/la-norvegienne-sigri-sandberg-retrouve-un-peu-de-sens-a-vivre-et-a-ecrire-en-remontant-le-sognefjord-a-la-rame-sereinement_6681951_3260.html

More about the book (sold to 3 languages): https://winjeagency.com/books/153-sigri-sandberg-the-fjord-a-long-row-home

Congratulations, Sigri!

La journaliste et essayiste, quelque peu découragée face au dérèglement climatique et à l’effondrement de la biodiversité, s’est retrouvée en remontant lentement un fjord aimé et en faisant le récit intime de ce voyage.

15/04/2026

Our own Helle Helle is featured on the latest Granta podcast, where she discusses writing about familiar places, Raymond Carver, the process of being translated, and her most recent English translation, "they" (tr. Martin Aitken, US: New Directions, UK: Akoya Publishing, AU: Giramondo Publishing).

Several of her short stories will be appearing in Granta’s upcoming issue!

Listen here: https://granta.com/podcast-helle-helle/

More about "they": https://winjeagency.com/books/109-helle-helle-they

Photo: Mikkel Carl

13/04/2026

We’re not at the Bologna Children's Book Fair this year, but we’re thrilled to present Winje Agency’s collection of wonderful children’s books!

Jon Fosse
The Fiddler Girl (Spelejenta, 2009, ill. Øyvind Torseter. Sold to 5 markets)
Kant (1990, ill. Akin Düzakin. Sold to 7 markets)
Little Sister (Søster, 2000. Sold to 6 markets)
Dark and Wet (Vått og svart, 1994. Sold to 2 markets)
Very, Very Slowly (Uendeleg seint, 1989. Sold to 3 markets)

Ruth Lillegraven (ill. Jens Kristensen)
The Planet Rescue Club: The Superhero Mask (Klodeklubben: Superheltmaska, 2022)
The Planet Rescue Club: The Christmas Mystery (Klodeklubben: Julemysteriet, 2021)
The Planet Rescue Club: Trapped on the Fjord (Klodeklubben: Fanga på fjorden, 2021)
The Planet Rescue Club: The Cottage that Disappeared (Klodeklubben: Hytta som forsvann, 2020)
The Planet Rescue Club: The Black Swans (Klodeklubben: Dei svarte svanane, 2020)
Books in The Planet Rescue Club series have been sold to 4 markets.

Ole Kristian Løyning
My Friend, the Pirate (Min venn, piraten, 2020, ill. Ronny Haugland. Sold to 3 markets plus film rights)

We hope these amazing books will reach readers of all ages in every corner of the world! Get in touch for more information.

01/04/2026

The French edition of Lina Wolff’s "The Devil’s Grip" (Djävulsgreppet, Albert Bonniers Förlag 2022), "La prise du diable" (Les Argonautes Éditeur 2024, tr. Anna Gibson), has been nominated for the Prix européen du roman d'amour!

This prize celebrates European literary diversity by awarding a prize to a work that portrays love in all its forms. Lina will be talking about the book in Strasbourg tomorrow.

Read more about "The Devil’s Grip" (sold to 9 languages) here: https://winjeagency.com/books/245-lina-wolff-the-devil-s-grip

31/03/2026

Eva Fretheim’s novel "The Paper Dolls" (Papirdukkene, Tiden Norsk Forlag 2025) was recently nominated for the Riverton Prize, and now it has a chance to win another award: the Tara Book Prize!

This prize was established in 2025 by Tara, Norway’s largest women’s magazine. Eva has been nominated in the crime category for the second year in a row; "The Bird King" won last year.

Congratulations, Eva!

Read more about "The Paper Dolls" here: https://winjeagency.com/books/260-eva-fretheim-the-paper-dolls

🌼NOMINERT TIL TARAS BOKPRIS🌼

Eva Fretheims krim «Papirdukkene» (2025) ble nylig nominert til Rivertonprisen, og nå kan den vinne en pris til; Taras bokpris! 🥳

Taras bokpris ble opprettet i 2025 av Tara - Norges største kvinnemagasin som retter seg mot kvinner 40+. Det deles ut priser i flere kategorier, og Fretheim er nominert i kategorien krim. Frem til 4. mai 2026 kan du delta i avstemningen og samtidig delta i konkurransen om 8 bokpakker. Stem på din favorittbok på Tara.no!

Vi vet at mange leser en Fretheim-krim i påsken og krysser fingrene for mange Fretheim-stemmer! 🤞🏻💛

30/03/2026

Congratulations to Ruth Lillegraven, whose book "My Next Life" (Mitt neste liv, ASCHEHOUG 2025) was awarded the Sølvkniv (Silver Knife) Prize for best crime novel!

From the jury’s justification:
"Ruth Lillegraven has written a sharp, intelligent, intense, and action-packed psychological thriller. The author explores themes of inherited guilt, power, and the desire for power in this 300-page nail-biting read. It maintains a high pace, has a tight and driven plot, and is of extremely high quality. [...] She is precise in her descriptions, believable in her portrayals, and has created something out of the ordinary. [...] Lillegraven is described as one of the best things to happen to Norwegian crime fiction..."

The Silver Knife was first awarded in 2018 and goes annually to the best crime novel of the previous year. The award will be presented at the Osterøy Crime Festival in September.

Read more about the book (the third and final in the Clara-Trilogy) here: https://winjeagency.com/books/261-ruth-lillegraven-my-next-life

Books in the series have been sold to 9 countries, plus film rights.

Congratulations, Ruth!

Clara Lofthus is enjoying a low-profile life with her partner Axel and twin sons in Nairobi, where she heads a humanitarian aid and education organisation. In the wake of a brutal terrorist attack during which she rescues a group of children, she becomes the focus of massive media attention and a he...

27/03/2026

Five of Scandinavia’s best crime writers and reviewers are recommending Eva Fretheim’s books for Easter break reading:

Karin Fossum:
"[I’m looking forward to reading] Eva Fretheim and her stories. Might the understated and quiet be just as powerful and gripping as brutal action?"

Jørn Lier Horst:
"Eva Fretheim won the Riverton Prize last year for 'The Bird King' and is nominated again this year for 'The Paper Dolls.' Hers is an authorship more crime readers should become familiar with—she writes police novels with strong psychological insight and an ability to build unsettling atmospheres."

Torkil Damhaug:
"Among the nominees for this year’s Riverton Prize, ['The Paper Dolls'] is the one I’m looking forward to reading the most."

Sara Strömberg:
"I’m looking forward to [Fretheim] being released in Swedish!"

Nora Steenberg:
"I’m looking forward to getting acquainted with Norway’s new queen of crime, who has already managed to win the Riverton Prize."

We couldn’t agree more!

Krim til påske? Her gir 14 av de største skandinaviske krimforfatterne deg tips om hvilken krimbok du bør velge som årets påskekrim – og avslører hva de selv skal lese.

19/03/2026

It’s been a big week for Eva Fretheim. Following a fantastic launch of "The Crow’s Throne" on Monday, last year’s success, "The Paper Dolls" (Papirdukkene, Tiden), has been nominated for the 2025 Riverton Prize!

From the jury’s statement:

"Even with an intricate story, nothing is unnecessarily complicated in ‘The Paper Dolls’. The result is a razor-sharp psychological thriller—eerie and suspenseful, yet understated and well-balanced, with psychological insight and intimate, authentic portrayals of both setting and characters."

The Riverton Prize is a literature award given annually to the best work of Norwegian crime fiction. Eva won the 2024 prize for "The Bird King", which went on to win the Glass Key Award for best Nordic crime novel.

Read more about "The Paper Dolls" (sold to 7 markets) here: https://winjeagency.com/books/260-eva-fretheim-the-paper-dolls

Congratulations, Eva!

Photo: Tiden

16/03/2026

Happy publication day to Eva Fretheim’s "The Crow’s Throne" (Kråketronen, Tiden Norsk Forlag)! The first review promises that the latest book in the Vigdis Malmstrøm series delivers the same quality and tension as the first three:

"A rare gem in Norwegian crime fiction! […] It’s not often that I read a Norwegian crime writer who is as linguistically precise and structured as Eva Fretheim. She establishes unease and tension in the story right away. […] Not only is she structured and precise, but she also manages to steer clear of the worst clichés that so many of her crime-writing colleagues fall back on. […] This is quality all the way through!" - VG

Books in the Vigdis Malmstrøm series have been sold to 8 markets and counting. Read more about "The Crow’s Throne" here: https://winjeagency.com/books/276-eva-fretheim-the-crow-s-throne

Congratulations, Eva!

10/03/2026

We are thrilled (and not at all surprised) that Eva Fretheim’s "The Crow’s Throne" (Kråketronen, Tiden Norsk Forlag 2026) is one of NORLA’s Selected Titles for Spring 2026! 🎉👏

"The Crow’s Throne" is the fourth book in the Vigdis Malmstrøm series, which has been sold to 8 markets and counting.

Read more about the book (coming out in Norwegian on March 16th!) here: https://winjeagency.com/books/276-eva-fretheim-the-crow-s-throne

Read more about NORLA’s Selected Titles: https://norla.no/en/news/news-from-norla/norla-s-selected-titles-for-spring-2026-are-here