Scandinavian Literatures in Translation

Despite its historical importance, Scandinavian literature remains largely underread and institutionally underrepresented. Pascale Casanova explains this discrepancy by pointing to the status of Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian as small languages; they have few speakers and tiny markets but large historical stocks of literary capital (Casanova 2004 [1999], p. 257).

This working group aims to explore the vibrant yet overlooked landscape of Scandinavian literature by reading fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama from the eighteenth century to the present day, from classics of the Danish Golden Age to experimental Modernist works to contemporary bestsellers. Readings will be decided on collectively at the beginning of the year. Central to our discussion will be questions of reception, circulation, and translation. To that end, the group hopes to invite an active literary translator for an event to discuss the unique challenges of translating from Scandinavian languages and cultures.

Anyone with an interest in the topic is invited to participate. No prior language knowledge is required but is more than welcome.