Initiatives
The House of Literature
In 2005, the Freedom of Expression Foundation took the initiative to establish Norway's first House of Literature, which is located at Wergelandsveien 29 in central Oslo. The House of Literature is patterned after the European Houses of Literature, and one of the main ideas behind this initiative was the desire to provide a new arena for literature in Norway.
Wergelandsveien 29 was designed by the architect Henry Fearnley Coll and built for the Oslo Teachers' College in 1932. The Freedom of Expression Foundation financed and was the contractor for adapting the building to accommodate the House of Literature in 2006–2007, and the House of Literature was opened to the public on 5 October 2007. The building is run by the independent House of Literature Foundation, which was established by the Freedom of Expression Foundation in 2006. The House of Literature Foundation will receive an annual contribution for operating expenses until 2014, and is responsible for day-to-day operations, publicity and programming.
Debutanter under bokhøsten 2009.
Photo: Nina HansenThe House of Literature has 3500 m2 of floor space, and houses auditoriums, a bookstore, a cafe, showrooms and seminar rooms. The building is appropriate for a wide variety of activities, including meetings with authors, discussion fora, concerts, exhibitions, writing courses and school visits. The House of Literature had 240 000 visitors in its first year of operation, and 76 000 individuals took part in more than 670 events.
It is the Freedom of Expression Foundation's hope that the House of Literature will serve as a meeting place for all those who are interested in literature – readers, writers, students, pupils and people in the book industry, and that this cultural institution will provide inspiration for debates and promote interest in literary fiction and non-fiction alike.
The House of Literature: www.litteraturhuset.no
Background article on European Houses of Literature by Florian Höllerer,
see A House (of Literature) for the Continent
(from the anthology Culture Report Progress Europe, Stuttgart, 2007)
The House of Literature
In 2005, the Freedom of Expression Foundation took the initiative to establish Norway's first House of Literature, which is located at Wergelandsveien 29 in central Oslo. The House of Literature is patterned after the European Houses of Literature, and one of the main ideas behind this initiative was the desire to provide a new arena for literature in Norway.
Wergelandsveien 29 was designed by the architect Henry Fearnley Coll and built for the Oslo Teachers' College in 1932. The Freedom of Expression Foundation financed and was the contractor for adapting the building to accommodate the House of Literature in 2006–2007, and the House of Literature was opened to the public on 5 October 2007. The building is run by the independent House of Literature Foundation, which was established by the Freedom of Expression Foundation in 2006. The House of Literature Foundation will receive an annual contribution for operating expenses until 2014, and is responsible for day-to-day operations, publicity and programming.
Debutanter under bokhøsten 2009.
Photo: Nina HansenThe House of Literature has 3500 m2 of floor space, and houses auditoriums, a bookstore, a cafe, showrooms and seminar rooms. The building is appropriate for a wide variety of activities, including meetings with authors, discussion fora, concerts, exhibitions, writing courses and school visits. The House of Literature had 240 000 visitors in its first year of operation, and 76 000 individuals took part in more than 670 events.
It is the Freedom of Expression Foundation's hope that the House of Literature will serve as a meeting place for all those who are interested in literature – readers, writers, students, pupils and people in the book industry, and that this cultural institution will provide inspiration for debates and promote interest in literary fiction and non-fiction alike.
The House of Literature: www.litteraturhuset.no
Background article on European Houses of Literature by Florian Höllerer,
see A House (of Literature) for the Continent
(from the anthology Culture Report Progress Europe, Stuttgart, 2007)
Debutanter under bokhøsten 2009.
Photo: Nina Hansen
Photo: Nina Hansen
Initiatives