A talk with Maren Uthaug and Vigdis Hjorth

Meet two of the most exciting Danish-Norwegian writers of our times in a conversation about identity and the role of the nation state. What characterises Norway as a nation today? What is the current relationship between Denmark and Norway? What is it like to move across the cultural borders between these two nations? And how does that experience affect their literature?
Vigdis Hjorth (b. 1959) is one of the greatest voices in both Norwegian and Nordic literature today. Hjorth’s writing revolves around topics of an existential nature, and she writes compellingly about growing up, modern life and truthful living. Hjorth is Norwegian, but today lives in Copenhagen. She has recently published the novel Femten år. Den revolusjonære våren (2022), (Fifteen years. The Revolutionary Spring). Maren Uthaug (b. 1972) is a Danish-Norwegian writer with Sami roots and was born in Kautokeino in Finnmark, northern Norway. Uthaug’s literary authorship began in 2013, before which she was known for her comic strip »Ting jeg gørd« in Danish daily Politiken. Her writing is often autobiographically based, but characterised by her strong sense of humour and critical sense. She has recently published her fourth novel, 11% (2022).