One of the focus of the Salon du Livre de Paris 2011 was the Nordic Literature, with the presence of 40 guests from Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Finland, Denmark and the autonomous territories of Åland, Greenland and the Feroes, plus Samis writers. More Nordic writers were invited by their publishers as Jonas Jonasson, who met his first French readers signing copies of Le vieux qui ne voulait pas fêter son anniversaire at Presses de la Cité’s stand. Meetings, debates, friendly encounters for five days. Marc de Gouvenain was there of course, visiting different publishers offices in town to present some Pontas authors like Christoffer Carlsson, Malin Person Giolito,Thomas Engström, Philip McLaren, or running to the Salon where he met some of the writers he used to publish when he was an editor, like Johanna Sinasalo, Linn Ullmann, Niels Fredrik Dahl and P.O. Enquist.
France Info Radio asked Marc to talk about Nordic literature, he moderated a presentation of Per Olov Enquist’s work organized by Centre National du Livre and was asked by P.O., a long time friend, to translate his speech to the French Minister of Culture in the name of all Nordic writers. The event was really some kind of reward for the French readers who, since many years, appreciate the Nordic writers and prove regularly relayed by the French publishers - that they want more books from the North.
Anna Ascolies and Stéfanie Delestré were also present at the Salon du Livre and at meetings with several French publishers around Paris. As well as Marin Ledun, whose new novel Les visages écrasés has just been published by Éditions du Seuil and is attracting readers, international publishers and film producers these days.