A celebration of Nordic culture: poetry, prose film and song

at the Sugar Lounge

145 Stroud Green Rd, London, N4

Nearest tube: Finsbury Park (7 mins walk); buses: 210, W3 W7

Tuesday 10 January 2011 @ 7.30pm

Admission FREE

Meet the participants and buy signed copies of their work

Robert Cannan began his film career working as an Assistant Director on fiction shorts and features, while editing and later directing short-form projects and music videos. He then worked as Nick Broomfield’s Associate Producer on docu-drama Ghosts. Robert’s directorial debut Three Miles North of Molkom won the Audience Award at Gothenburg and was nominated for Best Documentary at the British Independent Film Awards. Variety called it ‘rather miraculous’, and on theatrical release in the UK, the film received across-the-board critical acclaim (‘extraordinary … effortlessly entertaining’ **** The Guardian – Peter Bradshaw). Robert is now co-producing a fiction remake of the film (currently in development with the BFI) and collaborating with an attached A-list Oscar-nominated screenwriter. Robert will talk about the film and play a short clip.

Nielsen was born nameless in Denmark. Baptised: Claus Beck Nielsen. Declared dead in 2001.

2002-2011: CEO of the trans-national corporation Das Beckwerk, producing walks, serial photography, video sequences, performances, operas, installations, concerts, music albums, revolutions and other historical events and several works of literary fiction.

2011-12: As Helge Bille Nielsen: Subjected to a one-year ban on public performances in Scandinavia.

17. January 2012 - : Post human

www.dasbeckwerk.com

www.myspace.com/clausbecknielsenmemorial

www.myspace.com/naturalselectorband

Asko Sahlberg, born in 1964, has acquired fame in Finland that has yet to be replicated in the English-speaking world. He published his first novel in 2000 and has written steadily since then, completing his ninth work, The Brothers, in 2010. Sahlberg’s publisher, Meike Ziervogel, will give an exclusive reading from The Brothers, to be published in English translation by Peirene Press in February 2012.

Stephen Watts is a poet, editor and translator. His most recent books include Gramsci & Caruso (Periplum 2003), The Blue Bag (Aark Arts 2004) and Mountain Language/Lingua di montagna (Hearing Eye 2008). Recent co-translations include Modern Kurdish Poetry (Uppsala University 2006), A. N. Stencl’s All My Young Years (Five Leaves 2007), Meta Kusar’s Ljubljana (Arc 2010), Ziba Karbassi’s Collage Poem and Adnan al-Sayegh’s The Deleted Part (Exiled Writers Ink 2009). Current works include an updated edition of Mother Tongues, Selected Poems of Ziba Karbassi, and further co-translations of Slovenian and Romanian poetry. His most recent book is the long poem Journey Across Breath/Tragitto nel respire (2011) with Italian translation by Cristina Viti. He will be reading from Praise Poem for North Uist described by Adam Thorpe as “a stunning evocation of the Outer Hebridean island where Watts lived for several years as a shepherd back in the 70s.”

The Sugar Lounge is a friendly café-bar-restaurant that serves Turkish food/drinks/cocktails. www.thesugarloungelondon.com