The program is soon to be launched!
Dear literature friends!
On 4 December, in less than a month, the entire festival programme for 2026 will be launched!
We are now in the final stages of putting together a programme that is definitely on a par with previous years – so there's plenty to look forward to! Take a look at the photo – perhaps you recognise some of the faces already?
The work of creating a literature festival programme can be compared to curating an exhibition. Each work tells its own story, but in interaction with others it also says something beyond itself – it speaks both with, to and against other works, and the value thus becomes greater than the sum of its parts.
Putting together this festival programme – what happens on which stage and when – is almost like doing a jigsaw puzzle: There should be parallel programme items in Norwegian and English, an author should not have too many tasks on the same day, there should be time to move from one stage to another, we should have a good mix of non-fiction and fiction, we should have something political, something fictional, something translated, something serious and something light-hearted – and it should all come together as a whole, where we are all entertained, challenged, allowed to laugh or cry, to discover something new and to realise something new about ourselves and understand more about the world. And all of this under the (Bergen) umbrella of the festival theme ‘betrayal’.
Don't miss festival Sunday!
Sundays at festivals are often the day of departure for both out-of-town audiences and festival authors. In 2026, we recommend that you choose to take the night train (or equivalent) because Sunday will – fortunately – not be as packed as Saturday, but definitely worth experiencing, with both international and Bergen stars on stage!
* Lea Ypi in conversation with Frøy Gudbrandsen about her latest book Indignity
* Pedro Carmona-Alvarez talks about Bob Dylan's many betrayals
* Sandra Lillebø in conversation with Olaug Nilssen about her brand new novel Vera
* And for families with young children: Magic wand workshop with Silje Bekeng-Flemmen
And much more! We'll come back to that when the puzzle is finally complete.
But! You can already secure your festival pass at the Early Bird price!
Are you a teacher? Do you know a teacher?
Our school programme – LitFestUng – is now available!
The school programme takes place between 4 and 6 February 2026 and will feature both Norwegian and international authors talking about their own literature to young people. The authors will be interviewed by the students themselves and there will be an opportunity for questions from the audience. Each pupil will participate in two author talks, covering a wide range of genres and topics. And all registered classes will receive books!
In addition to prominent authors and important books, we are very excited to announce that next year's programme will feature a collaboration with Norwegian PEN's project Ung Ytring 2030 (Young Voices 2030). Here, students are invited to a panel discussion entitled ‘If literature is banned’, which will address what is happening in the USA, what it means for young readers, and how we can protect the freedom to read – here at home. The school programme has participants from both lower secondary and upper secondary schools, and we are delighted to see that we have already received registrations for all programme items!
In putting together the programme, we take as our starting point the Norwegian Directorate for Culture's interdisciplinary themes of democracy and citizenship, public health and life skills, and sustainable development, which means that it is suitable for all subjects in school, not just Norwegian.
Do you think this is something for your class? See the full programme and find the registration form here.
If you have any questions, please contact Ingrid Brandvik at ingrid@litthusbergen.no
The Bergen International Book Club will hold its next meeting on 8 December at 7 p.m. in Fossestova to discuss the book Indignity by Lea Ypi.
And the Silent Reading Club will hold its next two meetings on 19 November and 17 December – where you will also get a sneak peek at several of the books for 2026!
Both of the festival's book clubs are free and open to everyone!