Literature’s answer to terror: authors and scholars explore the power of words in the face of violence.
- 2 June (09:00–16:00) at Litteraturhuset in Oslo
- Organised by Hélène Celdran and Franck Orban from Høgskolen i Østfold, with the support of the Fritt Ord Foundation and EUNIC – EU National Institutes for Culture
- Free event with required registration here
How can literature help us understand and process the traces left by terrorism? How do writers create meaning in the aftermath of violence?
You are invited to a full‑day seminar where Norwegian and French scholars, authors, and comic artists come together to explore how literature responds to terrorism – from the attacks of 22 July 2011 and 25 June 2022 in Norway to the assaults in Paris on 13 November 2015 and in Nice on 14 July 2016.
The programme includes lectures, panel discussions, and conversations on how trauma, memory, and collective grief are shaped through words and images.
We ask questions such as: How do terrorist attacks transform literary expression? What distinguishes Norwegian and French approaches to writing about violence? And how can novels and graphic narratives help societies work through crises?
The event is open to anyone interested in literature, public debate, and the ways in which art and writing can serve as tools for resistance and understanding. You will encounter a wide range of voices and perspectives, from researchers analysing the language of trauma to authors sharing their personal experiences of writing in the shadow of terror.
Full program
9:00 – 9:15: Arrivals
9:15 – 9:30: Introduction to the seminar by Hélène Celdran and Franck Orban
9:30 – 10:15: Kristin Glad, researcher, Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies (NKVTS) – «The 22 July terrorist attack: findings from the Utøya study»
10:25 – 11:10: Tonje Vold, professor, Department of Linguistics and Scandinavian Studies, University of Oslo – «Literature after 22 July»
11:25 – 12:25: Panel discussion. The role of literature after terrorist attacks: experiences from Norway and France
Panellists:
- Aurélie Silvestre (France), author of Nos 14 novembre (2016) and Déplier le coeur (2025)
- Thierry Vimal (France), author of 19 tonnes (2019) and Au titre des souffrances endurées (2022)
- Brit Bildøen (Norway), author of Syv dagar i August (2015)
- Øystein Skotheim (Norway), author of Kjære natt (2025)
12:30 – 13:15: Alexandre Dessingué, professor, University of Stavanger. «Collective memory, social trauma and responsibility: how and why should we remember?»
14:30 – 15:15: Isabelle Delorme, professor, Sciences Po Sorbonne, Paris. «Comics as memory narrative: a particularly suited medium for representing traumatic events»
15:20 – 16:20: Panel discussion. Graphic literature and terror: experiences from Norway and France
Panellists:
- Catherine Bertrand (France), author of Chroniques d’une survivante and Justesse: Chroniques, portraits & plaidoiries illustrées du procès des attentats du 13 novembre 2015 (2023)
- Christa Barlinn Korvald (Norway), author of Tegninger fra 25. juni-rettssaken (2023)
16:20 – 16:30: Summary of the day and closing remarks by Hélène Celdran and Franck Orban
See the full list of speakers here: