Eesti Kirjanike Liidu projektitaotlus

EEA AND NORWAY GRANTS FUND FOR BILATERAL RELATIONS

INITIATIVE PROPOSAL

Title of the initiative: Estonian-Norwegian writers’ dialogues

Implementing entity (beneficiary state entity):

Eesti Kirjanike Liit (Estonian Writers’ Union), reg. nr. 80080786 (Äriregister)

Partner(s) (minimum one donor state entity):

Rangøya internasjonale kultursenter AS (Rangøya International Cultural Centre), org. nr. 833101552 (Brønnøysund)

Bilateral priority area identified by the JCBF beyond the programmes: € promotion of core European values, such as respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law

and the respect for human rights for all people, regardless of their racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation or gender identity;

€ E-governance (digitalization) € eastern partnership € equality and equal treatment € competitive business environment, sustainable and adaptive governance (based on “Competitiveness Plan for 2020”

approved by the Government of Estonia)

Allocation (total sum): 74910 EUR (A more detailed project budget description in the activity plan)

Short description of the initiative: (background, aim, participants, activity plan, budget outline, communication and dissemination)

Background

The Estonian Writers’ Union (EKL) has for several years developed and strengthened ties with Norway. In May

2022, a five-member delegation from the Norwegian Writers’ Union (DnF) visited Estonia and Tallinn during the

HeadRead festival and had talks with EKL. The cooperation has largely been facilitated by Øyvind Rangøy, both in

the role as board member of EKL and a member of the International Committee of DnF. In March 2024, a

five-member delegation from EKL visited the general assembly of DnF and continued to Rangøya island for a

workshop and in order to be present at the official opening of Rangøya International Cultural Centre. During the

workshop, the delegation from Estonia and team members from Norway and the centre worked out a plan for a

project that would benefit both Estonian and Norwegian authors, Estonian-Norwegian relations as well as the

general public.

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Aim:

The aim of the initiative is to organise a series of public discussions between Estonian (beneficiary state) and

Norwegian (donor state) writers. The discussions will be based on a range of topics that relate to the authors’

experience and body of work. The initiative will raise awareness of Estonian literature in Norway as well as

Norwegian literature in Estonia. In addition to serving the Norwegian and Estonian literary scenes, it will also

contribute to the awareness of the cultural ties between Norway and Estonia and the countries’ common

interests and traditions in promotion of shared core values, such as respect for human dignity, freedom,

democracy, equality, the rule of law and the respect for human rights for all people. While respecting the artistic

licence and creative liberty of the authors, the project will encourage dialogue about societally important topics

such as gender equality, environmental issues, historical identity and democratic freedoms. The final wording of

the topics will be agreed upon with the authors/performers.

In selecting the authors, in addition the following criteria is observed:

● The authors should be professional writers, being recognised as a part of the literary scene in their

respective countries.

● At least one of the writers in each discussion pair should have one or more works translated into a

language the conversation partner can read.

● The authors being paired should have a common topic in their body of work that they are interested in

and willing to discuss.

● The authors will both need to have a decent command of English (or another common language). In

special cases interpreted conversations could be considered.

● The authors will preferably be good spontaneous performers comfortable in the conversation format.

Participants:

The implementing entity is Estonian Writers’ Union (Eesti Kirjanike Liit, EKL). Founded in 1922, it is Estonia’s

main professional association of writers, literary translators, and critics. As of March 2024, EKL has 347

members in the main association in addition to sections representing translators, philosophers and young

authors. In addition to representing writers’ interests, the EKL has also been promoting Estonian literature

through the operation of two houses of literature (Tallinn and Tartu) and the organising of literary events and

tours.

The donor state entity is Rangøya International Cultural Centre (Rangøya internasjonale kultursenter, RIK),

incorporated in february 2024 to formalise a work that has been going on since 2016, including visits of several

Estonian authors and literates and cultural events and festivals in the centre’s creative house at the island of

Rangøy, Averøy. The organisation (incorporated as a non-profit company) is according to the by-laws aiming to

facilitate artist residencies and cultural cooperation. The centre has both Estonia and Norway represented both

in its board and artistic council and sees Estonian-Norwegian cultural relations as a natural priority.

In addition to the project partners, a number of other entities are involved in advisory capacities. The

Norwegian Authors’ Union (Den norske Forfatterforening, DnF) is involved through their International

Committee and through the ongoing bilateral cooperation between DnF and EKL. DnF endorses the project and

is available as a network. The Norwegian Writers’ Centre (Norsk Litteratursentrum, NL) is involved as an advisor

regarding fees and conditions for professional writers in Norway. The Estonian Literature Centre (ELIC, Eesti

Kirjanduse Teabekeskus) is kept in the loop as the main promoter of Estonian literature abroad.

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The core team of the project:

Marko Levin (born 1974) is the managing director of EKL. Having graduated Tallinn Pedagogical University in

1997 with a Master of Arts, he has worked as a university lecturer and graphical designer. From 2023, he has

taken over the daily operation of EKL and is leading the organisation’s administrative reform. In the project, he

will be the main contact of the beneficiary state entity.

Øyvind Rangøy (born 1979) is the founder and managing director of RIK. Being both a Norwegian and Estonian

poet and author, he graduated from Tartu University with a BA of Estonian and Finno-Ugric Linguistics in 2007

and Volda University College with a MA of New-Norwegian Written Culture in 2012. Since 2007, he is a

Norwegian state authorised translator from Estonian into Norwegian, with 20 years of experience in translation

and editing. As a member of both the Estonian and Norwegian writers’ unions, he has been a long-time

facilitator of bilateral cooperation. In addition to teaching Norwegian language and literature at the University

of Tartu, he also is a member of the board of EKL and the International Committee of DnF. In the project, he will

host and coordinate the activities in Norway, and also organise and participate in the transcription, translation

and editing of texts.

Veronika Kivisilla (born 1978) is an Estonian poet, story-teller and bard and a member of the managing board

and artistic council of RIK. She studied Estonian language and literature at Tallinn University and has compiled

textbooks, songbooks, dictionaries; organised literary festivals and numerous events. A musician, she has

performed in mediaeval- and folk-music ensembles. From 2011 to 2021, she worked as the project manager of

EKL with the main responsibility of the union’s literary events. With a special interest in Norwegian folk music

and culture, she has also been a promoter of Norwegian-Estonian relations. In the project, she will participate

both as an organiser, advisor and a performer.

Rein Raud (born 1961) is an Estonian writer and scholar. Being a prolific and awarded author in many genres,

including both fiction (11 novels and several other books) and poetry, Raud is also an accomplished cultural

theorist and japanologist. He defended his doctorate at Helsinki University in 1994, where he taught Japanese

studies for more than 20 years. He has done translations into Estonian from a number of languages, including

Classical Japanese, Italian, German, Lithuanian and others. In the public sphere, he has been noted as a

participant in public debate. He served as the first rector of Tallinn University and holds honorary doctorates in

Latvia and Lithuania. Rein is a member of the board of EKL. For this project, he has provided some core ideas

and will support the implementation of the project both as an advisor and a performer.

Endre Ruset (born 1981) is a Norwegian poet and cultural event organiser. Being a member of the managing

board and artistic council of RIK, he is also a board member of the Norwegian Union DnF and of the Møre and

Romsdal county association of writers. As a professional performer and organiser, he has worked with a great

number of Norwegian writers. He has been involved in the Bjørnson literary festival and has worked for three

years as the artistic leader of the Lillehammer literary festival. In the project, he will participate in the

recruitment of Norwegian authors as well as otherwise an organising and advisory capacity.

Odd Einar Sprakehaug (born 1973) is an award-winning Norwegian film and TV photographer. With

documentary photo education from NISS (now Kristiania University College), he has more than 20 years filming

experience in the genres of documentary films and serials, true crime, reconstructions, entertainment, music

production and concept development. He has worked with several TV and streaming channels such as NRK, TV2,

ViaPlay, TV3, TVNorge and others and has filmed a considerable number of high profile shows. One of his key

skills is his ability to help performers act sincerely and naturally in front of the camera. In the project, he will be

technically and creatively responsible for the filming and will organise all necessary equipment. He will also

advise in the setup of scenes for the conversations. He participates as a subcontractor for RIK through his

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company Fantom Entertainment.

Marianne Kõrver (born 1980) is an award-winning Estonian filmmaker, graduated from Baltic Film and Media

School and majoring in film directing. With background from Tallinn English College, Nõmme Musical School,

Georg Ots Tallinn Music College and Estonian Art Academy, she is credited for authoring, directing or editing

more than 30 films. In 2018, she received the Cultural Endowment of Estonia’s annual award for the portrait

film of the year. A majority of her work has been in documentary. In the project, she will edit the raw footage

into clips ready for publication as well as advise on the production of the clips.

In addition to the core team, the project will receive input from advisory partners and use hired subcontractors

for minor tasks like text for film editing. The contributions of the individual discussion partners will be based on

the abovementioned criteria and implemented according to the final plan, taking into account the schedules

and other practical considerations. The following authors have already confirmed their readiness to participate

as discussion partners/performers in the project: Meelis Friedenthal, Aina Basso, Veronika Kivisilla, Nina Lykke,

Urmas Vadi, Kai Aareleid, Klara Hveberg, Rein Raud, Knut Ødegård, Kätlin Kaldmaa and others.

Communication and dissemination

The two main products of the project are (1) a set of texts (translated into Norwegian and Estonian) and (2) a

set of video clips. The video clips will be published through the project’s Youtube channel disseminated through

social media and other channels of the main partners as well as their advisory partners and networks and other

entities. The first set of film clips will be shown as a part of the Baltic Film Days in Oslo in October 2024, and

other cinema venues will also be sought in cooperation with the partners.

The video clips will thereby also function as a marketing device for the main product of the conversation, or the

edited and translated transcripts of the conversations. These will be published in book format in the two

languages and also offered to literary journals in Norway and Estonia. The books, intended as a “twin

publication” of separate Norwegian and Estonian editions, will be available through ordinary channels in

Norway and Estonia respectively. Regarding publishing alternatives, possible cooperation with established

publishers will be prioritised in order to maximise the impact.

Activity plan and budget outline

Because of the logistics and overhead costs involved with filming, the discussions need to be concentrated to a

few days. To spread the load of text and film editing throughout the period, the most efficient is two periods,

planned for mid-August 2024 and mid-January 2025 respectively, with the exact times negotiated based on the

availability of the participating performers. This will allow for gaining editing experiences in the autumn so that

the final work in February-March can be as efficient as possible. As a bonus, this will also give outdoor footage

from two seasons, adding contrast and depth to the resulting films.

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Activity Time Location Cost Participants

1

Finalising

conversation

topics and

participants,

recruitment and

negotiations with

performers April-June 2024

Norway and

Estonia 2250 Project core crew

2

Consulting

expertise on

scenography and

technical

production,

planning

production of clips April-July 2024

Norway and

Estonia 1700

Project crew,

subcontractors

3.1

First batch of

conversations/

recordings

July-August

2024

Rangøya

International

Cultural Centre,

Norway 20530

Film and production

crew, 6–8 individual

writers/performers. (8

for budget purposes),

including logistics,

transport, travel and

board

3.2

Editing and

post-production of

the first set of clips

September–Oc

tober 2024 Estonia 3200

Project crew,

subcontractor

3.3

Transcription,

translation and

editing of the first

set of texts

September–N

ovember 2024 Norway and

Estonia 4200

Project crew, individual

performers (for

approval)

3.4

Publication of the

first clips of the

project

December

2024

Project Youtube

channel,

www.ekl.ee

website and and

sharing on social

media 200 Project crew

4.1

Second batch of

conversations/

recordings January 2025

Rangøya

International

Cultural Centre,

Norway 20530

Film and production

crew, 8-10 individual

writers/performers. (8

for budget purposes),

including logistics,

transport, travel and

board

5

Activity Time Location Cost Participants

4.2

Editing and

post-production of

the first set of clips February 2025 Estonia 3200

Project crew,

subcontractor

4.3

Transcription,

translation and

editing of the

second set of texts February 2025 Norway and

Estonia 4200

Project crew, individual

performers (for

approval)

4.4

Publication of the

first clips of the

project

March-April

2025

Project Youtube

channel,

www.ekl.ee

website and and

sharing on social

media 200 Project crew

5.1

Finalising of

manuscripts for

publication, design March 2025 Norway and

Estonia 1000

Project crew, individual

performers (for

approval)

5.2

Printing and

publication

March-april

2025 Norway and

Estonia 3000 Project crew

6

General

administration

April

2024–April

2025 Norway and

Estonia 10700 Project core crew

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Planned results

In addition to the tangible results indicator in the table below, an important long-term effect of the project will

be the strengthening of ties through established contacts between the writers. Together with the publicity of

the project, this would enhance the chances for Estonian authors being picked up by Norwegian publishers (and

vice versa). In addition, the raw footage will be recorded in 4K quality in order to secure future proof archive

materials readily available for reuse in follow-up projects (technical data: DCI 4K 4096x2160, XF-AVC / ALL-Intra

C-Log3).

Planned results1

1 Please refer to the Results Guideline

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OUTPUT INDICATOR TARGET

Writer meetings and conversations Number of writer meetings Number of writers involved

8 16

Video clips / minidocumentaries produced and digitally published

Length of videos in minutes Number of videos

10–15 8

Texts produced and edited, ready for digital and physical publication

Length of each text (words) Number of texts

4500–9000 8

Physical publications (books) Number of publications Minimum number of printed copies per publication

2 200