Prose Salon: Book burning – a European tradition

Books have been burned and destroyed by other means for over three thousand years. Political and religious authorities burn books to hinder the spreading of truth, ideology, opinions and knowledge. Rebel groups burn books in protest against those in power. Ottar Grepstad has developed the concept “symbolic violence” and presents it in Brent Ord: Bokbål mot språk I Noreg 1912–2005 (2022) (Burnt Words: Book-burning against language in Norway 1912–2005) and Farlege språk: Historisk lesebok om språkkonfliktar (2024) (Dangerous language: Historical textbook on language conflicts). Grepstad looks at book burning also against Islam in light of this when he meets professor and language expert Gunnstein Akselberg in conversation about words as weapons.

The Prose Salon is arranged in collaboration with the Norwegian Non-Fiction Writers and Translators Association (NFFO). Free entry for NFFO members on presentation of their membership card.

The event will be in Norwegian.