The third in a regular series of columns by Chay Lemoine: Chay’s interview with author Christina Sunley, whose debut novel The Tricking of Freya is getting rave reviews in Iceland and North America Read the full story

The world’s largest computer search engine will soon begin the digitalisation of Denmark’s literature for The Royal Library. Read the full story

In an outspoken declaration from Horace Engdahl, the head of the Swedish Nobel Committee, American authors are culturally “ignorant” and lack the clout of their potential contribution to the world’s literary canon.

Now the competition for this year’s Nobel Prize for Literature has come to a close, it always seemed unlikely an American writer would Read the full story

Taslima Nasreen, a controversial author from Bangladesh, has been offered refuge in Uppsala, Sweden. According to reports in The Local, Nasreen has been living in Sweden since March, after having received death threats from Indian Muslims.

The 45-year-old author moved recently to Uppsala, accompanied by permanent security guards. The university town has promised to cover the author’s living expenses for the next two years and provide her with accommodation during that time.

In March Nasreen was hospitalised and received emergency medical treatment. She has been in poor health for some time.

Cecilia Wikstrom, a Liberal Party member who lives in Uppsala, say she has been in contact with Nasreen for sometime now.

“I know Taslima Nasreen as a very unique individual. Maybe that’s what happens if you have a price on your head,” Wikstrom said.

Wikstrom has been lobbying other politicians in Uppsala to make the town a safe place which welcomes and encourages writers. The arrangement with Nasreen is the first time the town has put the plan into action. In addition to the one bedroom apartment provided by the city for Nasreen, she will receive a monthly allowance of 5,000 kronor (USD 800).

In 1994, Nasreen was forced to flee Bangladesh after the publication of her novel “Lahha” or “Shame” brought her to the attention of radical Muslims who called her work a blasphemy. The book describes a Hindu family which suffered persecution in Bangladesh at the hands of Muslims.

Nasreen has been in exile ever since and lived in the United States and Europe before moving to Sweden, where she holds a passport.

Drawing on Iceland’s geography and mythology, writer Betsy Tobin has written a novel which captures the country’s culture and beauty. The Telegraph has called her book “a feminine Viking epic”, indeed Ice Land is no boring historical tale.

Tobin’s book weaves together three narratives set in 1000 AD. The tale follows characters to a country inhabited by dwarves in search of magical items on the wings of a falcon.

The story speaks of timeless themes such as love, family and change, themes perfectly suited to a landscape which is continually erupting into magma and melting from ice. Drawing on ancient myths, the novel is surprisingly modern and completely relevant to today’s world.

“Our great strength as a people has been that we have been united by a common belief and, more importantly, by a common law,” Tobin writes. “If we divide the law then we must divide the peace.”

The novel explores the challenges of the gods, and the adventures and passions of humans. One of her characters tells his granddaughter, “Love is not like a spring flood, Fulla. It comes to us in tiny increments. And there are many things that masquerade in its name.”

Betsy Tobin is the author of the mystery novel “Bone House” and published “The Bounce” in 2002.