Lena, the Sea and Me

Maria Parr is an outstanding Norwegian author who has been compared to Astrid Lindgren. She has twice won the prestigious Brage Prize for best children's book, as well as the Sult Prize, the Norwegian Critics' Prize, France's Prix Sorcières and the Dutch Zilveren Griffel. Her debut novel, Waffle Hearts, was also shortlisted for the Marsh Award for Children's Literature in Translation. It was made into a popular children's television series in Norway and adapted for the stage, while her second novel, Astrid the Unstoppable, has also been made into a theatre production. Her books have been published in more than 30 countries worldwide. Maria lives in Norway. Guy Puzey began translating Norwegian literature in 2006, having studied the language at the University of Edinburgh. In 2011 he went on to complete a doctorate on Italian and Norwegian language policy. He now works at the University as a lecturer in Scandinavian studies. In 2015 he was shortlisted for the Marsh Award for Children's Literature in Translation for his work on Maria Parr's first novel, Waffle Hearts.

“I was engrossed from the start by this salt-tanged, airy, funny and adventurous story of growing up and friendship in a different (and kinder) culture than our own. It made me long to go and live in Norway.”