Authors at the End of the World: Tracing the Norwegian Apocalypse

During the last decade, we have experienced a global pandemic, wars in Europe and in the Middle East, and radically altered national security policies in the Nordic countries. Adding to all of this, researchers warn us that the climate system is nearing a tipping point and that AI may fundamentally change the world as we know it. It is perhaps not surprising, then, that talk about the end of time and pending disaster are appearing more frequently in the Norwegian public sphere now than just a decade ago. Norwegian prepper groups on Facebook have thousands of members, news media apply apocalyptic terminology on a weekly basis, while popular culture glosses the Apocalypse with the calming glow of entertainment. What does the Apocalypse look like in Norwegian edition? What futures do we imagine, what worlds do we create, and why are religious models of thought with a more than two-millennia long history still relevant in an otherwise (relatively) secular and rational Norwegian public sphere?

In this paper, Liv Ingeborg Lied will address apocalyptic imaginations in Norwegian literature, with a special attention to contemporary fiction and self-help books. The paper is based on one of the chapters of the book-in-progress, “Dovre faller: Apokalypse på norsk.” 

Liv Ingeborg Lied (Dr. art. 2007, University of Bergen) is professor of the Study of Religion at MF vitenskapelig høyskole. Lied has published widely on Jewish, apocalyptic texts and their Christian manuscript transmission. Her research portfolio also includes several studies of contemporary media culture. In her most recent book project, “Dovre faller: Apokalypse på norsk,” she combines these longstanding research interests.

Everyone is welcome to join us for this talk! The talk will last for approximately one hour and will be followed by further time for questions and discussion.