Inger Auestad is a botanist and teaches at the HSF University College in Sogndal.

Ingvild Austad is a professor at the HSF University College in Sogndal

Bajazz BigBand has played on various festivals in Norway and visited the Solstice Book Fair in 2003. They were a great success then, and we can't wait to hear them here again! Read more.

Richard Booth founded the world's first Book Town in Hay-on-Wye, in Wales. He invented himself as king of Hay, and is a good friend of Fjærland and the Norwegian Book Town.

Kai Martin Brekke is a journalist in the local paper Sogn Avis, and author of the book Nattergal (Skald publishing), of a murder on the Flåm Railway.

David Buchanan runs his own catering company Design Food in Berlin, and is originally from Jamaica. He will prepare lunch in Uncle Mikkel Book Cafe, every day at noon and will also bring guests. Tuesday night, David will be in charge of the barbecue by the Supphelle glacier.

Gordon Cumming turned to bookbinding on his retirement from the computer industry. Gordon helps to organise the biannual training seminar of the Society of Bookbinders, and is particularly interesting in producing DVDs for training purposes. He enjoys undertaking repair work and also making new types of notebooks.  He has a very large library of sheet music and his long term project is to put this all into good working order. Gordon came to Fjaerland in 2005 as an experiment to see if having a resident bookbinder in the booktown would be of interest to book collectors.  This turned out to be a highly enjoyable and productive period, and he is delighted to be returning in the Anniversary Year.   

Maureen Duke has been bookbinding for over 50 years. She is well known internationally as a forward thinking advocate of craft bookbinding and was Chairman of the Society of Bookbinders. Maureen retired as Course Director from the bookbinding and book conversation courses at West Dean college, and a few years ago became involved with the European Art Conversation Trust. She works with the Society of Archivists and other professional organizations, and has recently been elected as President of the Society of Bookbinders. In Fjærland, she will be giving classes, demontrations, and talks. Please check the program for when.

Odd Einar Dørum  is a Member of Norwegian Parliament and has been the leader of his party Venstre (The liberals) for two periods, the last from 1992 - 1996. He has been Minister of Justice in two different coalition cabinets, both with  Christian-Democrat Kjell Magne Bondevik as Prime Minister, the last one from 2001  - 2005. He was also Minister of Transport and Communications from 1997 - 1999.

Linda Eide is a journalist for NRK, the Norwegian State Broadcasting. She has worked for the radio channels since 1990, and recently she made a series about gourmet-food in Western Norway, "Eide and Morris". She is well-known for combining information with an ironic and witty style. In 2005, during Norway's centennial anniversary as an independent country, she led the programme series where TV-viewers could elect "The Norwegian of the Century", where not unexpectedly, King Olav V won the "competition".

Ove Eide is a teacher and works at Firda High School at Sandane. He's currently working on a biography on the great Norwegian poet and author, Jakob Sande, who was born in Fjaler in Sogn og Fjordane. In 2006, the year of the centennial jubilee of the poet's birth, Sandes poems are well-known both to children and adults all over Norway. Many of the texts have melodies put to them. Ove Eide will together with Margot Sande give you an insight into the many voices of Jakob Sande.

Fjærland School Marching Band is a group of pupils from Fjærland school. The band is 32 years old, and always says yes when asked to play at rallies, concerts, National Day Parade, etc. Now they will add to the festivity of   the International Book Town Festival!

Kjartan Fløgstad had his debut in 1968. He was awarded the Nordic Council Literary Award in 1977. His bibliography includes prose, poetry, fiction, and translations. His style is particular, both in fiction and non-fiction. He plays with language, mixes different levels and styles of language, puns, allusions to film and theatre, etc. He is one of the prime representatives of magical realism in Norwegian, and realistic plots can suddenly turn over into the fantastic (source: Wikipedia).

Christine Gibbs founded Griffen Mill, which makes hand-made paper, in 1987. She will be having workshops and demonstrations together with Maureen Duke.

Loek and Cecile de la Haye are bookbinders from the Netherlands. They are used to giving classes, demonstrations, creative bookbinding and answering questions about book-binding. In Fjærland there will be both workshops with sign-up in advance, and demonstrations for those who stop by.

Halvor Heuch

Finn Iunker

Mons Kvamme

Herborg Kverneland

Sylfest Lomheim

Arne Bust Mykle

Lars Nes

Odd Njøs

Henry Notaker

Per Odeen

Olav Orheim

Gerd Renshof

 Astri Riddervold is one of Norway's leading academics on Norwegian food traditions and food culture. Both an ethnologist and a bio-chemist, she is lecturing, writing and doing research within the field of food conservation techniques. Several books by her consider this topic, see Damm Publishing. In Fjærland she is doing a talk together with Halvor Heuch, who will lecture on the Aquavit.

Knut Rydgren

Leif Ryvarden

Margot Sande

Svenn Sandberg

Katrine Sele

Anita Walsmit Sachs was born in the Netherlands and educated at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague as a fashion designer. For many years she has taught watercolour and oil painting and uses subject matter from everyday life and nature as a source of inspiration for her delicate still lifes, revealing a deep interest in the expression of texture. Anita's detailed and naturalistic style seems to transcend her subjects beyond reality, intriguing the onlooker. Her particular interest is in making botanical prints. Since 1998 she has worked at the Nationaal Herbarium of the University of Leiden as chief of the art department. Anita's pen and ink drawings are represented in numerous scientific publications and she has received an RHS gold medal. Her aim is to help people become aware of the beauty of nature, especially plants. She tries to help people become interested in botanical painting in her country. (The American Society of Botanical Artists, 2005).

Borghild Telnes lives in the county of Telemark, where she runs her own gallery. In Fjærland she'll be giving a course in rubber printing.

Sylvelin Vatle

Bas Vlam works with calligraphy and is originally from the Netherlands. He is now living in Askøy, and has long experience, both form courses and lectures. See homepage. In Fjærland he'll be giving a course in Calligraphy.

Ingunn Wiken

Arild Wærness

Einar Økland