Crown Princess Mette-Marit has attended a literary discussion at the new Lillestrøm library, opening the Cultural Corners week at the new library.
In a conversation about representation and expectations and how that relates to literature, the Crown Princess listened as Jan Grue, Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen and Abid Raja spoke about their experiences.
The conversation was entitled “I am not your…” and focused on how representation, other peoples’ expectations of people and literature can affect a person and their associations.
“It is very gratifying and great for the new Lillestrøm library that HRH Crown Princess Mette-Marit wants to participate in the event. Our impression is that the Crown Princess is keenly interested in literature, communication and telling a story,” said Ragnhild Malfang, section leader of Lillestrøm library, on the library’s official website.
The authors spoke of how their books touch upon their own experiences as representatives of their communities, their experiences in minority communities, and how literature works to allow communities to find specific authors who speak to their experiences and their thoughts.
Afterwards, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Jan Grue, Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen and Abid Raja all received golden loan cards to use in the library.
One of Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s key focus areas is literature. She once said: “I cannot imagine a life without books. Ever since I was little, I have been read to, and given the opportunity to enter the space that imagination provides. Reading, the inner images it creates, the feelings it evokes—has made me both a better, wiser and more reflective person.”
