How many people are familiar with the Norwegian town Jessheim which lies round the corner from Gardermoen airport, within easy reach to the capital, and close to the forests – if you feel like searching for dark and mysterious things… However, if you are into a dark, dramatic, murderous and criminally good experience indoors, then Jessheim was the right place to be on a cold snowy and frosty November weekend. I knew that Thomas Enger grew up here and even if he didn’t showcase the exact location in his books, the atmosphere of a small town and the nuances of relationships formed there can be sensed in some of his writing. Then there is Oslo, too. So fast forward (seriously)… and after attending many crime fiction festivals both in Norway and abroad (I had a pleasure of meeting him at Newcastle Noir, CrimeFest, Bloody Scotland and Iceland Noir) Thomas Enger began to think of creating his ‘own’ festival, or rather a re-creating the wonderful experience that writers and readers get from meeting and talking, reading and writing, sharing passion for books. Organising any event takes time, energy and resources, and tons of passion. Thirteen years after his debut and having travelled the world with his books, and I hope I got the number right, the author felt he had an understanding of what readers want from such events when they meet their heroes. The idea of Thomas Engers Krim Festival was born long ago and embraced by the local community, with generous support and enthusiasm. Miriam V Owen of Nordic Noir Buzz recently wrote about the origins of Thomas Enger’s Krim Festival. Two packed evenings of conversations and a full day of events took lots of planning; invitations to authors to join the festival were sent and everyone who was able to appear on these days said yes. Yes to Jessheim!

The program (16^th – 18^th November 2023) was packed with respected names and loved authors, most of them recognised by the English readers also, even if we might still wait for the English translations of their books. The lineup on Thursdays and Friday included stars of the Nordic Noir firmament: Kjell Ola Dahl, Sigbjørn Mostue, Helene Flood,  Silje Ulstein, Ørjan N. Karlsson, Ingar Johnsrud, Jørgen Jæger, Chris Tvedt, Jørn Lier Horst, Tove Alsterdal, Jan-Erik Fjell, Derek B Miller (honorary Nordic author), Antti Tuomainen, Sofie Sarenbrant and Gunnar Staalesen.

I didn’t go to dinner at the old stylish Herredshuset where magnificent Rein Alexander provided entertainment. I am sure it was a fabulous event judging by the mood present all Saturday in the cosy room of Kulturbanken Kreti & Pleti, smelling of freshly made waffles which seemed to lull us into a false or imagined sense of security while the red and blue lights amplified the unsettling nature of some themes. The top Nordic Noir authors from Norway and Sweden talked about issues and situations they are inspired by, the writing process, the issues and problems they want to expose, the challenges, the pure joy of creating a good engaging novel. It was fantastic to listen to these deep interesting conversations, followed by short sharp interviews conducted by Tom Egeland. It was serious and honest, and inspiring and so tempting to spend even more money at the pop-up bookshop. Because why not? So to summarise Thomas Engers Krim Festival – what a success to put Jessheim on the map of literary events and making people want more books and more close encounters with brilliant authors who create them. So huge thanks to Thomas Enger who made his idea a reality. Same place next year then?

Here are some photos from the day. I am happy to have been there, especially as my language skills are getting better and I could talk to Norwegians who are also incredibly good in English. I even understood Swedish! Thank you Norse gods for translations while I’m getting closer to read more Norwegian Noir books in original.