The Book of Nordland – Interview with Stef Penney
Meet Stef Penney, the award-winning Scottish author writing a book about Nordland – with the help of locals up and down the county.
Can an author write a book with a strong sense of place without travelling to that place beforehand? Stef Penney can. She has done it before, to much acclaim. And she is going to do it again. A book set in Nordland, commissioned by Bodø2024, to be published in 2024. This time though, she will get help with her research. Locals will be sharing tips with her about anything they think might be of interest – details from their daily lives, people (living or dead) who could make good characters in the book, atmospheric places, interesting historical events – and much more we hope.
Stef Penney told us what attracted her to this unusual project.
Why did you decide to get involved in this project?
When the idea first came up, I thought, no way! The prospect of writing to a deadline, and of sharing any part of my (messy, unfathomable) writing process were both, initially, terrifying. But something about it wouldn’t let me go. Carbon neutral research is important to me. I’ve always done library research, but the idea of people in another place coming up with their own stories and experiences is different and refreshing. It’s also in Northern Norway, and I’m endlessly drawn to the north…
Why are you so fascinated by the Arctic?
My first novel, The Tenderness of Wolves, was set in northern Ontario (destination of many Scottish emigrants), which has very severe winters. I read lots of Arctic exploration history to research it, and I became completely hooked. Since then I’ve written about the Antarctic -The Worst Journey in the World for BBC Radio 4, and Greenland in Under a Pole Star, and I’m not bored yet!
The “why” is harder to answer. I grew up holidaying in the Scottish highlands, so that bleak, powerful landscape is close to my heart. I think your imagination is profoundly influenced by the things that you see in childhood – I certainly invented lots of stories involving mountains and snow – so not much has changed.
This project will be a very unique way to get to know the people of Nordland – what do you look forward to the most?
I’m looking forward to hearing how people feel about their country and the landscape. How does the changing light affect your mood? Do you look forward more to summer or winter? What do you do here that you couldn’t do anywhere else? I want to hear from all sorts of people, all ages, whether you were born there, or moved here recently.
Absolutely nothing is off limits – I look forward to being surprised!
What kind of tips do you hope to receive?
I would love to see pictures of places that mean something special to you. And I’d love to hear family stories, quirks of history, local mysteries, crimes… But I also want to hear about now. What’s it like growing up there? Do you feel an urge to travel. Do you long to go back?
I’m so curious to see what people will bring to this. I hope that there will be a wide spread of contributions – and soon! – so that I can start working my way into the story.
What do you think will be the biggest challenge(s)?
Starting a new book is always a challenge; it’s like exploring – you don’t know what you’re going to find. It will be a challenge to write this quickly (so far, my books have come out at five-year intervals!). It’s a responsibility to ask for and take inspiration from other people’s stories, but I’m hoping that this will widen my scope to embrace things that I would never have thought of on my own. That’s also the really exciting part.
Do you believe there are any similarities between Nordland and Scotland where you are based?
I don’t think I know enough about Nordland to say, but going from photographs there are definite similarities in the landscape of the west coast, and (perhaps?) what that landscape means to its inhabitants (and meant in the past). And of course, there are many historical ties between Norway and Scotland.
Learn more about the project (info in Norwegian):