“Archil Kikodze’s book was written in a hut, in the Norwegian mountains. It is a piece of documentary prose telling about the nature, culture and everyday life of this magnificent Scandinavian country. In the author’s words, it is a book written joyfully, in a light-hearted manner, while he attempted to show all he had seen with his own eyes: the Norwegian writers, travellers, the flora and fauna, in fact everything that constitutes the aesthetics of the country’s culture and life. Above all, the narrative merges with the author’s thoughts about people and life in general.

The appealing manner in which the book is written and the involving events narrated will undoubtedly make it a favourite reading for diverse age groups.

‘A traveller and a tourist differ in terms of their approach: a tourist is an imperialist, arriving to conquer, while a traveller doesn’t even know if he or she will ever return home.

‘Archil Kikodze’s book is about his travel in Norway. Strange as it might sound, the travel proper starts well before the physical one. Childhood dreams about the well-known or nameless Nordic heroes, vivid impressions after reading books, real trips and memories of those trips create a kind of a palimpsest in which the read and the experienced, books and nature, childhood and adulthood, Norway and Georgia get mixed, reflecting each other. It might be that such a continuous interrelationship is responsible for the effect of tense anticipation, the one that the author calls ‘the wandering sorrow of the wintry time’. Where does the sorrow come from, the one that is joy at the same time?

‘As opposed to a tourist, a traveller is a person who steps over the boundary, something that is simultaneously material and imaginary, and can be life-changing or fatal. Archil Kikodze is the person who can experience the thrills of stepping over and uncover the secrets hidden beyond, and then tell others about his impressions.”

★Rights sold in Azerbaijani!
★English sample available.

Other titles of the author: The Southern Elephant, Lizard on the Gravestone

Norwegian Diary – Naturalistic-Literary Journey is a heartwarming work by Archil Kikodze. The book provides unforgettable impressions to the reader: a story of humans and the nature. Through this magnificent literary work the author takes us on a journey to the depths of Norway, depicting the picturesque nature, peaceful, snowy mountains, and winter days filled with sorrow and joy and reflections on the time past, thoughts on life and future.

Archil Kikodze once again, demonstrates his unconditional affection to the nature and care for humans. The author’s thoughts and impressions will take the reader to a very captivating literary journey.

Archil Kikodze

Writer, actor, wildlife guide, photographer and birdwatcher, Archil Kikodze stands out as one of the major names of contemporary Georgian literature. He graduated from Tbilisi State University, department of Oriental Studies. Later he mastered the profession of cameraman and screenwriter at Tbilisi State Institute of Theatre and Cinema.

Kikodze started writing in the late 90-ies and for almost twenty years he was actively working on short stories and guidebooks. His first novel The Southern Elephant was published in 2016 and was followed by an immense public success and recognition.

In his literary works A. Kikodze is able to perfectly demonstrate visible and invisible attraction of Georgian people. Dialogues between generations, traveling, looking for answers to questions – those are the main topics that the author covers in his literary works and writings.

The awards:
•His documentary film "Spring in Javakheti" won the 2004 Niamori Festival Award.
•"The Story of a Bird and a Man" won the 2014 Saba prize for the best short story.
•"The Southern Elephant" won the 2017 IliaUni Writers' House Litera Award for Best Novel of the Year.