Norwegian stand-up comedian Are Kalvø grew up right in the middle of the postcard-perfect landscape of northwest Norway, on a farm under the mountains that people travel halfway across the planet to see. Yet he’s never been drawn to the outdoors. But a few years ago, the mountains started to take over his friends, until one day he realised that everyone he knew had at least one photo of the mountains on their social media. He started thinking about it: What is it about nature that they all have?
And so came the stand-up Hiking to Hell and The Hiking Book from Hell (into Czech translated by Daniela Mrázová and published by Host), which poke fun at the Norwegian stereotype of the uniqueness of being in nature and the nature of Scandinavians, and which with a bit of perspective will entertain both die-hard mountain lovers and “café loafers”. The stand-up will be followed by a debate not only about walking in the mountains. Moderated by Petra Hesová.
The stand-up and the debate will be held in English without interpreting.
Admission: voluntary contribution

© hostbrno.cz; Sturlason
Are Kalvø (born 1969) is a leading Norwegian comedian and satirist who has been working in the genre of stand-up comedy for over twenty years. He is also the author of musicals, revues, operas and eleven books on topics as diverse as religion, politics, football and leisure. As a result, he has gained a wide audience and a lot of praise, received many awards and sometimes a bit of a brush. He often writes about topics he doesn’t know much about. In The Hiking Book from Hell he writes for the first time about something he doesn’t understand at all. He is probably the only person in the world who has had his picture taken on the famous rock massif of Preikestolen without holding his hands up to the sky.
You won’t be in Prague? Are Kalvø will also perform in Brno, Ostrava and Slovakia as part of the Authors’ Reading Month festival. You’re not going to make it anyway? Then you can watch our earlier online event on YouTube.
The event is organized by the Scandinavian House in cooperation with the Authors’ Reading Month festival, (A)void Floating Gallery, publishing houses Větrné mlýny and Host, and with the financial support from the Norwegian Embassy in Prague, the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic and the city of Prague.