The Nordic literary salon online returns after the summer break. In September, together with translator Viola Parente-Čapková, we will present the book Black Butterfly (published by KHER, 2024) by Kiba Lumberg, a Finnish writer, artist, and activist of Romani origin. Moderated by Petr Kujal.
You can watch the live stream on Wednesday 20th September 2025 from 20:00 on the Scandinavian House Facebook page. The recording will later be made available on our YouTube Channel.
In Czech.
About the book:
Kiba Lumberg’s novel entitled Black Butterfly describes the oppression of women in the patriarchal community of Finnish Roma.
“My curse and blessing is that I was born a Roma woman,” begins the story of Memesa Grönlund, the main character of the novel. It tells the story of a girl growing up in the Kale Roma community in the city of Lappeenranta in eastern Finland. Memesa describes life in their patriarchal community, the relationships between her and the rest of her family, but also the bullying she encounters at home and at school.
The partner of Nordic literary salon online is Czech Translators of the North – an association that brings together translators of fiction from Northern languages to Czech. The event is part of the Scandinavian House’s year-long project Nordic Literature in the Heart of Europe 2025. It is supported by the Prague City Hall and the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.
