Nova – Fantastiske Fortellinger
Entry updated 19 November 2023. Tagged: Publication.
Norwegian sf, fantasy and horror Magazine published 1971-1979 by the Stowa Forlag four to five times a year, with a total of 34 issues. Founded 1971 by the publisher and editor Terje Wanberg (1939-2006) it started as a translated editon of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction but became independent after the first two issues (September and October 1971); changing its name to Nova – Fantastiske Fortellinger ["Nova – Fantastic Tales"] in 1973. Øyvind Myhre had become "scientific editor" in 1971 and replaced Terje Wanberg in 1974, while Johannes H Berg (1956-2004) and Per G Olsen (1944-2016) were editors 1978-1979. Listed members of the editorial staff were Jon Bing, Tor Åge Bringsværd, Thore Hansen, Tore Neset, Per G Olsen, Roar Ringdahl, Erik Steen, and Tore Stokka. They contributed translations, reviews of books, films and SF Music and interviews with rock groups such as Gong and Hawkwind. Several covers were drawn by the acclaimed illustrator Thore Hansen; illustrations were taken from various magazines, or drawn by Norwegian contributors such as Roger A Johansen, Torunn Høien, Eirik Ildahl, Geir A Olsen, Per G Olsen, Glenn Rugaas, and many others.
Science Fiction Magasinet/Nova published about 100 translated short stories and novellas by well-known foreign authors, ranging from classic sf by Jack London, Edgar Allan Poe, Jules Verne, and H G Wells, via important names from the fifties, sixties and seventies, such as Brian W Aldiss, Poul Anderson, Isaac Asimov, Alfred Bester, Leigh Brackett, C J Cherryh, Arthur C Clarke, Robert A Heinlein, Ursula K Le Guin, Vonda N McIntyre, Larry Niven, Edgar Pangborn, James Tiptree Jr, Jack Vance and A E van Vogt, to such experimental work as Harlan Ellison's "The Deathbird" (March 1973 F&SF). These were supplemented by older genre writers such as Ambrose Bierce, Robert E Howard, H P Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith, making Nova a serious magazine of Fantastika not solely confined to sf.
From #3 in 1971 onward, Science Fiction Magasinet/Nova published approximately 100 stories by Norwegian authors; some issues were dominated by natively written sf. Over the years the number of stories lessened as their average length increased. A majority of these authors later moved on to novels and collections for various publishers: Tore G Bareksten, Jan Bjørkelund, Åsmund Forfang, Thore Hansen, Dag Ove Johansen, Ingar Knudtsen Jr, Arvid Malme, Øyvind Myhre, Geir Arne Olsen (also known as Leonard Borgzinner), Roar Ringdahl; Jon Bing and Tor Åge Bringsværd were already established authors since 1967. The magazine also printed Poetry and one of the first Norwegian sf Comics: "Will Power" (1975-1976 Nova #1-#2), created by Kjell Krosser. In 1976-1978 Stowa Forlag also published four books in the Nova science fiction series: Roar Ringdahl's Skandalen i Dodderston ["The Scandal in Doddderston"] (1976); Øyvind Myhre's Kontrabande ["Contraband"] (1976); Roar Ringdahl and Per G Olsen's Nazna ["Nazna"] (1977); and Poul Anderson's novella "Epilogue" (March 1962 Analog), translated as Epilog (1978). The magazine ceased publication in 1979. [CPe]
previous versions of this entry