Maja Lunde had last year’s best-selling novel in Germany – about bees. Now she has written about the most important and beautiful we have: Water, and love.
"It’s great, of course. At the same time, it’s a bit unreal. Especially when I travel abroad and realize how huge this has become. It’s almost as if they’re talking about someone else,” says Maja, adding: “It’s good to come home to my family where everything is like it used to be.”
Maja Lunde’s writing career started with children’s books and TV-manuscripts, then The History of Bees (translated into English by Diane Oatley for Scribner, norw. Bienes historie) turned her life upside down. Die Geschichte der Bienen (The History of Bees) was last year’s best-selling book in Germany, regardless of genre. Maja Lunde outsold Dan Brown, Jeff Kinney, and Elena Ferrante. So far, over 30 countries (32 languages) have secured the rights to the novel. And The History of Bees is not Maja’s only success: Publishers in USA, Germany and France have pledged large sums to secure the next books in her planned Climate Quartet.
The History of Bees was followed by a new success novel about the vulnerability of humans and nature, and the most vital thing that exists: water.
“We can’t do without it. Water is vital to us, and what we look for on other planets. At the same time, water is incredibly beautiful. This was my starting point for Blue (norw. Blå) ,” Maja says.
“The book I wanted to write”
“You’ve chosen timely themes, climate crisis and ecology, and the plot unfolds in various parts of the world. Did the international success come as a total surprise?”
“You wonder if I had a speculative marketing plan to conquer the world?” Maja Lunde rebuts with a bubbly laughter. “I can assure you it wasn’t like that”. I write the books I want to write. In the past, I’ve tried writing one or two novels without feeling completely comfortable. They’re kept in the drawer. Suddenly, it was there, the TV documentary about the fear that bees could become extinct, and then, it became clear to me that this was what I wanted to delve into. This was the book I wanted to write.”
An unusual child
This is how the story goes: “It starts with the theme. Then I spend a lot of time getting to know the topic I’m writing about,” Maja says.
Maja has never made a secret of her love for research, delving into new topics and new geographical regions – whether at home, in Svalbard, or along Greek beaches.
“I’m very fond of doing research and curious by nature. There’s hardly a topic that won’t be interesting once you get into it.”
“Were you an unusual child?”
“I may have a well-developed nerd gene, yes, and have always generally liked knowledge. So maybe, I was a little different. I was one of those kids who got annoyed when others were disruptive in class.” She laughs heartily, and almost blushes when she thinks back to herself being that indignant little girl who was good at school.
Now, the world literary lies at her feet, she can dispense knowledge wherever she wishes. We talk about some of her recent trips abroad:
“The research trips may come in useful for the next book when you write about...?”
“Oh, no, you. You can’t get me to go there.” The themes of the final two books in her planned Climate Quartet are well-kept secrets.
Dreads the reviews
Like many other writers, Maja dreaded the reception of Blue:
“Yes, of course, I care about the critics. I won’t deny that I’m very nervous in the days before a book launch.”
It turned out that the dread was totally unfounded – this time as well. Maja Lunde receives accolades from reviewers worldwide.
“You’ve previously written a thesis on the Norwegian film director, Nils R. Müller, and you’ve written several TV manuscripts. Does this affect your writing in that you’re thinking more in terms of images and are ‘watching the film’?”
“Yes, maybe it does. In a way, I see the scenes like in a film. Sometimes, being in the novel feels more real than reality – when you’re immersed in the character.
Writing anywhere
Combining her new international star-writer status with being a mother of three kids at home isn’t easy. The kids need to be cared for, books need to be launched all around the world, and new books must be written. Regarding the last Maja is fortunately, quite flexible:
“I can write anywhere. At home, with the kids all around. If I’ve half an hour waiting at the airport and if you weren’t sitting on the other side of the table, I’d surely be writing.”
“You announced quite early on that this would be a quartet. Aren’t you afraid that you’ve put yourself under unnecessary stress and constraint?”
“No, I just feel relieved. I’m delighted to be able to write about what I care about, write what I want.”
The History of Bees has been an adventure for Maja Lunde. Her books have been sold to over 30 countries and resulted in book tours and launches all over the world. She doesn’t hide the fact that the long foreign trips can be a mixed blessing:
“It’s very nice to follow my books journey out into the world. At the same time, it’s both hectic and a bit lonely. I can’t take my family with me and yearn to return home to them. The program is tight, so I don’t get to see as much as I wish on these trips.”
Choose to be optimistic
Meeting journalists and critics can be a diverse experience with interesting variations from country to country:
“The Germans are very knowledgeable, especially concerning the issues around climate and ecology. Polish critics think that my books are ‘un-Norwegian’, while others believe they convey a Nordic mindset – down-to-earth and social democratic, where it’s important to take care of each other. In Denmark, The History of Bees is thought to have too much of a happy ending.”
“In a talk show, John Cleese was recently asked which question was the strangest he’d ever been asked. He replied that it was the following (from an audience in Norway): ‘If you were to be part of a plane, which part would it be?’ What’s the strangest question you’ve been asked?”
“In Poland, I was in the television studio early in the morning. The journalist, a gravely serious man, leaned towards me with the opening question: ‘Are we doomed?’. I thought, from here onwards, the only way is up.”
“So: ‘Are we doomed?’”
“No, not at all. If I thought that everything was bleak, I would never have written this. I choose to be optimistic and believe that we humans can address these challenges.”
For more information
Oslo Literary Agency: Maja Lunde
Books from Norway: Blue