An extract from On the Calculation of Volume I by Solvej Balle, translated by Barbara J. Haveland
In the first part of Solvej Balle’s epic septology, Tara Selter has slipped out of time. Every morning, she wakes up to the 18th of November
Barbara J. Haveland
Barbara J. Haveland is a Scottish literary translator, based in Copenhagen
She translates fiction, poetry and drama from Danish and Norwegian to English. She has translated works by many leading Danish and Norwegian writers, both classic and contemporary, including Henrik Ibsen, Peter Høeg, Linn Ullmann and Carl Frode Tiller. Her English-language translation of On the Calculation of Volume I by Solvej Balle was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2025.
It takes a familiar narrative trope – a protagonist inexplicably stuck in the same day – and transforms it into a profound meditation on love, connectedness and what it means to exist
— The 2025 judges on On the Calculation of Volume I
All nominated books
In the first part of Solvej Balle’s epic septology, Tara Selter has slipped out of time. Every morning, she wakes up to the 18th of November
By Solvej Balle
Translated by Barbara J. Haveland
