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
Solvej Balle
Solvej Balle is a Danish author and publisher
She made her debut in 1986 with Lyrebird and went on to write one of the 1990s’ most acclaimed works of Danish literature, According to the Law: Four Accounts of Mankind (1993), which was published in more than ten countries.
Following this, she disappeared from the spotlight, moving from Copenhagen to the small island of Ærø, where she wrote a handful of works and founded her publishing house, Pelagraf.
Nearly 30 years later, the first book of a planned septology, On the Calculation of Volume I, was self-published. Five books have been published in Danish so far, with translations underway in over 20 countries. In 2022, Solvej Balle was awarded the prestigious Nordic Council Literature Prize. On the Calculation of Volume I 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
