Things are off to a great start for Anders Totland’s A Prayer for Jacob Juul – film rights have been sold, it’s made its way to the bestseller list, and the first international sale has been secured.
A Prayer for Jacob Juul is a tragicomic noir about a retired priest that becomes a widower, grandfather, and murderer in just a couple of days. Norwegian publisher Samlaget published the book on October 6th, and the following week it had already made its way onto the Norwegian bestseller lists.
Film rights have also been commissioned by one of Norway’s most successful film production companies, Paradox, owned by SF Studios. They are responsible for a number of hits: The King’s Choice, The Last King, A Thousand Times Goodnight, A Somewhat Gentle Man and Hawaii, Oslo, to name a few.
Producer Finn Gjerdrum is thrilled about taking the book to the screen:
“As soon as I started reading, I was taken by the pace, characters, humor, and universe in general. Now, here’s a movie, I thought, and I want to make it. I was no less convinced when I got to the end, when I was both moved and emotional.”
It’s not just the silver screen that has an interest in the novel; Denmark’s Straarup & Co has signed the first international sales. Per Straarup, owner and publisher, is delighted to acquire the rights:
“I’ve never read such an absurd Christmas story – and never been so thoroughly entertained.”
Publisher Håkon Kolmannskog of Samlaget also has high hopes for the filmatization of the book:
“The moonshining priest Jacob Juul is like a Clint Eastwood character with a shotgun and a priest’s robe. A Prayer for Jacob Juul is a wonderfully quirky, entertaining, and exciting story. This novel begs to be made into a movie!”
“For me, this is a dream coming true. To see a story that I have written being played out on a big screen is almost a little surreal. I am very excited to start writing this film, and have great faith that Paradox and Finn Gjerdrum are the very best partners to make my book into a really good film,” says Anders Totland.
Norway’s largest independent literary agency, Northern Stories, has been named a Gazelle Company by Dagens Næringsliv for the second consecutive year. In 2024, the agency grew its turnover from NOK 10.2 to 15.8 million – an increase of more than 50 percent, marking yet another record year.
We’re delighted to share that Agnes Ravatn has been nominated for the Booksellers’ Award 2025 for her brilliant new novel Doggerland. Her novel is also already sold to Poland, and in World English.
We’re proud to announce that Frode Helland has been nominated for this year’s Brage Prize for Nonfiction, Norway’s most prestigious literary award, for his extraordinary book Holocaust – A history told by the victims. This is a deeply moving and illuminating contribution to our understanding of one of history’s darkest chapters.
Northern Stories has hired Dilani Vamapahan as a literary agent. She was chosen from a pool of 175 applicants.
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