Literature | Sirpa Kähkönen is giving up the leadership of the Norwegian Writers’ Union: “The literary field disciplined by the pandemic has been a work environment that eats up strength”

Finland The long-term chairman of the Norwegian Writers’ Union Sirpa Kähkönen announces that he is resigning from his position.

According to Kähkönen, the reason for leaving the position is the difficult past years.

“The decision was not easy, and I made it with a heavy heart. But the past years have been difficult, and especially the literary field, which has been disciplined by the pandemic, has been a work environment that eats up strength”, Sirpa Kähkönen says in the newsletter of the Writers’ Association.

Author Sirpa Kähkönen started at the head of the Writers’ Association in 2018. Originally, he was supposed to continue until the end of his second three-year term, the end of 2023.

The new chairman will be chosen by the union’s autumn meeting, which will meet according to the previously agreed schedule in November.

For the time being, the duties of the chairman are performed by the vice chairman of the executive board Virpi Hämeen-Anttila.

In June, the new Executive Director of the Writers’ Association was elected Ilmi Villacíswho will start his position at the beginning of September.