A short history of electronic literature and communities in the Nordic countries

Abstract

This article gives a survey of the tradition of electronic literature in the Nordic countries, focusing both on the literature and communities emerging in the field within the last two decades. I have no ambition of covering all the activities that have been going on in the Nordic countries for the last two decades. Much has happened, and it would be impossible and futile to include all in this article. For the record: The Nordic countries include Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Faroe Islands, and Norway. Unfortunately, I know of no electronic literature from Iceland and Faroe Islands. In Finland the tradition of electronic literature is rich, but unfortunately my knowledge in the Finnish language is weak and I am therefore not able to treat the Finnish tradition with the respect it deserves. The article provides introduction to electronic literature in the Nordic countries, with a particularly attention on electronic literature and communities in Sweden, Denmark and Norway.