She describes herself as a "dedicated bookworm,"so it doesn't come as a great surprise to learn that Princess Mette-Marit of Norway is set to open an exhibition at the NationalLibrary in Oslo on September 24. But what is a surprise is the subject matter of theexhibition – erotica.
'The Red Ruby — Erotic Transgression In NorwegianLiterature' takes its title from a novel by Agnar Mykle.
The Song of the Red Ruby, which was released in 1956, is setjust before World War II and features detailed descriptions of sex. It caused an outcry in Nowway and the author andpublisher were subsequently tried for obscenity and the book was pulled fromshelves. After a long legal battle, which included a trial and appeal, theSupreme Court of Norway declared that the book was not obscene.
The Royal House of Norway has confirmed that the Princess will attend. "We greatly appreciate Princess Mette-Marit openingthis exhibition," which celebrates Mykle's 100th birthday, said Aslak SiraMyhre, the National Library's director.
Mette-Marit is an advocate for literacy and for the past twoyears has transformed her royal train carriage into a rolling library that hastraveled across Norway. At each stop the princess met with locals to encouragea love of reading as well as talking to authors.
The mother of three, who has said in the past that she"cannot imagine a life without books," admitted to local newspaper Dagbladetthat she'd read some more recent eroticliterature – 50 Shades of Grey.
"I have read some pages of it," she laughed beforesaying that the benefit of getting older is that she doesn't need to spend timereading things she doesn't like. "It's so amazing, being able to put downa bad book!"
The princess has denied that she plans to write a book butjoked in May that maybe her daughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 11, will be anauthor.
"When she was little, before she had learned to write,she would trick people into writing down the stories she dictated tothem," she told the audience at a literature festival in Lillehammer.
