This is the first time I’ve actually seen an estimate of the population size of Norway and I’m actually shocked there are so few Norwegians. I figured pretty much Scandinavian countries had a population of at least the Netherlands. That said I was aware that Denmark was smaller in population but that Norway has about Denmarks population is news to me.
It really depends on what the original language is. I prefer to read books in their original language rather than in their translations. But as I’m only comfortable with English or my native language, Dutch, it pretty much means I’ll be reading in English. I haven’t really yet read anything from an author that didn’t either write in English or Dutch. I suppose that once I’ll be reading something by, say, a French author, I might read a Dutch translation if available.
But I do really find that reading in English sometimes requires just a bit more concentration.
I will add that I read Harry Potter as a kid in Dutch, later in English and I find that Wiebe Buddingh’, who ‘wrote’ the Dutch books, is a better author than JK Rowling.
Yeah and even Sweden is still only about two thirds of the Netherlands. I’m aware the Netherlands is very densely populated, but these Scandinavian countries are huge compared to the Netherlands, maybe with the exception of Denmark which is similar in size.