Norway has produced a number of great writers. Some have even been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, an honor that has been handed out since 1901. The most recent recipient of the award is Jon Fosse, who received the honor in 2023. He is a novelist, poet and playwright whose works reflect the picturesque Hardanger surroundings he grew up in. His plays are widely performed, and he has gained a following around the world with his three-novel series, Septology. Today, he splits his time between his home in the western part of the country and a residence in Oslo.
Prior to Fosse’s win, it had been 95 years since a Norwegian had received this high honor. Former laureates include Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson in 1903, Knut Hamsun in 1920, and Sigrid Undset in 1928. Bjørnson is perhaps best known for his writing of the poem, Ja, Vi Elsker Dette Landet which later became the national anthem for the country. Undset, the country’s only female prize winner, grew up in Oslo and won for her trilogy that depicted life in medieval Norway. Henrik Ibsen, while not a Nobel Prize winner, is one of Norway’s most recognized playwrights. His two most famous plays, Peer Gynt, and A Doll’s House are both set in Norway and depict the society in the 1800’s. Famous quotations from Ibsen’s works can be seen today carved into the street pavement throughout the city of Oslo.
Norway’s writing legacy continues to look bright. Contemporary writers are gaining popularity and notoriety around the world for their works. Lars Mytting had a non-fiction success in 2011 with Norwegian Wood: Chopping, Stacking, and Drying Wood the Scandinavian Way and more recently wrote a fiction novel that highlights the history of Gubrandsdalen, where he grew up. Maja Lunde is an Oslo native who is successfully writing both children’s and adult books, along with a TV series. If crime stories are your favorite genre, then you are likely familiar with Jo Nesbø, whose works heavily feature the city of Oslo, where his police detective character Harry Hole lives and works. These and many other authors will ensure that Norway’s writing legacy will continue well into the future.
Source:
https://www.visitnorway.com/