Today is Norway’s Constitution Day, the countries national day and the perfect opportunity to celebrate all of the fabulous Norwegian authors, that Orenda have on their list. You may have already spotted that Mandie and I have featured a good number of the books already and we’ve a good number still to come, but in case you have missed anything so far, today we’ve decided to showcase all the authors and all the books. you never know, your next favourite read might be in amongst this list.
Thomas Enger
Thomas Enger is a former journalist. He made his debut with the crime novel Burned (Skinndød) in 2010, which became an international sensation before publication. Burned is the first in a series of five books about the journalist Henning Juul, which delves into the depths of Oslo’s underbelly, skewering the corridors of dirty politics and nailing the fast-moving world of 24-hour news. Rights to the series, which includes Cursed and Killed, have been sold to 28 countries to date. In 2013 Enger published his first book for young adults, a dark fantasy thriller called The Evil Legacy, for which he won the U-prize (best book Young Adult). Killer Instinct, another Young Adult suspense novel, was published in Norway in 2017, and formed the basis for his standalone thriller, Inborn, which was rewritten for the adult market in English, and shortlisted for the Petrona Award. Thomas also composes music, and he lives in a village outside of Oslo. He writes the international bestselling Blix & Ramm series with Jørn Lier Horst.
Books by Thomas Enger
Read my reviews here:
Jørn Lier Horst
Jørn Lier Horst (b. 1970) has, with his award-winning novels about William Wisting, joined the elite of Nordic crime writers. Having worked as a head of investigations before becoming a full-time author, Horst brings a unique brand of suspense and realism to the table. Besides his novels for grown readers, Horst has gained recognition for his unparalleled ability to thrill even young readers with charming mysteries. His standing as the Norwegian king of crime fiction for all ages was cemented when he created the Detective Agency No. 2 and CLUE series, both the most popular children’s book series in their respective age categories. Jørn writes the international, bestselling Blix & Ramm series with Thomas Enger, and lives in Norway.
Books by Thomas Enger and Jørn Lier Horst
Read my reviews here:
Agnes Ravatn
Agnes Ravatn (b. 1983) is an author and columnist. She made her literary début with the novel Week 53 (Veke 53) in 2007, followed by three critically acclaimed and award-winning essay collections: Standing still (Stillstand), 2011, Popular Reading (Folkelesnad), 2011, and Operation self-discipline (Operasjon sjøldisiplin), 2014. In these works Ravatn shows her unique, witty voice and sharp eye for human fallibility. Her second novel, The Bird Tribunal (Fugletribuanlet), was an international bestseller, translated into fifteen languages, and winning an English PEN Award, shortlisting for the Dublin Literary Award, a WHSmith Fresh Talent pick and a BBC Book at Bedtime. It was also made into a successful play, which premiered in Oslo in 2015. The critically acclaimed The Seven Doors was published in English in 2020. Agnes lives with her family in the Norwegian countryside.
Books by Agnes Ravatn
Read my reviews here:
The Bird Tribunal
The Seven Doors
Kjell Ola Dahl
One of the fathers of the Nordic Noir genre, Kjell Ola Dahl was born in 1958 in Gjøvik. He made his debut in 1993, and has since published twelve novels, the most prominent of which is a series of police procedurals cum psychological thrillers (The Oslo Detectives series) featuring investigators Gunnarstranda and Frølich. In 2000 he won the Riverton Prize for The Last Fix and he also won both the prestigious Brage and Riverton Prizes for The Courier in 2015. The Courier was longlisted for the CWA International Dagger and was a number-one bestseller in ebook. His work has been published in fourteen countries, and he lives in the Norwegian countryside.
Books by Kjell Ola Dahl
Read my reviews here:
Faithless
The Ice Swimmer
Sister
The Courier
The Assistant
Helga Flatland
Helga Flatland is one of Norway’s most awarded and widely read authors. Born in Telemark, Norway, in 1984, she made her literary debut in 2010 with the novel Stay If You Can, Leave If You Must, for which she was awarded the Tarjei Vesaas’ First Book Prize. She has written four novels and a children’s book and has won several other literary awards. Her fifth novel, A Modern Family, was published to wide acclaim in Norway in August 2017, and was a number-one bestseller. The rights have subsequently been sold across Europe and the novel has sold more than 100,000 copies. A Modern Family marked Helga’s first English publication when it was released in 2019, achieving exceptional critical acclaim and sales, and leading to Helga being dubbed the ‘Norwegian Anne Tyler’. One Last Time is her second book to be translated into English (by Rosie Hedger), and published in 2021.
Books by Helga Flatland
Read my reviews here;
Gunnar Staalesen
One of the fathers of Nordic Noir, Gunnar Staalesen was born in Bergen, Norway, in 1947. He made his debut at the age of twenty-two with Seasons of Innocence and in 1977 he published the first book in the Varg Veum series. He is the author of over twenty titles, which have been published in twenty-four countries and sold over four million copies. Twelve film adaptations of his Varg Veum crime novels have appeared since 2007, starring the popular Norwegian actor Trond Espen Seim. Staalesen has won three Golden Pistols (including the Prize of Honour). Where Roses Never Die won the 2017 Petrona Award for Nordic Crime Fiction, and Big Sister was shortlisted for the award in 2019. He lives with his wife in Bergen.
Books by Gunnar Staalesen
Read by reviews here:
We Shall Inherit The Wind
Where Roses Never Die
Wolves In The Dark
Big Sister
Wolves At The Door
Fallen Angels
Some absolutely fabulous books there, and I heartily recommend each and every one of them. Of course, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy all of their fabulous books without the work of the equally fabulous translators, Don Bartlett, Kari Dickson, Rosie Hedger, Megan Turney and Anne Bruce, and you can find out more about them all right here. Happy Constitution day to all of the writers.
Happy reading all
Jen x
Jen Med's Book Reviews 