Norway
Last updated: March 23, 2025
Norwegian literature is a rich and diverse body of work that reflects the country's history, culture, and stunning natural landscapes. From the sagas of the Middle Ages to modern-day fiction, Norwegian literature has been shaped by its unique landscape and the experiences of its people. Norwegian authors recommended on Five Books include 2023 Nobel Prize for Literature winner Jon Fosse, the 19th-century playwright Henrik Ibsen and other modern authors like Karl Ove Knausgård. Norwegian crime writing—authors like Jo Nesbø, and Karin Fossum—are particularly popular in the English language. A work of philosophy for young adults, Sophie's World (1991) by Jostein Gaarder was and continues to be an international bestseller, recently turned into a graphic book.
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Gisli Sursson’s Saga
by Various -
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Growth of the Soil
by Knut Hamsun and Sverre Lyngstad (translator) -
3
Shyness and Dignity
by Dag Solstad and Sverre Lyngstad (translator) -
4
Beatles
by Don Bartlett (translator) & Lars Saabye Christensen -
5
My Struggle
by Don Bartlett (translator) & Karl Ove Knausgård
Essential Norwegian Fiction, recommended by Roy Jacobsen
Essential Norwegian Fiction, recommended by Roy Jacobsen
Sagas old and new, from Gisli Sursson’s trials to Knausgård’s struggle, form the backbone of Roy Jacobsen’s selection of essential fiction from Norway, a country that is like ‘a black and not very polished diamond’, and where writers and readers seek out the human, ‘no matter how awkward, grandiose, sentimental, nostalgic, embarrassing, hyperbolic, stupid, hilarious or dangerous it may be’
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Har døden taget noget fra dig så giv det tilbage, Carls bog
by Naja Marie Aidt -
2
Yahya Hassan: Digte
by Yahya Hassan -
3
Det är natten
by Karolina Ramqvist -
4
Wilful Disregard: A Novel About Love
by Lena Andersson and Sarah Death (translator) -
5
Moonstone: The Boy Who Never Was
by Sjón, translated by Victoria Cribb
Dorthe Nors on the best Contemporary Scandinavian Literature
Dorthe Nors on the best Contemporary Scandinavian Literature
Minimalism is big with the Danes while Icelanders favour magical realism; the Swedes keep it classical while the Norwegians get emotional. Man Booker International shortlistee Dorthe Nors takes us on a tour of the most exciting voices in contemporary Scandinavian literature.
The best books on The Vikings, recommended by Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough
The Vikings discovered America and traded slaves in Baghdad. They sometimes buried their dead in ships, but probably did not burn them. And they did not wear horned helmets. Historian Eleanor Barraclough separates myth from reality and recommends the best Viking books.
Jo Nesbø recommends the best Norwegian Crime Writing
The bestselling Norwegian crime writer, Jo Nesbø, recommends some of the classics of his genre, many of which have not (yet) been translated into English.
