Bjørn Petter Westlie (born 23 July 1949) is a Norwegian journalist, historian, university college lecturer and non-fiction writer.
Career
In 1995, as a journalist for the newspaper ''
Dagens Næringsliv
''Dagens Næringsliv'' (Norwegian for "Today's Business"), commonly known as ''DN'', is a Norwegian newspaper specializing in business news. , it is the third-largest newspaper in Norway. Editor-in-chief is Janne Johannessen, who was appointed i ...
'', Westlie published a major article about the
looting of the Norwegian Jews during the Second World War.
[ In many cases the survivors were not able to reclaim any valuables, businesses or properties.
Together with historian Bjarte Bruland’s research this article started a public settlement process ending with the Government giving financial compensation and issuing a public apology.
In most of his books Westlie has focused on the Second World War. ''Maktens ansikt'' (The Face of Power) from 1991 is a portrait of ]Milorg
Milorg (abbreviation of militær organisasjon – military organization) was the main Norwegian resistance movement during World War II. Resistance work included intelligence gathering, sabotage, supply-missions, raids, espionage, transport of ...
leader and later politician Jens Chr. Hauge
Jens Christian Hauge (15 May 1915 – 30 October 2006) was a Norwegian who was leader within the World War II resistance—and one of the two incumbent Milorg Council members in May 1945. Njølstad p.125 He served as Minister of Defence from 19 ...
. In 2002 he published ''Oppgjør: I skyggen av Holocaust'' (Revisitation – In the Shadow of the Holocaust). ''Fars krig'' (My Father’s War) from 2008 told the story about his father, who was an SS volunteer.[ This book received the ]Brage Prize
The Brage Prize (Norwegian: ''Brageprisen'') is a Norwegian literature prize that is awarded annually by the Norwegian Book Prize foundation (''Den norske bokprisen''). The prize recognizes recently published Norwegian literature.
The Brage Priz ...
for non-fiction for 2008,[
His book, ''Fangene som forsvant. NSB og slavearbeiderne på Nordlandsbanen'' (The Disappeared Prisoners. NSB (Norwegian State Railways) and the Slave Labourers on the Nordland Line) came out in 2015.][
In 2019 he published the book ''Det norske jødehatet: propaganda og presse under okkupasjonen''.][
]
Radicalism
For about ten years, from 1974 and onward, Bjørn Westlie was a member of the Workers' Communist Party. In interviews he has described his activism mainly as a reaction to the Vietnam War. According to himself, Westlie has repeatedly been rethinking his own embrace of extreme political movements when trying to decipher his father’s choices.
Personal life
Westlie was born on 23 July 1949.[
Bjørn Westlie lives in Oslo. He is married to researcher, journalist, university college lecturer and writer ]Anne Hege Simonsen
Anne Hege Simonsen (born 1 April 1965) is a Norway, Norwegian social anthropologist and journalist.
Simonsen has worked as a journalist in NRK and ''Klassekampen'', she has been the editor of ''Ny Tid'' and Verdensmagasinet X and is now an asso ...
.[ As of 2013 he had two daughters and one grandchild.][
]
Selected works
* 1988: ''I grenselandet: når forskning flytter grensen mellom liv og død.'',[ Universitetsforlaget
* 1991: ''Maktens ansikt: et portrett av Jens Chr. Hauge''][ – with Alf Ole Ask, Gyldendal
* 1995: ''Drømmen om det perfekte mennesket. Fra arvehygiene til genhygiene'', Gyldendal
* 1996: ''Coming to terms with the past: The process of restitution of Jewish property in Norway'', Institute of the World Jewish Congress
* 2002: ''Oppgjør – I skyggen av Holocaust'', Aschehoug][
* 2008: ''Fars krig'', Aschehoug][
* 2012: ''Hitlers norske budbringere'', Aschehoug][
* 2015: ''Fangene som forsvant. NSB og slavearbeiderne på Nordlandsbanen'', Spartacus
* 2019: ''Det norske jødehatet - propaganda og presse under okkupasjonen'', Res Publica][
* 2022: ''Mørke år. Norge og jødene på 1930-tallet'', Res Publica
]
See also
* The history of the Norwegian State Railways
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Westlie, Bjorn
1949 births
Living people
Norwegian journalists
Norwegian non-fiction writers