Jo Nesbø (; born Jon Nesbø; 29 March 1960) is a Norwegian writer, musician, economist, and former football player and reporter. More than 3 million copies of his novels had been sold in Norway as of March 2014; his work has been translated into over 50 languages, and by 2021 had sold some 50 million copies worldwide, making him the most successful Norwegian author of all time. Siegel, Lee (5 May 2014).
Pure Evil: Jo Nesbø and the rise of Scandinavian crime fiction
. ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

''. Retrieved 1 December 2019. "Nesbø's Harry Hole novels have sold twenty-three million copies, in forty languages." Known primarily for his

crime novels Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...

featuring Inspector

Harry Hole Harry Hole (the surname pronounced as "HOO-leh"), whose name translates to "Harry Hill" in English and is also called "Harry Holy" by allies in the Australian police force,'' The Bat'' by James Nesbø, first novel of the Harry Hole series. Origi ...

, Nesbø is also the main vocalist and songwriter for the Norwegian rock band

Di Derre Di Derre is a Norwegian Pop rock band, founded in 1992. They were awarded the Gammleng-prisen in 1996. Band members *Jo Nesbø – vocals, guitar *Espen Stenhammer – drums *Magnus Larsen jr. – bass guitar, vocals *Halvor Holter – keyboa ...

. In 2007 he released his first children's book, ''Doktor Proktors Prompepulver'' (English translation: '' Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder''). The 2011 film '' Headhunters'' is based on Nesbø's novel ''Hodejegerne (The Headhunters)''.

Early life

Nesbø was born in 1960 in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

and grew up in Molde.Kuiper, Kathleen (25 March 2019).
Jo Nesbø
. ''Encyclopaedia Britannica''. britannica.com. Retrieved 1 December 2019. He graduated from the

Norwegian School of Economics The Norwegian School of Economics ( no, Norges Handelshøyskole) or NHH is a business school situated in Bergen, Norway. It was founded in 1936 as Norway's first business school and is a leading teaching and research institution in the fields of ...

with a degree in Economics and

Business Administration Business administration, also known as business management, is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. From the point of view of management ...

."Jo Nesbo." ''Contemporary Authors Online''.

Gale A gale is a strong wind; the word is typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as sustained surface winds moving at a speed of between 34 and 47 knots (, or ).Harry Hole Harry Hole (the surname pronounced as "HOO-leh"), whose name translates to "Harry Hill" in English and is also called "Harry Holy" by allies in the Australian police force,'' The Bat'' by James Nesbø, first novel of the Harry Hole series. Origi ...

, a tough detective working for Crime Squad and later with the National Criminal Investigation Service (

Kripos The National Criminal Investigation Service ( no, Den nasjonale enhet for bekjempelse av organisert og annen alvorlig kriminalitet, previously ''Kriminalpolitisentralen''), commonly known as Kripos, is a special agency of the Norwegian Police Ser ...

), whose investigations may take him from

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

West Congo The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. Hole takes on seemingly unconnected cases, sometimes found to involve

serial killers A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

, bank robbers,

gangsters A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and r ...

the establishment ''The Establishment'' is a term used to describe a dominant social group , group or elite that controls a polity or an organization. It may comprise a closed social group that selects its own members, or entrenched elite structures in specific ...

, but spends a significant amount of time battling alcoholism and his own demons. The Harry Hole novels are multi-layered, violent and often feature women in peril, as typified by ''The Snowman''. On the return of Harry Hole in ''The Thirst'', Nesbø said: "I was always coming back to Harry; he is my soul mate. But it is a dark soul, so it is – as always – both a thrill and a chilling, emotionally exhausting experience. But Harry and the story make it worth the sleepless nights." A film adaptation of ''

The Snowman ''The Snowman'' is a 1982 British animated television film based on Raymond Briggs's 1978 picture book ''The Snowman.'' It was directed by Dianne Jackson for Channel 4. It was first shown on 26 December 1982, and was an immediate success. It wa ...

'', with

Tomas Alfredson Hans Christian Tomas Alfredson (born 1 April 1965) is a Swedish film director who is best known internationally for directing the 2008 vampire film '' Let the Right One In'' and 2011 espionage film ''Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy''. Alfredson has re ...

directing (replacing

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominatio ...

, who

executive produced Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...

), and starring

Michael Fassbender Michael Fassbender (born 2 April 1977) is an Irish actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award, and nominations for two Academy Awards, four British Academy Film Award ...

Rebecca Ferguson Rebecca Louisa Ferguson Sundström (born 19 October 1983) is a Swedish actress. She began her acting career with the Swedish soap opera ''Nya tider'' (1999–2000) and went on to star in the slasher film ''Drowning Ghost'' (2004). She came to in ...

, and

Charlotte Gainsbourg Charlotte Lucy Gainsbourg (; born 21 July 1971) is a British-French actress and singer. She is the daughter of English actress Jane Birkin and French musician Serge Gainsbourg. After making her musical debut with her father on the song " Lemo ...

, premiered in October 2017.

The Doctor Proctor series

''Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder'', originally published in 2007, was Nesbø's first children's book. They are illustrated by Mike Lowery. The series is set in Oslo, Norway and follows the story of Doctor Proctor, a crazy professor waiting for his big break, his next-door neighbor Lisa and her peculiar friend Nilly, a short redheaded boy. The ruthless twins Truls and Trym Thrane sometimes lurk in the background. Doctor Proctor's first major inventions are a powder that makes the user fart (and the farts don't smell) and the "Fartonaut Powder," which makes the user fart so powerfully that they blast into space. In book 2 he invents a bathtub that allows the user to travel through time. As of 2018 there are 5 books in the series. In 2014 a live action film adaptation of the first book was made, and is only available in Norwegian. A sequel, ''Doktor Proktors Tidsbadekar'', was released in 2015 with German involvement. Both films received mixed reviews.

The Olav Johansen series

It was announced in October 2013 that, writing under the pen-name of Tom Johansen, Nesbø had written at least two novels provisionally entitled ''Blood on Snow'' and ''More Blood on the Water'', scheduled to be published in autumn 2014 and spring 2015. The books ''Blood on Snow'' and its sequel ''Midnight Sun: Blood on Snow 2'' were published in 2015, but under Jo Nesbø's name. It was also announced in October 2013 that

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American Film studio, film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, Califo ...

had bought the rights to ''Blood on Snow'' and planned to make a screen adaptation, to be produced by and possibly starring Leonardo DiCaprio. However, on 4 April 2017, it was reported that the screen rights had been purchased by

Tobey Maguire Tobias Vincent Maguire (born June 27, 1975) is an American actor and film producer. He is best known for playing Peter Parker (Sam Raimi film series), the title character from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man in film#Sam Raimi films, ''Spider-Man'' tril ...

's Material Pictures and Lawrence Grey's Grey Matter Productions, and that Maguire would make his directorial debut on the projected film adaptation. This series follows Olav Johansen, a fixer for Oslo crime boss Daniel Hoffman. In ''Blood on Snow'', Olav has just found the woman of his dreams. The only problem is that she's his boss's wife and that his boss has hired him to kill her. A film adaptation of ''Midnight Sun'', titled ''

The Hanging Sun ''The Hanging Sun'' is a 2022 Italian-British noir thriller film directed by Francesco Carrozzini. It is an adaptation of the 2015 novel ''Midnight Sun'' by Jo Nesbø. The film had its world premiere as the closing film of the 79th Venice Intern ...

'', directed by

Francesco Carrozzini Francesco Carrozzini (born September 9, 1982) is an Italian-born director and photographer based in the United States. In 2016, he made his feature directorial debut at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival with the documentary '' Franca: ...

directing and starring Alessandro Borghi,

Jessica Brown Findlay Jessica Rose Brown Findlay (born 14 September 1987) is an English actress. She played Lady Sybil Crawley in the ITV television period drama series ''Downton Abbey'' and Emelia Conan Doyle in the 2011 British comedy-drama feature film '' Albatr ...

Sam Spruell Sam Spruell (born 1 January 1977) is a British actor. He is best known for playing villainous roles in film and television including Oleg Malankov in ''Taken 3'', Finn in ''Snow White and the Huntsman'' and Swarm in '' Doctor Who: Flux''. He als ...

Peter Mullan Peter Mullan (; born 2 November 1959) is a Scottish actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his role in Ken Loach's ''My Name Is Joe'' (1998), for which he won Best Actor Award at 1998 Cannes Film Festival, 2000's '' The Claim'' and all thr ...

and

Charles Dance Walter Charles Dance (born 10 October 1946) is an English actor. He is known for playing strict, authoritarian characters and villains. His most notable film roles include Sardo Numspa in ''The Golden Child'' (1986), Dr. Jonathan Clemens in ''A ...

, premiered at the

79th Venice International Film Festival The 79th annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 31 August to 10 September 2022. Juries Main Competition (Venezia 79) * Julianne Moore, American actress and author (Jury President) * Mariano Cohn, Argentine director, screenw ...

in September 2022.

Other projects

In 2011, the Nesbø story ''Twelve'' was adapted by Magnus Martens into the film ''Jackpot'' ( no, Arme Riddere), a black comedy crime mystery film. In 2014 it was announced that Nesbø would contribute a re-telling of the story of ''

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

'' as part of the

Hogarth Shakespeare The Hogarth Shakespeare project was an effort by Hogarth Press to retell works by William Shakespeare for a more modern audience. To do this, Hogarth commissioned well-known writers to select and re-imagine the plays. Novels Authors and works ...

project, described as a 'crime noir' version of the

tragedy Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy ...

. His ''

'' is set in 1970 in an unspecified location that combines aspects of Scandinavia and Scotland, and involves an Inspector Macbeth of a paramilitary

SWAT In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...

team targeting bikers, drug dealers, and his police colleagues. It was published in April 2018. In 2016, it was announced that there are also plans to adapt his stand-alone novel, ''Sønnen'' (''The Son''), as a film, to be directed by

Denis Villeneuve Denis Villeneuve (; born October 3, 1967) is a Canadian filmmaker. He is a four-time recipient of the Canadian Screen Award (formerly Genie Award) for Best Direction, winning for '' Maelström'' in 2001, '' Polytechnique'' in 2009, ''Incendies ...

, with

Jake Gyllenhaal Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal (; ; born December 19, 1980) is an American actor. Born into the Gyllenhaal family, he is the son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, and his older sister is actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. He beg ...

as producer and

Channing Tatum Channing Matthew Tatum (born April 26, 1980) is an American actor. Tatum made his film debut in the drama ''Coach Carter'' (2005), and had his breakthrough role in the 2006 dance film ''Step Up (film), Step Up''. He gained wider attention for ...

in the lead role. On 5 April 2017, it was announced that Icelandic director Baltasar Kormakur was working on a new adaptation of ''I Am Victor'', a short story by Nesbø previously planned as an NBC television series but not completed.

Personal life

Nesbø played top-flight football for

Molde FK Molde Fotballklubb () is a professional football club based in Molde, Norway, that competes in Eliteserien, the top flight of Norwegian football. Founded on 19 June 1911, the club was originally known as International and changed its name to ...

until he tore the

cruciate ligament Cruciate ligaments (also cruciform ligaments) are pairs of ligaments arranged like a letter X. They occur in several joints of the body, such as the knee joint and the atlanto-axial joint. In a fashion similar to the cords in a toy Jacob's la ...

s in his knee, and had to concentrate on other aspects of his life. Nesbø is a dedicated rock climber and has climbed sport routes up to French grade 7c+. In addition to his career as an author, Nesbø was also the main vocalist and songwriter for the Norwegian rock band

. He lives close to his former wife and their daughter in

Bibliography

The Harry Hole novels

* ''Flaggermusmannen'' (1997) (English: '' The Bat'', 2012) * ''Kakerlakkene'' (1998) (English: ''

Cockroaches Cockroaches (or roaches) are a paraphyletic group of insects belonging to Blattodea, containing all members of the group except termites. About 30 cockroach species out of 4,600 are associated with human habitats. Some species are well-known a ...

'', 2013) * ''Rødstrupe'' (2000) (English: ''

The Redbreast ''The Redbreast'' ( no, Rødstrupe, 2000) is a crime novel by Norwegian writer Jo Nesbø, the third in the Harry Hole series (although the first in the series to be available in English). A large part of the book is laid at the time of the Seco ...

'', 2006) * ''Sorgenfri'' (2002) (English: '' Nemesis'', 2008) * ''Marekors'' (2003) (English: '' The Devil's Star'', 2005) * ''Frelseren'' (2005) (English: ''

The Redeemer ''The Redeemer'' is a special, 4-issue comic mini-series published by ''Warhammer Monthly'', Games Workshop's monthly comic collection. It was written by veteran British comic writer Pat Mills. Set on the Hive World of Necromunda, The Redeemer c ...

'', 2009) * ''Snømannen'' (2007) (English: ''

'', 2010) – Adapted into the 2017 film of the same name. * ''Panserhjerte'' (2009) (English: ''

The Leopard ''The Leopard'' ( it, Il Gattopardo ) is a novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa that chronicles the changes in Sicilian life and society during the ''Risorgimento''. Published posthumously in 1958 by Feltrinelli, after two rejections by the ...

'', 2011) * ''Gjenferd'' (2011) (English: ''

Phantom Phantom may refer to: * Spirit (animating force), the vital principle or animating force within all living things ** Ghost, the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that can appear to the living Aircraft * Boeing Phantom Ray, a stealthy un ...

'', 2012) * ''Politi'' (2013) (English: ''

Police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

'', 2013) * ''Tørst'' (2017) (English: '' The Thirst'', 2017) * ''Kniv'' (2019) (English: ''

Knife A knife ( : knives; from Old Norse 'knife, dirk') is a tool or weapon with a cutting edge or blade, usually attached to a handle or hilt. One of the earliest tools used by humanity, knives appeared at least 2.5 million years ago, as evidenced ...

'', 2019) * ''Blodmåne'' (2022) (English: ''Killing Moon'', 2023)

The Doctor Proctor novels

* ''Doktor Proktors Prompepulver'' (2007) (English: ''Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder'') (2010) * ''Doktor Proktors Tidsbadekaret'' (2008) (English: ''Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder: Bubble in the Bathtub'') (2011) * ''Doktor Proktor Og Verdens Undergang. Kanskje.'' (2010) (English: ''Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder: The End of The World. Maybe.''; also known as ''Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder: Who Cut the Cheese?'') (2012) * ''Doktor Proktor Og Det Store Gullrøveriet'' (2012) (English: ''Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder: The Great Gold Robbery''; also known as ''Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder: The Magical Fruit'') (2014) * ''Kan Doktor Proktor Redde Jula?'' (2017) (English: ''Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder: Can Doctor Proctor Save Christmas?'' also known as ''Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder: Silent (but Deadly) Night'') (2018)

The Olav Johansen novels

* ''Blod På Snø'' (2015) (English: '' Blood on Snow'', 2015) * ''Mere Blod'' (2015) (English: ''Midnight Sun'', 2015)

Stand-alone works

* '' Karusellmusikk'' (2001) – Short stories * ''Det Hvite Hotellet'' (2007) (English: ''The White Hotel'') * ''Hodejegerne'' (2008) (English: ''Headhunters'') – Adapted into the 2011 film of the same name. * ''Sønnen'' (2014) (English: '' The Son'', 2014) * ''

'' (April 2018) * ''Kongeriket'' (2020) (English: ''The Kingdom'', 2020) * ''Sjalusimannen Og Andre Fortellinger'' (2021) (English: ''The Jealousy Man and Other Stories'', 2021) *''Rotteøya Og Andre Fortellinger'' (2021)

Non-fiction

* with

Espen Søbye Pål Espen Søbye (born 9 July 1954) is a Norwegian author and literary critic. He has a Mag.art. degree in philosophy, and was formerly employed at Statistics Norway in Oslo. He was named literary critic of the year in 2006 by the Norwegian Criti ...

, '' Stemmer fra Balkan/ Atten dager i mai'' (1999) (English: ''Figures in the Balkans'')

TV series

Okkupert ' (Norwegian language, Norwegian: ') is a Norway, Norwegian political thriller TV series that premiered on TV 2 (Norway), TV2 on 5 October 2015. Based on an original idea by Jo Nesbø, the series is co-created with Karianne Lund and Erik Skjold ...

'' (''Occupied''), based on a concept by Jo Nesbø, is a television series produced by TV 2 and Yellow Bird, the Swedish production house responsible for the ''Wallander'' TV series, and the films ''Headhunters'' and ''The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo''. The series is a

political thriller A political thriller is a thriller that is set against the backdrop of a political power struggle, high stakes and suspense is the core of the story. The genre often forces the audiences to consider and understand the importance of politics. The ...

which envisages what would happen if Norway were to be invaded by Russia to seize the nation's oil resources. The first season premiered in October 2015, the second in September 2017, and the third in January 2020.

Awards and nominations

* The Riverton Prize 1997 for Best Norwegian Crime Novel of the Year (''The Bat'') * The

Glass Key Award The Glass Key award ( sv, Glasnyckeln, da, Glasnøglen, no, Glassnøkkelen, fi, Lasiavain-palkinto, is, Glerlykillinn) is a literature award given annually to a crime novel by an author from the Nordic countries. The award, named after the nove ...

1998 for Best Nordic Crime Novel of the Year (''The Bat'') * The Norwegian Booksellers' Prize for Best Novel of the Year 2000 (''The Redbreast'') * The

Mads Wiel Nygaard Mads may refer to: *Mads (given name) *MADS Theatre, in England * MADS-box, a family of genes and proteins * Metadata Authority Description Schema Metadata Authority Description Schema (MADS) is an XML schema developed by the United States Library ...

Bursary 2002 (''Nemesis'') * Best Norwegian Crime Novel Ever Written awarded by the Norwegian book clubs in 2004 (''The Redbreast'') * The Finnish Academy of Crime Writers' Special Commendation 2007 for Excellence in Foreign Crime Writing (''The Devil's Star'') * Shortlisted for Duncan Lawrie International Dagger 2007 (''The Redbreast'') * The Norwegian Booksellers' Prize for Best Novel of the Year 2007 (''The Snowman'') * Shortlisted for Ark's Children's Book Award for Best Children's Book 2007 (''Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder'') * The Norwegian Book Club Prize 2008 for Best Novel of the Year (''The Snowman'') * Nominated for the Norwegian Bookseller's Prize 2008 (''Headhunters'' and ''Doctor Proctor's Time Bathtub'') * Nominated for the

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

2010 (''Nemesis'')Mystery Writers of America Announces 2010 Edgar Award Nominees
(press release). Mystery Writers of America via ''

PR Newswire PR Newswire is a distributor of press releases headquartered in Chicago. The service was created in 1954 to allow companies to electronically send press releases to news organizations, using teleprinters at first. The founder, Herbert Muschel, ...

''. 19 January 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2019. * Awarded the Norwegian

Peer Gynt Prize The Peer Gynt Prize or the Peer Gynt Award (''Årets Peer Gynt'' or ''Per Gynt-prisen'') is a private Norwegian prize presented annually by the private commercial company ''Peer Gynt AS'' during the Peer Gynt Festival, also organised by the same co ...

2013

References

External links

*
Full biography and bibliography about Jo Nesbø on Knigosearch.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nesbo, Jo 1960 births Living people Norwegian pop musicians Norwegian crime fiction writers Norwegian children's writers 20th-century Norwegian novelists 21st-century Norwegian novelists Norwegian footballers Molde FK players People from Molde Musicians from Oslo Stockbrokers Writers from Oslo Association football forwards Nordic Noir writers Norwegian School of Economics alumni