Jostein Gaarder (; born 8 August 1952) is a Norwegian

intellectual An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the reality of society, and who proposes solutions for the normative problems of society. Coming from the world of culture, either as a creator or a ...

and author of several novels,

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

, and

children's books A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younge ...

. Gaarder often writes from the perspective of children, exploring their sense of wonder about the world. He often utilizes metafiction in his works and constructs stories within stories. His best known work is the novel '' Sophie's World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy'' (1991). It has been translated into 60 languages; there are over 40 million copies in print.

Family

Gaarder was born and raised in Oslo. His father was a school headmaster and

his mother ''His Mother'' is a 1912 American silent film produced by Kalem Company. It was directed by Sidney Olcott with Gene Gauntier and Jack J. Clark in the leading roles. It was one of more than a dozen films produced by the Kalem Company filmed in Ir ...

was a teacher and author of children’s books. Gaarder married Siri Dannevig in Oslo in 1974. They moved to Bergen, Norway in 1979 and had two sons. In 1997, Gaarder and Siri Dannevig established the

Sophie Prize The Sophie Prize was an international environment and development prize ( USD 100,000) awarded annually from 1998 to 2013. It was established in 1997 by the Norwegian author Jostein Gaarder and his wife Siri Dannevig, and is named after Gaarder's n ...

. It was an environmental development prize of (

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

100,000 = 77,000 €), awarded annually until 2013, when it was announced that it would no longer be awarded due to lack of funds. It was named after the novel.

Education

Gaarder attended

Oslo Cathedral School Schola Osloensis, known in Norwegian as Oslo Katedralskole (''Oslo Cathedral School'') and more commonly as "Katta",University of Oslo The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

, where he studied Scandinavian languages and theology. After graduation in 1976, he was a high school teacher in Bergen, Norway, prior to his literary career.

Awards and prizes

*1990 -

Norwegian Critics Prize for Literature The Norwegian Critics Prize for Literature (''Den norske Kritikerprisen for litteratur'' or ''Kritikerprisen'') is awarded by the Norwegian Literature Critics' Association (''Norsk Litteraturkritikerlag'') and has been awarded every year since 1950 ...

for the year's best children's or youth's literature, for ''Kabalmysteriet'' ('' The Solitaire Mystery'') *1993 –

Norwegian Booksellers' Prize The Norwegian Booksellers' Prize (''Bokhandlerprisen'') is a literature prize awarded annually by the Norwegian Booksellers Association after voting among all who work in Norwegian bookstores. The prize is awarded for one of the year's books in t ...

for '' I et speil, i en gåte'' (''Through a Glass, Darkly''). *1994 –

Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis The (German Youth Literature Award) is an annual award established in 1956 by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth to recognise outstanding works of children's and young adult literature. It is Germany's only ...

for '' Sophie's World''. *1995 –

Premio Bancarella The Premio Bancarella is an Italian literary prize established in 1953; it is given in Pontremoli Pontremoli (; local egl, Pontrémal; la, Apua) is a small city, ''comune'' former Latin Catholic bishopric in the province of Massa and Carrara, Tu ...

for ''Il Mondo di Sofia'', the Italian translation of ''Sophie's World''. *1996 -

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 ...

*1997 – Buxtehude Bull for ''Durch einen Spiegel, in einem dunklen Wort'', the German translation of ''I et speil, i en gåte''. *2004 – the Willy-Brandt Award in Oslo. *2005 – Commander,

The Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav ...

. *2005 – an

Honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

at Trinity College, Dublin.

Environmental activism

Gaarder has been involved in the promotion of sustainable development for nearly two decades. He established the

in 1997, an international award bestowed on foundations and individuals concerned with the environment. Through the Sophie Prize, Gaarder contributed over $1.5 million to worthy environmental causes. The final Sophie Prize was awarded in October 2013 to Bill McKibben.

Political advocacy and religious controversy

Jostein Gaarder is active politically. The focus of his concern is the plight of Palestinian refugees, and he has vehemently criticized the Israeli occupation of Palestine. In August 2006, Gaarder wrote a controversial op-ed titled "God's Chosen People" that was published in the largest daily newspaper in Norway, ''

Aftenposten ( in the masthead; ; Norwegian for "The Evening Post") is Norway's largest printed newspaper by circulation. It is based in Oslo. It sold 211,769 copies in 2015 (172,029 printed copies according to University of Bergen) and estimated 1.2 milli ...

''.Gaarder, Jostein.
God's Chosen People
" Retrieved on 2006-08-25 Gaarder wrote it in response to the

2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict The 2006 Lebanon War, also called the 2006 Israel–Hezbollah War and known in Lebanon as the July War ( ar, حرب تموز, ''Ḥarb Tammūz'') and in Israel as the Second Lebanon War ( he, מלחמת לבנון השנייה, ''Milhemet Le ...

. He argued in favor of "recognizing the State of Israel of 1948, but not the one of 1967". "God's Chosen People" had a broader scope than conflicting territorial claims. Gaarder described Judaism as "an archaic national and warlike religion", contrasting it with the Christian idea that the " Kingdom of God is compassion and forgiveness". Gaarder disputed allegations of anti-Semitism.

List of works

*''Diagnosen og andre noveller'' (''The Diagnosis and Other Stories'') (1986) *''Froskeslottet'' (''The Frog Castle'') (1988) *''Kabalmysteriet'' ('' The Solitaire Mystery'') (1990) *''Sofies verden'' ('' Sophie's World'') (1991) *''Julemysteriet'' ('' The Christmas Mystery'') (1992) (1995 edition illustrated by Stella East ) *''Bibbi Bokkens magiske bibliotek'' (''Bibbi Bokken's magic library'') (together with

Klaus Hagerup Klaus Hagerup (5 March 1946 – 20 December 2018) was a Norwegian author, translator, screenwriter, actor and director. He was also known for his role of Tom in the film '' The Chieftain'' (1984). Career The youngest of two brothers, he debuted w ...

(1993) *'' I et speil, i en gåte'' (''Through a Glass, Darkly'') (1993) *''Hallo? Er det noen her?'' (''Hello? Is Anybody There?'') (1996) *'' Vita Brevis: A Letter to St Augustine'' (Also published in English as ''That Same Flower'') (1998) *''Maya'' (1999) *''Sirkusdirektørens datter'' ('' The Ringmaster's Daughter'') (2001) *'' Appelsinpiken'' (''The Orange Girl'') (2004) *''Sjakk Matt'' (''Checkmate'') (2006) *''De gule dvergene'' (''The Yellow Dwarves'') (2006) *''Slottet i Pyreneene'' (''The Castle in the Pyrenees'') (2008) *''Det spørs'' (2012) *''Anna. En fabel om klodens klima og miljø'' (" Anna. A fable about the earth's climate and environment") (2013) *''Anton og Jonatan'' (''Anton and Jonatan'') (2014) *''Dukkeføreren'' (2016)

References

External links

Jostein Gaarder's biography and foreign sales at Aschehoug Agency

The world of Jostein
– Il Mondo di Jostein: Sito italiano dedicato a Jostein Gaarder
The Sophie Prize
– established by Gaarder in 1997
A list of all his books and publishers

Commentary on the book: Sophie's World

Jostein Gaarder in Goodreads
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaarder, Jostein 20th-century Norwegian novelists 21st-century Norwegian novelists Norwegian male short story writers Norwegian children's writers Critics of Judaism Writers from Oslo 1952 births Living people Bancarella Prize winners University of Oslo alumni People educated at Oslo Cathedral School 20th-century Norwegian short story writers 21st-century Norwegian short story writers