Karl Ove Knausgård (; born 6 December 1968) is a Norwegian author. He became known worldwide for six autobiographical novels, titled ''

My Struggle (; ''My Struggle'' or ''My Battle'') is a 1925 autobiographical manifesto by Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler. The work describes the process by which Hitler became antisemitic and outlines his political ideology and future plans for Ge ...

'' (''Min Kamp''). Since the completion of the ''My Struggle'' series in 2011, he has also published an autobiographical series entitled ''The Seasons Quartet'', as well as critical work on the art of

Edvard Munch Edvard Munch ( , ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter. His best known work, ''The Scream'' (1893), has become one of Western art's most iconic images. His childhood was overshadowed by illness, bereavement and the dr ...

. He has won the 2009

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 ...

, 2017

Jerusalem Prize The Jerusalem Prize for the Freedom of the Individual in Society is a biennial literary award given to writers whose works have dealt with themes of human freedom in society. It is awarded at the Jerusalem International Book Forum (previously kn ...

, and 2019

Swedish Academy Nordic Prize The Nordic Prize (''Swedish'': nordiska pris) is a literary award presented annually by the Swedish Academy. The recipient is someone from the Nordic countries who has done significant work in any of the Academy's areas of operations or interests. ...

Biography

Born 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 ...

, Knausgård was raised on

Tromøya Tromøya () or Tromøy () (historic: ''Tromø'') is the largest island in Southern Norway. The island is entirely located in the municipality of Arendal in Agder county, Norway. The island has about 5,300 residents (in 2015) which gives it a p ...

Arendal Arendal () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder counties of Norway, county in southeastern Norway. Arendal belongs to the Districts of Norway, region of Southern Norway, Sørlandet. The administrative centre of the munici ...

and in

Kristiansand Kristiansand is a seaside resort city and municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 112,000 as of January 2020, following the incorporation ...

, and studied arts and literature at the

University of Bergen The University of Bergen ( no, Universitetet i Bergen, ) is a research-intensive state university located in Bergen, Norway. As of 2019, the university has over 4,000 employees and 18,000 students. It was established by an act of parliament in 194 ...

. He then held various jobs, including teaching high school in northern Norway, selling cassettes, working in a psychiatric hospital and on an

oil platform An oil platform (or oil rig, offshore platform, oil production platform, and similar terms) is a large structure with facilities to extract and process petroleum and natural gas that lie in rock formations beneath the seabed. Many oil platfor ...

, while trying to become a writer. He eventually moved to

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

and published his first novel in 1998.

Literary career

Debut and follow-up

Knausgård made his publishing debut in 1998 with the novel ''Out of the World'', for which he was awarded the

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. ...

. This was the first time in the award's history that a debut novel had won.Hermione Hoby
"Karl Ove Knausgaard: Norway's Proust and a life laid painfully bare,"
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 1 March 2014. His second novel, ''A Time for Everything'' (2004), partly retells certain parts of the Bible as well as the history of

angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

s on earth. The book won a number of awards, and was nominated for the

Nordic Council's Literature Prize The Nordic Council Literature Prize is awarded for a work of literature written in one of the languages of the Nordic countries, that meets "high literary and artistic standards". Established in 1962, the prize is awarded every year, and is worth ...

. It was also nominated for the

International Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award ( ga, Duais Liteartha Idirnáisiúnta Bhaile Átha Chliath), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. ...

. It was called a "strange, uneven, and marvelous book" by ''

The New York Review of Books ''The New York Review of Books'' (or ''NYREV'' or ''NYRB'') is a semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture, economics, science and current affairs. Published in New York City, it is inspired by the idea that the discussion of i ...

''.

The ''Min Kamp'' books

While Knausgård's two first books were well received, it was the six-volume ''

Min Kamp Min or MIN may refer to: Places * Fujian, also called Mǐn, a province of China ** Min Kingdom (909–945), a state in Fujian * Min County, a county of Dingxi, Gansu province, China * Min River (Fujian) * Min River (Sichuan) * Mineola (Amtrak ...

'' series of autobiographical novels that made Knausgård a household name in Norway. Published from 2009 to 2011 and totaling over 3,500 pages, the books were hugely successful and also caused much controversy.James Wood
"Total Recall"
''

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 ...

'', 13 August 2012. The controversy was caused partly because the Norwegian title of the book, ''Min Kamp'', is the same as the Norwegian title of

Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...

's ''

Mein Kampf (; ''My Struggle'' or ''My Battle'') is a 1925 autobiographical manifesto by Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler. The work describes the process by which Hitler became antisemitic and outlines his political ideology and future plans for Germ ...

'', and partly because some have suggested Knausgård goes too far in exposing the private lives of his friends and family—including his father, ex-wife, uncle, and grandmother. The books have nevertheless received almost universally favorable reviews, at least the first two volumes. In a country of five million people, the ''Min Kamp'' series has sold over 450,000 copies. The ''Min Kamp'' series is translated into numerous languages. The books were published to great critical acclaim in Denmark, Sweden, and several other countries. All six have been translated into English by Don Bartlett for publication by

Archipelago Books Archipelago Books is an American not-for-profit publisher dedicated to promoting cross-cultural exchange through international literature in translation." Located in Brooklyn, New York, it publishes small to mid-size runs of international fiction ...

(US) and

Harvill Secker Harvill Secker is a British publishing company formed in 2005 from the merger of Secker & Warburg and the Harvill Press. History Secker & Warburg Secker & Warburg was formed in 1935 from a takeover of Martin Secker, which was in receivership, ...

(UK), and have been retitled in Britain as ''A Death in the Family'', ''A Man in Love'', ''Boyhood Island'', ''Dancing in the Dark'', ''Some Rain Must Fall'', and ''The End'' (''The End'' translated by Bartlett and Martin Aitken). The audiobooks of the English translations were recorded by

Edoardo Ballerini Edoardo Ballerini (born March 20, 1970) is an American actor, narrator, writer, and film director. On screen he is best known for his work as junkie Corky Caporale in ''The Sopranos'' and the hotheaded chef in the indie film ''Dinner Rush'' (20 ...

. In a long and largely positive review of the first Min Kamp books, James Wood of The New Yorker wrote that "There is something ceaselessly compelling about Knausgård's book: even when I was bored, I was interested."

Later works

Knausgård served as a consultant to the new Norwegian translation of the Bible. In 2013, he published a collection of essays, ''Sjelens Amerika: tekster 1996–2013'' (""), and as of September 2013 he is adapting his novel ''Out of the World'' into a screenplay. Between 2015 and 2016, Knausgaard published his Seasons Quartet, a series of four books entitled ''Autumn'', ''Winter'', ''Spring'', and ''Summer''. These books are also autobiographical in nature, consisting of diary excerpts, letters, and other personal materials. These books were released in English between 2017 and 2018. Knausgaard has also written works devoted to the visual arts. He co-authored ''Anselm Kiefer: Transition from Cool to Warm'', a book in 2018 on the German artist

Anselm Kiefer Anselm Kiefer (born 8 March 1945) is a German painter and sculptor. He studied with Peter Dreher and Horst Antes at the end of the 1960s. His works incorporate materials such as straw, ash, clay, lead, and shellac. The poems of Paul Celan hav ...

with James Lawrence. In 2019, Knausgaard published a

monograph A monograph is a specialist work of writing (in contrast to reference works) or exhibition on a single subject or an aspect of a subject, often by a single author or artist, and usually on a scholarly subject. In library cataloging, ''monograph ...

on the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, and his interview about Munch also appeared as a highlight of the British Museum's 2019 exhibition catalog, ''Edvard Munch: Love and Angst'', by curator

Giulia Bartrum Giulia Bartrum (born 1954) is an art historian and museum professional who was Curator of German prints and drawings at the British Museum in London, England between 1991 and 2019. Career Bartrum joined the British Museum's Department of Prints ...

. In October 2019 Knausgård became the sixth writer chosen to contribute to the

Future Library project The Future Library project (Norwegian: ''Framtidsbiblioteket'') is a public artwork that aims to collect an original work by a popular writer every year from 2014 to 2114. The works will remain unread and unpublished until 2114. One thousand trees ...

. Knausgård's essay collection, ''In the Land of the Cyclops'' (2018), was first published in English in January 2021. In September 2020 Knausgård's novel '' Morgenstjernen'' ("The Morning Star") was published to critical acclaim in Norway. Danish and Swedish translations were published a few months later to great critical acclaim.Strålende mottagelse av Knausgårds Morgenstjernen i Danmark
Oktober forlag (in Norwegian) It was sold in advance to fifteen countries. In 2021 ''Ulvene fra evighetens skog'', a sequel to ''Morgenstjernen'', was published in Norway. A third book in the ''Morgenstjernen''-series with the title ''Det tredje riket'' followed in 2022.

Critical reception

Following the publication of ''Min kamp'', Knausgård has been described as "one of the 21st century's greatest literary sensations" by the ''Wall Street Journal''. Some consider him the greatest Norwegian writer since playwright

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

. His deliberately prolix and minutely detailed style drew comparison to that of French novelist

Marcel Proust Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust (; ; 10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, critic, and essayist who wrote the monumental novel ''In Search of Lost Time'' (''À la recherche du temps perdu''; with the previous Eng ...

and his seven-volume novel ''

In Search of Lost Time ''In Search of Lost Time'' (french: À la recherche du temps perdu), first translated into English as ''Remembrance of Things Past'', and sometimes referred to in French as ''La Recherche'' (''The Search''), is a novel in seven volumes by French ...

''. Knausgård's 2020 novel '' The Morning Star'' was a critical success in Scandinavia. While reviewers of the English translation of the novel were more ambivalent, Knausgård was acknowledged as "one of the finest writers alive" by Dwight Garner in

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

and "a writer of supreme interest" by Charles Arrowsmith in

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

Editing career

Between 1999 and 2002 Knausgård was co-editor of ''

Vagant ''Vagant'' is a Norway-based, pan-Scandinavian literary magazine, established in 1988. Vagant.no publishes web-articles on a weekly basis, while the paper edition is released 4 times a year. ''Vagant'' is a member of the European cultural journal ...

'', a Norwegian

literary magazine A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry, and essays, along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letter ...

founded in 1988. He was part of the first editorial team of ''Vagant'' in Bergen; until 1999 the magazine had been based in Oslo. Knausgård contributed essays about the writings of

Don DeLillo Donald Richard DeLillo (born November 20, 1936) is an American novelist, short story writer, playwright, screenwriter and essayist. His works have covered subjects as diverse as television, nuclear war, sports, the complexities of language, per ...

and ''

The Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and ...

'' by

Dante Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...

. He also conducted in-depth interviews with the Norwegian writers

Rune Christiansen Rune Christiansen (born 10 April 1963 in Bergen) is a Norwegian poet and novelist. He is a professor of creative writing at Telemark University College. He won the Brage Prize in 2014 and the Gyldendal lifetime award in 2015. Rune Christiansen d ...

and

Thure Erik Lund Thure Erik Lund (born 27 June 1959 in Vikersund) is a Norwegian author and cabinet maker. He debuted in 1992 with the novel ''Tanger'', for which he won Tarjei Vesaas' debutantpris. Bibliography *''Tanger'' – novel (1992) *''Leiegården ...

for the magazine. Just after he left ''Vagant'' and Bergen, his former co-editor Preben Jordal wrote a very negative review of Knausgård's second novel in the magazine, with the title «Mellom Bibel og babbel» ("Between the Bible and babble")—an episode discussed in the second volume of ''Min Kamp''.

Publishing career

In 2010, he founded a small, eclectic publishing house, Pelikanen (Pelican), with his brother Yngve Knausgård and Asbjørn Jensen. Pelikanen has so far published

Denis Johnson Denis Hale Johnson (July 1, 1949 – May 24, 2017) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and poet. He is perhaps best known for his debut short story collection, '' Jesus' Son'' (1992). His most successful novel, ''Tree of Smoke'' (2007) ...

Peter Handke Peter Handke (; born 6 December 1942) is an Austrian novelist, playwright, translator, poet, film director, and screenwriter. He was awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Literature "for an influential work that with linguistic ingenuity has explored t ...

Christian Kracht Christian Kracht (; born 29 December 1966) is a Swiss author. His books have been translated into more than 30 languages. Personal life Kracht was born in Saanen in the Canton of Bern, Switzerland. He attended Schule Schloss Salem in Baden-Wür ...

Ben Marcus Ben Marcus (born October 11, 1967) is an American author and professor at Columbia University. He has written four books of fiction. His stories, essays, and reviews have appeared in publications including ''Harper's'', ''The New Yorker'', ''The P ...

Curzio Malaparte Curzio Malaparte (; 9 June 1898 – 19 July 1957), born Kurt Erich Suckert, was an Italian writer, filmmaker, war correspondent and diplomat. Malaparte is best known outside Italy due to his works ''Kaputt'' (1944) and ''La pelle'' (1949). The f ...

and Stig Larsson in Norwegian translations.

Personal life

Knausgård is currently married to his third wife, Michal Shavit. Shavit is the publishing director of

Jonathan Cape Jonathan Cape is a London publishing firm founded in 1921 by Herbert Jonathan Cape, who was head of the firm until his death in 1960. Cape and his business partner Wren Howard set up the publishing house in 1921. They established a reputation ...

in London, and previously worked as editorial director of

, where she edited and published Knausgård's novels. Shavit and Knausgård have one child, and live together in London, along with their children from prior marriages. Knausgård lived in

Österlen Österlen () ( da, Østerlen) is a region in the southeast of the Swedish province of Scania (Skåne). Historically, the region was shared between the counties of Kristianstad and Malmöhus for a small part in the southwest, until Skåne County wa ...

, Sweden, with his second wife, the writer Linda Boström Knausgård, and their four children until November 2016 when he and his wife separated. He now lives between London and Sweden. In a radio interview with his estranged first wife, Tonje Aursland, who plays a part in several of the ''Min Kamp'' books, Knausgård admitted that he sometimes feels that he has made a "

Faustian bargain Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroads ...

"—that he has achieved huge success by sacrificing his relationships with friends and members of his family. In October 2010, Aursland presented her perspective on involuntarily becoming a subject of her ex-husband's autobiography in a radio documentary broadcast on

NRK NRK, an abbreviation of the Norwegian ''Norsk Rikskringkasting Aksjeselskap, AS'', generally expressed in English as the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and ...

. Knausgård's uncle, who is represented as Gunnar in the ''Min Kamp'' books, has been highly critical of the whole project in the Norwegian press.

Bibliography

* 1998:

Ute av verden ''Ute av verden'' (direct translation: Out of the World) is the 1998 debut novel by Norwegian writer Karl Ove Knausgård. Knausgård was awarded the Norwegian Critics Prize for Literature for the book. This was the first time in the award's histo ...

, Tiden Norsk Forlag 1998 * 2004: ''En tid for alt'', Oktober **'' A Time for Everything'' 2004 * 2009–2011: ''

'' (''Min Kamp''), six volumes **''A Death in the Family. My Struggle 1'', Penguin **''A Man in Love. My Struggle 2'', Penguin **''Boyhood Island. My Struggle 3'', Penguin **''Dancing in the Dark. My Struggle 4'', Penguin **''Some Rain Must Fall. My Struggle 5'', Penguin **''The End. My Struggle 6'', Penguin * ''Sjelens Amerika'', Oktober, 2013, * 2014: ''Nakker'' **''Necks'' Photographs by Thomas Wagstrom, Max Strom, Bokforlaget, 2015, * 2015–2016: ''Årstid encyklopedien'' (Seasonal Encyclopedia) ** ''Om høsten'' (Autumn), 2015, Illustrated by Vanessa Baird, *** ''Autumn'', Penguin, 2017, ** ''Om vinteren'' (Winter), 2015 Illustrated by

Lars Lerin Lars Ivar Lerin (born 2 April 1954 in Munkfors) is a Swedish painter and author. He won the August Prize The August Prize ( sv, Augustpriset) is an annual Swedish literary prize awarded each year since 1989 by the Swedish Publishers' Association ...

, *** ''Winter'', Penguin, 2018, ** ''Om våren'' (Spring), 2016, Illustrated by Anna Bjerger, *** ''Spring'', Penguin, 2018, ** ''Om sommeren'' (Summer), 2016, Illustrated by

, *** ''Summer'', Penguin, 2018, * 2015: ''Hjemme – Borte'' With Fredrik Ekelund ** ''Home and Away: Writing the Beautiful Game'', 2017 (English translation), with Fredrik Ekelund, translated by Don Bartlett and Sean Kinsella, *2018: ''Anselm Kiefer: Transition from Cool to Warm'' with James Lawrence, * 2019: ''So Much Longing in So Little Space: The Art of Edvard Munch'', * 2020: '' Morgenstjernen'', Oktober ** ''The Morning Star'', Penguin, 2021, translated by Martin Aitken, * 2021: ''Ulvene fra evighetens skog'', Oktober ** ''The Wolves of Eternity'', 2023 * 2022: ''Det tredje riket'', Oktober

Articles in English

* 2015: * 2020:

Awards and nominations

Nominations

*Nominated for the 2004

Awards

*1998

*2009

NRK P2 NRK P2 is one of three main, nationwide radio channels produced by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK). Its current format – focusing on news and current affairs, debate, analysis, culture, science, and society – is the result of the ...

Listeners' Prize *201
Book of the Year Prize
in ''

Morgenbladet ''Morgenbladet'' is a Norwegian weekly, newspaper, covering politics, culture and science. History ''Morgenbladet'' was founded in 1819 by the book printer Niels Wulfsberg. The paper is the country's first daily newspaper; however, Adresseavi ...

'' *2015 ''Welt''-Literaturpreis *2017

*2019

*See full list of Awards and honours of ''My Struggle''

References

External links

Karl Ove Knausgård at Aschehoug AgencyKarl Ove Knausgård
a
Forlaget OktoberKarl Ove Knausgård Proust Questionnaire
at Portobello Books
Karl Ove Knausgård Bibliography
* * (Audio) * (Audio)
Karl Ove Knausgård interview in English for Canada's CBC radioKarl My First Time Paris Review interview

Reviews

Ben Lerner Benjamin S. Lerner (born February 4, 1979) is an American poet, novelist, essayist, and critic. He has been a Fulbright Scholar, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, a finalist for the National Book Award, a finalist for the National Bo ...

br>on Knausgård
in ''

London Review of Books The ''London Review of Books'' (''LRB'') is a British literary magazine published twice monthly that features articles and essays on fiction and non-fiction subjects, which are usually structured as book reviews. History The ''London Review of ...

''
"My Struggle vol. 1"
in

Politiken ''Politiken'' is a leading Danish daily broadsheet newspaper, published by JP/Politikens Hus in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was founded in 1884 and played a role in the formation of the Danish Social Liberal Party. Since 1970 it has been independe ...

(Danish)
"My Struggle vol. 2"
in

(Danish)
"My Struggle vol. 1–4"
in

Göteborgs-Posten ''Göteborgs-Posten'' (lit. "The Gothenburg Post"), abbreviated GP, is a major Swedish language daily newspaper published in Gothenburg, Sweden. History and profile ''Göteborgs-Posten'' was first published in 1813, but ceased publication in 1 ...

(Swedish)
"My Struggle vol. 1"
in

Dagbladet Information ''Information'' (), full name: ''Dagbladet Information'' (), is a Danish newspaper published Monday through Saturday. History and profile ''Dagbladet Information'' was established and published by the Danish resistance movement in 1943 during ...

(Danish)
"A Time to Every Purpose Under Heaven"
in ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Knausgaard, Karl Ove 1968 births Living people 20th-century Norwegian novelists 21st-century Norwegian novelists The New Yorker people Norwegian Critics Prize for Literature winners Norwegian expatriates in Sweden People from Arendal University of Bergen alumni Prix Médicis essai winners Controversies in Sweden