Solveig Beda Christov ( née Fredriksen; 29 October 1918 – 16 May 1984) was a Norwegian

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...

, writer of short stories, and playwright.

Early and personal life

Solveig Fredriksen was born in

Drammen Drammen () is a city and municipality in Viken, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the south-eastern and most populated part of Norway. Drammen municipality also includes smaller towns and villages such as Konne ...

as a daughter of electrician Fredrik Adolf Fredriksen and Solveig Henriette Henriksen. She was married three times, to Rolf Normann Bekke from 1941 to 1946, to businessman Paal Thinn Christophersen from 1947 to 1959, and to publisher

Harald Grieg Harald Grieg (3 August 1894 – 6 October 1972) was a Norwegian publisher. He was director of Gyldendal Norsk Forlag and for many years was a leading figure in the Norwegian book industry. Biography Grieg was born in Bergen, Norway. He was the ...

from 1960. She took the last name Christov as a pen name in 1949.

Literary career

Christov made her literary debut in 1949 with the novel ''Det blomstrer langs blindveien''. She followed up with the novels ''På veiene til og fra'' (1951) and ''Torso'' (1952), which is regarded as her literary breakthrough. In the 1950s she also wrote the love novel ''Syv dager og netter'' (1955), ''Demningen'' (1957), and the

psychological novel In literature, psychological fiction (also psychological realism) is a narrative genre that emphasizes interior characterization and motivation to explore the spiritual, emotional, and mental lives of the characters. The mode of narration exami ...

''Korsvei i jungelen'' (1959). Her novel ''Elskerens hjemkomst'' (1961) treats erotical themes, while the novel ''Skyldneren'' (1965) has guilt as a central motif. She published the collection of short stories ''Jegeren og viltet'' (1962) and later ''I dag er vårt liv'' (1974). Her novels ''Tilfellet Martin'' (1970) and ''Knivsliperens dagbok'' (1976) are both about insanity. Christov's plays ''Det hemmelige regnskap'' (1957) and ''På rødt pass'' (1958) were both performed at the National Theatre. The monologue ''Veversken'' was played at television theatre

Fjernsynsteatret Fjernsynsteatret was a department of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) which produced plays for television broadcasting. It opened in 1960 (after about a year of experimental operation), and operated until 1990, when a major reorganisati ...

in 1968. Among her audio plays are ''To guitarer'' and ''Terminal'', played by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. The play ''Sub Rosa'' was played at the

Bergen International Festival Bergen International Festival ( no, Festspillene i Bergen) is an annual international music and cultural festival in Bergen, Norway. Biography The Bergen International festival is the largest festival in the Nordic countries in its genre and ha ...

in 1971. She was awarded the

Riksmål Society Literature Prize The Riksmål Society Literature Prize (''Riksmålsforbundets litteraturpris'') is awarded annually by the '' Riksmålsforbundet'' for the outstanding publication in riksmål. The prize was awarded until 2002 by the ''Oslo and Bærum Riksmål Leagu ...

in 1962.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christov, Solveig 1918 births 1984 deaths Writers from Drammen 20th-century Norwegian novelists Norwegian women novelists 20th-century Norwegian dramatists and playwrights Norwegian women dramatists and playwrights