Kjell Askildsen

Kjell Askildsen (born September 30, 1929 in Mandal, Norway) is a Norwegian writer. He is probably best known for his minimalistic short stories.

His first book, the short story collection "Heretter følger jeg deg helt hjem" (1953), raised controversy, especially in Mandal, for its sexual content. After that book, Asklildsen concentrated mainly on novels. One of his novels, "Omgivelser" (1969), was made into the 1973 movie "Maria Marusjka", directed by Oddvar Bull Tuhus and starring Peter Lindgren.

From 1982 on, all of Askildsen's published books have been short story collections. It is mainly these books that has made him one of the most acclaimed modern writers in Norway. "Thomas F's siste nedtegnelser til almenheten" (1983) won him the Norwegian Critics Prize for Literature. In 2006, a jury appointed by the newspaper Dagbladet voted that collection the best prose book written in Norway during the last 25 years [http://www.dagbladet.no/kultur/2006/08/05/473082.html] . He has won other awards as well, almost one for each new publication.

His writings have also been translated into other languages. He wrote his last short stories for "Hundene i Tessaloniki" ("The dogs of Tessaloniki"), published in 1996, and has published new collections of old stories since.

External links

* [http://www.aschehougagency.no/authors/oktober/askildsen_kjell Kjell Askildsen] 's biography and foreign publishers at [http://www.aschehougagency.no Aschehoug Agency]

Norwegian bibliography

Short story collections

* 1953 - "Heretter følger jeg deg helt hjem" ("From now on I'll walk you all the way home") (1953)
* 1966 - "Kulisser" ("Stage sets")
* 1982 - "Ingenting for ingenting" ("Nothing for nothing")
* 1983 - "Thomas F's siste nedtegnelser til almenheten" ("Thomas F's last notes to the Public")
* 1987 - "En plutselig frigjørende tanke" ("A sudden liberating thought")
* 1991 - "Et stort øde landskap" (A great deserted landscape")
* 1996 - "Hundene i Tessaloniki" ("The dogs of Thessaloniki")
* 1999 - "Samlede noveller" ("Collected short stories")
* 1994 - "Alt som før" ("Everything As Before")

Novels

* 1955 - "Herr Leonard Leonard" ("Mister Leonard Leonard")
* 1957 - "Davids bror" ("The brother of David")
* 1966 - "Kulisser" ("Stage sets")
* 1969 - "Omgivelser" ("Scenery")
* 1974 - "Kjære, kjære Oluf" ("Dear, dear Oluf")
* 1976 - "Hverdag" ("Everyday")