Kjell Askildsen

Kjell Askildsen is widely recognized as one of the preeminent Norwegian writers of the twentieth century and among the greatest short-story authors of all time. He entered the literary scene in 1953 with the collection of short stories From Now on I'll Take You All the Way Home, which received glittering reviews in the Oslo press, but was banished from the library in his hometown. It was not until 1987, after the publication of A Sudden Liberating Thought, did he receive critical acclaim. Askildsen has received numerous literary awards, among them are: The Norwegian Critics’ Prize (1983 and 1991), the Brage Honorary Prize (1996), the Swedish Academy's Nordic Prize (2009), and in 1991, he was nominated for the Nordic Council’s Prize for Literature. His books have been translated into more than fifteen languages.