Bibliography, Per Petterson

Per Petterson (b 1952), a Norwegian writer, worked for several years as an unskilled labourer, a bookseller, a writer and a translator until he made his literary debut in 1987 with the short story collection Aske i munnen, sand i skoa. This collection of stories was widely acclaimed by critics.

 

Per Petterson

To Siberia (1996), a novel set in the Second World War, was published in English in 1998 and nominated for The Nordic Council’s Literature Prize. His novel I kjølvannet, (In the Wake – 2002), is a young man’s story about losing his family in the Scandinavian Star ferry disaster in 1990. It won the Brage Prize for 2000.

Then, in 2003, he made his literary breakthrough with the prize-winning novel Ut og stjæle hester (Out Stealing Horses). So far, this novel has been translated into 40 languages. Out Stealing Horses has received a large number of literary awards, both in Scandinavia and in the rest of the world. It was awarded two top literary prizes in Norway – the The Norwegian Critics Prize for Literature and the Booksellers’ Best Book of the Year Award.

The 2005 English translation, Out Stealing Horses, was awarded the 2006 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize and the 2007 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. Also, New York Times Book Review  named Out Stealing Horses one of the 10 best books of the year.

His  novel Jeg forbanner tidens elv (I Curse the River of Time – 2008) won The Nordic Council’s Literature Prize for 2009, with an English translation in the works. (* means not translated into English)

Books:

• 2008   Jeg forbanner tidens elv   I Curse the River of Time
• 2004   Månen over Porten   The Moon Above the Gate*
• 2003    Ut og stjæle hester    Out Stealing Horses
• 2000    I kjølvannet    In the Wake
• 1996    Til Sibir    To Siberia
• 1992    Det er greit for meg    It’s Fine by Me*
• 1989    Ekkoland    Echoland*
• 1987    Aske i munnen, sand i skoa    Ashes in My Mouth, Sand in My Shoes*

Prizes:

• Nordic Council’s Literary Prize 2009
• The Brage Prize 2000 & 2008
• Critics’ Prize 2003 & 2008
• International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award 2007
• One of the 5 Best Fiction Books of 2007, New York Times
• One of the 10 Best Fiction Books of 2007, Time Magazine
• A New York Library Book to Remember 2007
• Le Prix Mille Pages 2007
• Le Prix Litteraire Europeen Madeleine Zepter 2007
• The Independent Foreign Fiction Prize 2006
• Booksellers’ Prize 2003

Praise for Per Petterson:

Haunting, minimalist prose and expert pacing give this quiet story from Norway native Petterson (In the Wake, 2006, etc.) an undeniably authoritative presence. — Kirkus Reviews

I was completely taken with Out Stealing Horses from the very first page. I found it powerful yet so quietly done I could hear myself breathe and I finished with an exhalation of awe –Amy Tan

The novel’s incidents and lush but precise descriptions…are on a par with those of Cather, Steinbeck, Berry, and Hemingway, and its emotional force and flavor are equivalent to what those authors can deliver, too. — Booklist

Per Petterson’s books:

See also: Podcast with an interview with Per Petterson

Tagged as: bibliography, books, Norwegian writer, prizes