Meeting Jo Nesbø

BIBLIOTECA TECLA SALA & LA BÒBILA March 17, 2016 Meeting Jo Nesbø Biography (http://www.famousauthors.org/jo-nesbo) A Norwegian author and crimes on the streets of Prize for Best Novel of the musician, Jo Nesbø has sold Oslo. The intelligently writ- Year 2000 for The Redbre- more than one and a half ten often violent novels ast. The Redbreast was also million copies of his novels in capture the readers with recognized by the Norwegi- Norway alone. Critically their gripping suspense till an book clubs in 2004 by acclaimed and praised for his the end. The Snowman stating it the Best Norwegi- in-depth knowledge and psy- (2010) created waves in the an Crime Novel Ever Writ- chological insights, Nesbø is UK and remained on the ten. Nesbø received inter- considered to be a leading bestseller list of the Sunday national accreditation when crime and thriller novelist in Times for more than three The Finnish Academy of Europe. His books have been consecutive months. The Crime Writers’ Special translated into more than 40 Leopard (2011) topped the Commendation awarded languages for a worldwide Sunday Times lists of hard- him for Excellence in Fo- readership. Predominantly back fiction and paperback reign Crime Writing for his famous for his Detective charts in the top ten overall novel, The Devil’s Star. In Harry crime novels, Nesbø is bestsellers. addition to winning The also the lead vocalist and Norwegian Booksellers’ songwriter of the Norwegian The Doktor Proktor is ano- Prize in 2007, The Snowman Contents: rock band Di Derre. ther series by Jo Nesbø was also awarded The created for children. The Norwegian Book Club Prize Biography 1 Jo Nesbø was born in Oslo first book of the series, 2008 for Best Novel of the 2 on March 29, 1960. Nesbø Doktor Proktor’s Fart Powder Year. Nesbø was nominated Autobiography spent his growing years in was released in 2007 fo- again for the Norwegian Molde and studied at the llowed by Doktor Proktor’s Bookseller’s Prize in 2008 Norwegian School of Econo- Fart Powder: Bubble in the for Headhunters and Doktor The next Stieg 2-4 mics where he received a Bathtub in 2008. The third Proktor’s Time Bathtub. Ano- degree in Business Adminis- book of the series, Doktor ther prestigious nomination Larsson? The Nor- tration and Economics. Before Proktor and the Destruction of linked to Nesbø’s name is wegian author is beginning a career in writing, the World. Maybe was pu- that of the esteemed Edgar no fan of the Jo Nesbø worked as freelance blished in 2010. In addition Award for Nemesis in 2010. journalist and a stockbroker. to his two famous serials, Jo thought. He published his first crime Nesbø is also an author to Nesbø currently lives in novel, The Bat Man in 1997, four stand alone novels. Oslo, Norway where he Scandinavian noir 4 the first book of the Harry pursues his passion for wri- Hole series. The novel caught Nesbø’s literary talents have ting and music. instant fame winning the Glass been acknowledged by a Key Award for best Nordic number of prestigious 4-5 crime novel. After the success awards. In 1997 he received Why are Nordic of his first novel, Nesbø fo- the Riverton Prize 1997 for detective novels so cused on writing more and Best Norwegian Crime successful? has so far produced 9 Harry Novel of the Year for his Hole novels, all of which have novel, The Bat Man. The 6 seen tremendous success novel also won the Glass Notes selling 9 million copies glo- Key Award in 1998 for Best bally. The series revolves Nordic Crime Novel of the around a tough detective, Year. He was awarded the Harry Hole, solving difficult Norwegian Booksellers’ Page 2 Autobiography The next Stieg Larsson?......................... I COME FROM A FAMILY OF Lo, have we found him? Here, on on of Norway is fewer than 5 READERS AND STORYTE- the east coast of Norway, on the million people. LLERS. My mother was a librari- west side of Oslo, in a butter- “The series has been,” Nesbo an and my father used to sit in yellow apartment building across says modestly, “a slow burn.” the living room reading every from a day care called Urmafaba? Nesbo, 51, is about to begin an afternoon. And he told stories. Here, on this chilled spring mor- American tour, tied to the U.S. Long stories we had heard be- ning, which the locals insist, with release Tuesday of his latest fore, but in such a way that we typically polite standoffishness, is novel. In The Snowman, Hole wanted to hear them again. unseasonable? Have we jour- deals with the fact that his ex- When I was seven I pulled Lord of neyed so long and so patiently to love and her son have a new man the Flies off the bookshelf and at last spot the rare and precious in their lives. Simultaneously, he asked my father to read it to me. specimen that publishers speak of chases a killer who targets mo- Not so much because I had good in hushed and desperate tones? thers. The murderer’s method of taste, but because on the cover Have we found . the next Stieg execution is gruesome; what’s there was a picture of a pig’s Larsson? more bloodcurdling are the bloodstained head impaled on a A man opens the door. A slender snowmen he leaves as a warning. pole. My father read it and I man, with pale hair, crinkly eyes Facing into houses. Watching his thought I could have made the and weather-beaten skin, pulled prey. story more exciting myself. I had tight across his face. His artfully “Suspense is the same as humor, already begun to impress friends ripped jeans settle low on his I think,” Nesbo says. We’ve mo- my age, and some older children, hips. His voice has a lilt: His S’s ved from his apartment now, with my gruesome ghost stories. become “Sh’s,” Oslo is Oshlo. bicycled to a nearby cafe where “Yooo Nez-baugh,” he says, ex- Nesbo likes to write and drink Read the rest of the author’s tending his hand. the apple cider made in-house. autobiography at http:// Jo Nesbo. “You think that you laugh becau- jonesbo.com/jo-nesbo/ Pulp star, pop star, unlikely chil- se you’re surprised, but really, biography/, where you will dren’s author. The new Scandina- the success is that it delivers the also find his answers to these vian import of our dizzy Ameri- punch line a second before the and more questions: can dreams. reader reaches the same conclu- sion. Suspense does that, too.” What were your favorite The next big thing? “The publishing world has been books as a child? reading a lot of Scandinavian You haven’t always been In Oslo, which would look like crime fiction,” says Sonny Mehta, a writer. Which of your Ann Arbor, Mich., if you didn’t the Knopf editor who acquired previous jobs has been know better, Nesbo is a house- The Snowman. “He really is being your favorite? hold name. heralded as the new Scandinavian “He is the best crime writer,” Who (or what) inspired writer.” the clerk at Grensen Libris bo- you to create the charac- Mehta knows something about okstore says proudly, skimming ter of Harry Hole? Scandinavian writers. He was the her fingers over the rainbow of editor responsible for the Ameri- Did you always want to colorful spines on the Nesbo canization of another Nordic be a writer when you shelf. scribe, a dragon-tattooed one were younger? “Harry Hole eats here,” says a named Stieg whose posthumous Who are your favorite customer at Schroder restaurant, trilogy about a Swedish cyber- authors? an Oslo standard, a classic cod- punk finally upended The Da Vinci How did you start off and-potatoes sort of place. Code as the book everyone reads writing? Harry Hole. The alcoholic hero on planes. Do you and your charac- of Jo Nesbo’s crime novels. You see the similarities: Scandi- ter Harry Hole have a lot (Hole is fictional; his favorite navia. Literary crime fiction. The in common? restaurant is real.) The dyspeptic Snowman is set against the back- How does writing differ detective who has trudged, drop of George W. Bush’s presi- creatively from your world-weary, through eight batt- dency, and so Nesbo and Larsson music? les with sadistic criminals in a also share a propensity for politi- cold climate. In Norway the bo- How important is it that cal commentary. In London, whe- oks have sold about 2 million your readers can identify re The Snowman has become a copies. This is more impressive with your characters? bestseller, bookstores lump Nes- when you consider the populati- bo’s novels with Page 3 ...................The Norwegian author is no fan of the thought. Larsson’s, label the whole lot references, watch the same mo- He got a degree in economics “Scandi-crime,” and lure buyers vies.” He might be particularly instead, became a stockbroker by by affixing deceptive little stickers attuned to this — his father was day. He’d written songs for fri- to Nesbo’s covers: Read this if raised in New York by immigrant ends’ bands in his youth (“I even you like STIEG LARSSON. parents who later moved back — wrote for a Christian band!” he Everyone really, really hopes but Norwegians “are all beco- says delightedly. “I love Jesus, they’ve found the next big thing. ming Americans. Paris Hilton is okay!”), so, by night, he decided famous in Norway for no other to form his own group with his Or the guy who was there reason than she is an American brother, Knut.

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