Orange Girl (Gaarder) - Author Bio

Author Bio
• Birth—August 8, 1952
• Where—Oslo, Norway
• Education—University of Oslo
• Awards—(see below)
• Currently—lives in Oslo, Norway


Jostein Gaarder is a Norwegian intellectual and author of several novels, short stories and children's books. Gaarder often writes from the perspective of children, exploring their sense of wonder about the world. He often utilizes metafiction in his works and constructs stories within stories. His best known work is the novel Sophie's World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy. It been translated into 60 languages; there are over 40 million copies in print.

Personal
Gaarder was born and raised in Oslo. His father was a school headmaster and his mother a teacher and author of children’s books. He attended Oslo Cathedral School and the University of Oslo, where he studied Scandinavian languages and theology. In 1974 he married Siri Dannevig, and the two moved to Bergen, Norway, where Gaarder taught high school prior to his writing career. The couple has two sons.

Environmental activism
Gaarder has been involved in the promotion of sustainable development for nearly two decades. He established the Sophie Prize in 1997, an international award bestowed on foundations and individuals concerned with the environment. Through the Sophie Prize, Gaarder contributed over $1.5 million to worthy environmental causes.

Controversy
Gaarder is active politically. The focus of his concern is the plight of Palestinian refugees, and he has vehemently criticized the Israeli occupation of Palestine. In August 2006, Gaarder wrote "God's Chosen People," an op-ed in response to that year's Israel-Lebanon conflict. Published in Aftenposten, Norway's largest daily newspaper, he argued in favor of "recognizing the State of Israel of 1948, but not the one of 1967." He referred to Judaism as "an archaic national and warlike religion," contrasting it with Christianity and its belief that the "Kingdom of God is compassion and forgiveness." After the article's publication, Gaarder was accused of anti-Semitism.

Awards
1990 - Norwegian Critics Prize for Literature (year's best children's literature).
1993 – Norwegian Booksellers' Prize for Through a Glass, Darkly.
1994 – Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis for Sophie's World.
1995 – Italy's Preancarella for Sophie's World.
1997 – Buxtehude Bull for Durch einen Spiegel for Through a Glass, Darkly.
2004 – Willy-Brandt Award in Oslo.
2005 – Commander, The Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav.
2005 – Honorary degree, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.
(Author bio adapted from Wikipedia. Retrieved 12/15/2014.)