CANCELLED - Karl Ove Knausgård (NO) in conversation with Kathrine Tschemerinsky

The Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgård is one of the greatest and most landmark authors in recent Scandinavian literary history. Soon he will be visiting International Authors' Stage, on the occasion of receiving the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award.

10 years ago he put an end to the monstrous six-volume work My Struggle (2009-2011), which, since the publication of the first volume in 2009, has thrilled readers, critics and literary scholars alike. His mix of fiction, essay writing and autobiography has expanded the framework for the novel genre and made him a pioneer in the so-called autofiction.

With its 3600 pages, the work ranks high on the list of world literature's longest works, but despite the length, readers all over the world have been hooked by Knausgård's books and the meticulous observations of an everyday life, and a life which one does not have to be a Norwegian man in order to recognise. "The series My Struggle works in the same way on readers as cigarettes do on teenagers: It takes time to get used to the taste, but once you are hooked, you cannot stop again," wrote the daily Danish national newspaper, Information, in 2015.

No longer a writer?

At the end of the sixth volume of My Struggle, Knausgård writes that he now wants to "enjoy - really enjoy the idea that I am no longer a writer". With an end to the novel series, he also put an end to the authorship - apparently! But to the great delight of Knausgård's many readers, he continued to write, and since My Struggle a gentle stream of books has come from his hand.

Karl Ove Knausgård first visited the International Authors' Stage in 2009, when the first three volumes of My Struggle were published in Denmark. In 2019, he visited again for a talk about Edvard Munch, whom he curated an exhibition about in Oslo in 2017, and whose life Knausgård explores in the book So Much Longing in So Little Space (2018).

When Knausgård visits Royal Danish Library for the third time in 2022, he is current with The Morning Star (2020), his first novel since My Struggle - where he has now left the autofiction genre in favour of the fantastic tradition. This alone testifies to a versatile authorship and a versatile writer who does not stagnate, but moves in ever new directions and is constantly evolving.

About the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award

The Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award is an award which pays homage to Hans Christian Andersen's influence on writers around the world. Since 2007, great international authors such as J.K Rowling, Salman Rushdie and Haruki Murakami have been honoured with the award - and in 2020 it was Karl Ove Knausgård's turn. The reason was, it was stated, that Knausgård was awarded partly for "his intense renewal of the field between novel and autobiography, an area which Hans Christian Andersen also explored on a large scale".

Third time at International Authors' Stage

Knausgård first visited the International Authors' Stage in 2009, when the first three volumes of My Struggle had been published in Danish. In 2019, he visited again – this time to talk about Edvard Munch, about whom he curated an exhibition in Oslo in 2017 and writes about in the book Så megen längsel på sä lille en flda (2018).

The autumn's long-awaited visit comes on the occasion that Knausgård will receive the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Prize in 2022, and that he published The Wolves from the Eternal Forest in 2022.

Karl Ove Knausgård

Karl Ove Knausgård made his debut in 1998, and his works have today been translated into 30 languages worldwide. He lives and works in Sweden.

Knausgård has received a large number of awards, including the Norwegian Critics' Prize, the Brage Prize, Die Welt Literature Prize and the Sunday Times Award for Literary Excellence. He received the Critics' Prize in the same year that he debuted as a writer with the novel Out of the World, which was published in Danish in 2005. In addition, A Time for Everything (published in Denmark in 2007) was nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize.

In autumn 2009, the first volume of the six-volume work My Struggle was published, which was nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize 2010 and was awarded the Brage Prize, the Book of the Year 2009 in Morgenbladet and P2 Lytternes Romanpris.

Kathrine Tschemerinsky

Kathrine Tschemerinsky is culture editor at Weekendavisen. She is educated in anthropology from the University of Copenhagen and Columbia University in New York. Tschemerinsky has worked as a literary writer for many years for, among others, Atlas Magasin and Weekendavisen, and is also the author of the book Turen går til bøgernes verden.

Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award

The Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award is a prize that pays tribute to Hans Christian Andersen's influence on writers all over the world. Since 2007, major international author names such as JK Rowling, Salman Rushdie and Haruki Murakami have been honoured - and in 2020 it was Karl Ove Knausgård's turn to receive the award, which has been postponed to 2022 due to the pandemic. The motivation stated that Knausgård is partly awarded the prize "for his intense renewal of the field between novel and autobiography, an area which Hans Christian Andersen also explored in great style". In addition to the honour, the winner also receives a bronze sculpture, created by the Danish sculptor Stine Ring Hansen, depicting The Ugly Swan, as well as a diploma "The Beauty of the Swan" and 500,000 Danish kroner.