Tormod Haugen
Encyclopedia
Tormod Haugen was a Norwegian author of children's books and translator.
in Hedmark
county, Norway
. After school graduation at the Hamar Cathedral School in 1965, he attended the University of Oslo
. He worked at the Munch Museum 1971-1973. He made his debut as a writer in 1973 with Ikke som i fjor (Not like last year). After his debut he wrote a number of children and young people books, and he became one of the more acclaimed writers of children's literature in Scandinavia.
He was an experimental and innovative writer who picked up elements from Norwegian folk tales and myths as well as from international children's literary traditions. A recurring theme in his writing was the lonely child whose feelings and wishes are disregarded by the adult world, and who as a consequence of this winds up in situations that are outside of his control. His books have been sold to 26 countries and translated into 24 languages. He was also an active translator. Among his works, he translated the Narnia books of C. S. Lewis
into the Norwegian language
.
He was a winner of a number of prestigious awards, most notably the Hans Christian Andersen Award
in 1990. In 1984, he became the first children's author nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize. He won the prize of the Nordic School Librarians Association
in 1986. He was nominated for the Norwegian Booksellers' Prize
in 1997 and for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award
in 2005.
Biography
Tormod Haugen grew up in a small village in TrysilTrysil
Trysil is a municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Østerdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Innbygda...
in Hedmark
Hedmark
is a county in Norway, bordering Sør-Trøndelag, Oppland and Akershus. The county administration is in Hamar.Hedmark makes up the northeastern part of Østlandet, the southeastern part of the country. It includes a long part of the borderline with Sweden, Dalarna County and Värmland County. The...
county, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. After school graduation at the Hamar Cathedral School in 1965, he attended the University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
. He worked at the Munch Museum 1971-1973. He made his debut as a writer in 1973 with Ikke som i fjor (Not like last year). After his debut he wrote a number of children and young people books, and he became one of the more acclaimed writers of children's literature in Scandinavia.
He was an experimental and innovative writer who picked up elements from Norwegian folk tales and myths as well as from international children's literary traditions. A recurring theme in his writing was the lonely child whose feelings and wishes are disregarded by the adult world, and who as a consequence of this winds up in situations that are outside of his control. His books have been sold to 26 countries and translated into 24 languages. He was also an active translator. Among his works, he translated the Narnia books of C. S. Lewis
C. S. Lewis
Clive Staples Lewis , commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis and known to his friends and family as "Jack", was a novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist from Belfast, Ireland...
into the Norwegian language
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
.
He was a winner of a number of prestigious awards, most notably the Hans Christian Andersen Award
Hans Christian Andersen Award
The Hans Christian Andersen Award, sometimes known as the "Nobel Prize for children's literature", is an international award given biennially by the International Board on Books for Young People in recognition of a "lasting contribution to children's literature"...
in 1990. In 1984, he became the first children's author nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize. He won the prize of the Nordic School Librarians Association
in 1986. He was nominated for the Norwegian Booksellers' Prize
Norwegian Booksellers' Prize
The Norwegian Booksellers' Prize is a literature prize was awarded by the Norwegian Booksellers Association. It was initiated in 1948, then did not return until 1961...
in 1997 and for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award
Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award
The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award is an international children's literature award, established by the Swedish government in 2002 in honour of the Swedish children's books writer Astrid Lindgren...
in 2005.
Awards
- 1979 – Norwegian Critics Prize for Literature
- 1979 – Deutscher JugendliteraturpreisDeutscher JugendliteraturpreisThe Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis is an annual award established in 1956 by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth to recognise outstanding works of children's literature. It is Germany's only state-funded literary award. In the past, authors from many countries...
- 1980 – Gyldendal's EndowmentGyldendal's EndowmentGyldendal's Endowment was a literature prize which was awarded in the period 1934–1995 by the Norwegian publisher Gyldendal Norsk Forlag. The prize was awarded to significant authors, regardless of which publisher the author was associated with...
- 1988 – Bastian Prize for Children's and Young-Adult BooksBastian PrizeThe Bastian Prize is a prize awarded annually by the Norwegian Association of Literary Translators.The prize, established in 1951, is given for translating a published work into Norwegian language...
- 1990 – Hans Christian Andersen AwardHans Christian Andersen AwardThe Hans Christian Andersen Award, sometimes known as the "Nobel Prize for children's literature", is an international award given biennially by the International Board on Books for Young People in recognition of a "lasting contribution to children's literature"...