Roy Jacobsen (1954–) is one of the most celebrated and influential contemporary writers in Norway, with his four collections of short stories, eleven novels, a biography and a children's book. From his sensational début in 1982, with the collection of short stories Fangeliv (Prison Life), he has developed into an original, intense and analytical author with a special interest in the underlying psychological interplay in human relationships. Jacobsen is familiar with people from different backgrounds and connections. He has learned from experience about the working life in the small, local communities in Northern Norway, as well as the academic and therapeutic milieu in Oslo.
In 1987 he wrote Det nye vannet (The New Water). The novel’s backdrop is the intricate and inbred secrecy of an isolated island. The story is viewed through Jon, the intellectually limited main character. Kirkus Reviews wrote: «A superbly constructed thriller, and a memorable characterization of a man who scarcely knows whether he's a hero, villain or a victim.»
Jacobsen's great break-through came in 1991 with the novel Seierherrene (The Conquerors) - which gave him a wide audience and excellent reviews.
In 1999 Grenser (Boundaries) was published. The novel is at the same time a moving epic tale of love and fatherly dedication about responsibility, and an exploration of the conditions of national and private identity.
He wrote the great epic novel Frost (Frost) in 2003. This is the fantastic saga of Gest the Icelander, born in 993 A.D., who is outlawed only 13 years old for slaying one of Iceland's most powerful kings to avenge his father's murder. Gest escapes from Iceland and travels to Norway, where he ends up drawn into the centre of political events. He is a visionary, a highly intelligent, manipulating dreamer. His various qualities make him one of Eirik Jarl's closest advisors, and he eventually takes part in the conquest of England in 1016. Frost was nominated to the Nordic Council's Literary Prize.
«A remarkable, substantial and well-written saga novel... Roy Jacobsen is a highly gifted story-teller.»
Dagbladet about Frost
Jostein Gaarder said: «Frost takes the reader on an adventure-filled journey back to the Viking period in the Scandinavian Middle Ages. Roy Jacobsen has written a monumental novel which any European would do well to read. Frost deserves the accolade of pan-European popular literature.»
In 2005 Jacobsen wrote the critically acclaimed Hoggerne (The Burnt-out Town of Miracles), a gripping existential novel about the Winter War and seven men who have to carry the load together, about wood and warmth and a pair of ladies shoes and about the words «thank you».
Awards
Tarjei Vesaas' Debutant Prize 1982.
The Cappelen Prize 1997.
The Critics' Prize 1989.
The Booksellers' Prize 1991 for Seierherrene (The Conquerors).
The Ivar-Lo Prize 1994.
The Municipality of Oslo's Artist's Prize 1994.
Riksmålsforbundets literary Prize 2003.
The Gyldendal Reward 2006 for Hoggerne (The Burnt-out Town of Miracles).
The Youth's Critics' Prize 2005 for Hoggerne (The Burnt-out Town of Miracles).
Shortlisted for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award 2009 for Hoggerne (The Burnt-out Town of Miracles).
Translations
Det nye vannet (The New Water), 1987. Sold to Albania, Czech, Denmark, Germany, Faeroes, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Sweden, USA, Bulgaria, Romania.
Virgo (Virgo), 1988. Sold to Sweden.
Det kan komme noen (Someone may come), short stories, 1989. Sold to Denmark.
Seierherrene (The Conquerors), 1991. Sold to Denmark, Sweden, Latvia.
Fata Morgana (Fata Morgana), 1992. Sold to Denmark, Germany, Sweden.
Ismael (Ismael), 1997. Sold to Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Poland, Sweden.
Grenser (Boundaries), 1999. Sold to Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark.
Det nye vinduet (The New Window), short story collection, 2002. Sold to Sweden.
Frost (Frost), 2003. Sold to Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, the Netherlands, Poland, Bulgaria.
Hoggerne (The Burnt-out Town of Miracles), 2005. Sold to Sweden, Denmark, France, Germany, Poland, The Czech Republic, Russia, the Netherlands, the Faeroe Islands, the UK and Croatia.
Marions slør (Marion's veil), 2007. Sold to Denmark, the Netherlands, Russia and Sweden.
Vidunderbarn (Wonder Child), 2009. Sold to Denmark, the Netherlands, the UK, Germany, Spain and Sweden.