Norwegian author Dag Solstad, regarded as one of the most prominent figures in contemporary Nordic literature, passed away Friday night at the age of 83 following a brief hospital stay. His death was reported by the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten.
Solstad was with his wife, Norwegian theater critic and editor Therese Bjørneboe, at the time of his passing.
As the only Norwegian writer to have received the prestigious national critics’ award three times, in addition to numerous other accolades, Dag Solstad was renowned for his prose, which blends existential despair, political themes, and humor.
Permanently considered a favorite for the Nobel Prize in Literature, Solstad was admired by global literary icons, including Haruki Murakami, who translated his work into Japanese, and American author Lydia Davis, who learned Norwegian to read his novel ‘The Insoluble Epic Element in Telemark in the Years 1592-1896’.
Karl Ove Knausgård admired Solstad’s “old-fashioned elegance,” while Per Petterson described him as “Norway’s bravest and smartest novelist.” In an essay for the Paris Review, Damion Searls likened Solstad to the John Lennon of Norwegian letters, calling him “the experimentalist, the man of ideas.”
Born in the municipality of Sandefjord in southeastern Norway in 1941, Solstad began his writing career as a journalist for a local newspaper before turning to fiction at the age of 23.
A former member of Norway’s Maoist Communist Party, Solstad described himself in later years as a “political amateur” but also stated on his 80th birthday that he wished to be remembered as a communist.
Politics infused some of his prose, notably in ‘Armand V,’ a 2006 work about a diplomat rising through the ranks of Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who aligns himself with U.S. policies.
However, the central concerns of over 30 of his books, including novels, short stories, plays, and essays, were more personal, often focusing on the difficult father-son relationships.
Published in 33 languages, Solstad’s work has consistently sparked lively debate due to its radical nonconformism.
In collaboration with crime writer Jon Michelet, Solstad co-authored five books about the World Cup football tournaments between 1982 and 1998.
In Portugal, Solstad’s novels ‘Pudor e Dignidade,’ ‘A Noite do Professor Andersen,’ and ‘Romance 11 Livro 18’ have been published.
