In Memory of Dag Solstad
On March 14, the great Norwegian writer Dag Solstad passed away at the age of 83.
Through five decades, Solstad produced works of the highest literary quality that somehow have both interpreted and defined the changing moods of the times. From his debut collection of short stories in 1965, he slowly took a strong grip of Norwegian readers and marked himself as one of the most acknowledged and widely read authors in our time. For many years, his works were – now proven wrong – considered as “too Norwegian” to reach an international audience. By now, he is translated into nearly 40 languages.
Solstad was one of the most influential authors in contemporary Norwegian literature. Many younger writers cite him as an inspiration. He was also admired internationally, including Japanese author Haruki Murakami and Austrian Nobel Prize laureate Peter Handke, who appreciated the “intimate and loving irony” in Solstad’s books. US Author Lydia Davis studied Norwegian to read Solstad in original. A Norwegian editor once grabbed a taxi in Istanbul and saw a book by Solstad on the front seat. The taxi driver read Solstad in between rides.
A subtle irony is a hallmark of all his works, even though his literary output varies greatly in terms of themes and style. In his early works, which were strongly influenced by the political left and Marxist ideas, Solstad explored social injustices, class issues, and political movements of the time. From the 1980s onward, individual destinies took centre stage. Characters such as Bjørn Hansen (Novel 11, Book 18, 1992) and various teachers and office workers grapple with inner emptiness, existential questions, and a sense of alienation from society. In Shyness and Dignity (1994), teacher Elias Rukla’s attack on his own umbrella at a water fountain is an iconic literary scene, never forgotten by his readers.
In a 2019 portrait for DIE ZEIT titled Norway’s Greatest, critic Iris Radisch called Dag Solstad an “internationally admired solitaire, a brilliant stylist with a unique body of work.”
If you never read a book by Solstad, you are in a lucky position to start now. If you read him, you will likely read him again.
Thank you for your contributions to Norwegian literature, Dag Solstad.
The following novels are available in English, published by Penguin:
• Professor Andersen’s Night (translated by Agnes Scott Langeland)
• Shyness and Dignity (translated by Sverre Lyngstad)
• Armand V (translated by Steven T. Murray)
• Novel 11, Book 18 (translated by Sverre Lyngstad)
• T. Singer (translated by Tiina Nunnally)
For translations of books by Dag Solstad in other languages, please see the Oria database, courtesy of the National Library of Norway.
