Jo Nesbø (; born Jon Nesbø; 29 March 1960) is a Norwegian writer, musician, economist, and former football player and reporter. More than 3 million copies of his novels had been sold in Norway as of March 2014; his work has been translated into over 50 languages, and by 2021 had sold some 50 million copies worldwide, making him the most successful Norwegian author of all time.Siegel, Lee (5 May 2014). Pure Evil: Jo Nesbø and the rise of Scandinavian crime fiction . ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issue ...
''. Retrieved 1 December 2019. "Nesbø's Harry Hole novels have sold twenty-three million copies, in forty languages."
Known primarily for his crime novels featuring Inspector Harry Hole, Nesbø is also the main vocalist and songwriter for the Norwegian rock band
Di Derre
Di Derre is a Norwegian Pop rock band, founded in 1992. They were awarded the Gammleng-prisen in 1996.
Band members
* Jo Nesbø – vocals, guitar
*Espen Stenhammer – drums
*Magnus Larsen jr. – bass guitar, vocals
*Halvor Holter – keybo ...
. In 2007 he released his first children's book, ''Doktor Proktors Prompepulver'' (English translation: ''
Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder
''Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder'' is a series of children's novels by Norwegian author Jo Nesbø, illustrated by Mike Lowery. The first novel in the series was Nesbø's first children's book, a contrast from the adult crime novels that he is known ...
''). The 2011 film '' Headhunters'' is based on Nesbø's novel ''Hodejegerne (The Headhunters)''.
Early life
Nesbø was born in 1960 in
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
and grew up in
Molde
Molde () is a town and List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Møre og Romsdal Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Romsdal. It is located on the Romsdal Pen ...
.Kuiper, Kathleen (25 March 2019). Jo Nesbø . ''Encyclopaedia Britannica''. britannica.com. Retrieved 1 December 2019. He graduated from the
Norwegian School of Economics
The Norwegian School of Economics ( no, Norges Handelshøyskole) or NHH is a business school situated in Bergen, Norway. It was founded in 1936 as Norway's first business school and is a leading teaching and research institution in the fields of ...
with a degree in Economics and Business Administration."Jo Nesbo." ''Contemporary Authors Online''.
Gale
A gale is a strong wind; the word is typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as sustained surface winds moving at a speed of between 34 and 47 knots (, or ).Harry Hole, a tough detective working for Crime Squad and later with the National Criminal Investigation Service (
Kripos
The National Criminal Investigation Service ( no, Den nasjonale enhet for bekjempelse av organisert og annen alvorlig kriminalitet, previously ''Kriminalpolitisentralen''), commonly known as Kripos, is a special agency of the Norwegian Police Se ...
), whose investigations may take him from
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
,
West Congo
The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the ...
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. Hole takes on seemingly unconnected cases, sometimes found to involve
serial killers
A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A
*
*
*
* with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...
gangsters
A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''mob'' and the suffix ''-ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and r ...
or
the establishment
''The Establishment'' is a term used to describe a dominant group or elite that controls a polity or an organization. It may comprise a closed social group that selects its own members, or entrenched elite structures in specific institutions. ...
, but spends a significant amount of time battling alcoholism and his own demons.
The Harry Hole novels are multi-layered, violent and often feature women in peril, as typified by ''The Snowman''. On the return of Harry Hole in ''The Thirst'', Nesbø said: "I was always coming back to Harry; he is my soul mate. But it is a dark soul, so it is – as always – both a thrill and a chilling, emotionally exhausting experience. But Harry and the story make it worth the sleepless nights."
A film adaptation of '' The Snowman'', with
Tomas Alfredson
Hans Christian Tomas Alfredson (born 1 April 1965) is a Swedish film director who is best known internationally for directing the 2008 vampire film '' Let the Right One In'' and 2011 espionage film '' Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy''. Alfredson has ...
directing (replacing
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, incl ...
Michael Fassbender
Michael Fassbender (born 2 April 1977) is an Irish actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award, and nominations for two Academy Awards, four British Academy Film Award ...
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Charlotte Lucy Gainsbourg (; born 21 July 1971) is a British-French actress and singer. She is the daughter of English actress Jane Birkin and French musician Serge Gainsbourg. After making her musical debut with her father on the song " Lemo ...
, premiered in October 2017.
The Doctor Proctor series
''Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder'', originally published in 2007, was Nesbø's first children's book. They are illustrated by Mike Lowery. The series is set in Oslo, Norway and follows the story of Doctor Proctor, a crazy professor waiting for his big break, his next-door neighbor Lisa and her peculiar friend Nilly, a short redheaded boy. The ruthless twins Truls and Trym Thrane sometimes lurk in the background. Doctor Proctor's first major inventions are a powder that makes the user fart (and the farts don't smell) and the "Fartonaut Powder," which makes the user fart so powerfully that they blast into space. In book 2 he invents a bathtub that allows the user to travel through time. As of 2018 there are 5 books in the series.
In 2014 a live action film adaptation of the first book was made, and is only available in Norwegian. A sequel, ''Doktor Proktors Tidsbadekar'', was released in 2015 with German involvement. Both films received mixed reviews.
The Olav Johansen series
It was announced in October 2013 that, writing under the pen-name of Tom Johansen, Nesbø had written at least two novels provisionally entitled ''Blood on Snow'' and ''More Blood on the Water'', scheduled to be published in autumn 2014 and spring 2015. The books ''Blood on Snow'' and its sequel ''Midnight Sun: Blood on Snow 2'' were published in 2015, but under Jo Nesbø's name.
It was also announced in October 2013 that
Warner Brothers
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American Film studio, film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, Califo ...
had bought the rights to ''Blood on Snow'' and planned to make a screen adaptation, to be produced by and possibly starring Leonardo DiCaprio. However, on 4 April 2017, it was reported that the screen rights had been purchased by
Tobey Maguire
Tobias Vincent Maguire (born June 27, 1975) is an American actor and film producer. He is best known for playing the title character from Sam Raimi's ''Spider-Man'' trilogy (2002–2007), a role he later reprised in '' Spider-Man: No Way Hom ...
's Material Pictures and Lawrence Grey's Grey Matter Productions, and that Maguire would make his directorial debut on the projected film adaptation.
This series follows Olav Johansen, a fixer for Oslo crime boss Daniel Hoffman. In ''Blood on Snow'', Olav has just found the woman of his dreams. The only problem is that she's his boss's wife and that his boss has hired him to kill her.
A film adaptation of ''Midnight Sun'', titled '' The Hanging Sun'', directed by Francesco Carrozzini directing and starring Alessandro Borghi, Jessica Brown Findlay,
Sam Spruell
Sam Spruell (born 1 January 1977) is a British actor. He is best known for playing villainous roles in film and television including Oleg Malankov in '' Taken 3'', Finn in ''Snow White and the Huntsman'' and Swarm in '' Doctor Who: Flux''. He al ...
Charles Dance
Walter Charles Dance (born 10 October 1946) is an English actor. He is known for playing strict, authoritarian characters and villains. His most notable film roles include Sardo Numspa in '' The Golden Child'' (1986), Dr. Jonathan Clemens in '' ...
, premiered at the
79th Venice International Film Festival
The 79th annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 31 August to 10 September 2022.
Juries
Main Competition (Venezia 79)
* Julianne Moore, American actress and author (Jury President)
* Mariano Cohn, Argentine director, screenwr ...
in September 2022.
Other projects
In 2011, the Nesbø story ''Twelve'' was adapted by Magnus Martens into the film ''Jackpot'' ( no, Arme Riddere), a black comedy crime mystery film.
In 2014 it was announced that Nesbø would contribute a re-telling of the story of ''
Macbeth
''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...
'' as part of the Hogarth Shakespeare project, described as a 'crime noir' version of the
tragedy
Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy ...
. His ''
Macbeth
''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...
'' is set in 1970 in an unspecified location that combines aspects of Scandinavia and Scotland, and involves an Inspector Macbeth of a paramilitary
SWAT
In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...
team targeting bikers, drug dealers, and his police colleagues. It was published in April 2018.
In 2016, it was announced that there are also plans to adapt his stand-alone novel, ''Sønnen'' (''The Son''), as a film, to be directed by
Denis Villeneuve
Denis Villeneuve (; born October 3, 1967) is a Canadian filmmaker. He is a four-time recipient of the Canadian Screen Award (formerly Genie Award) for Best Direction, winning for '' Maelström'' in 2001, '' Polytechnique'' in 2009, '' Incendie ...
, with
Jake Gyllenhaal
Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal (; ; born December 19, 1980) is an American actor. Born into the Gyllenhaal family, he is the son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, and his older sister is actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. He ...
as producer and
Channing Tatum
Channing Matthew Tatum (born April 26, 1980) is an American actor. Tatum made his film debut in the drama '' Coach Carter'' (2005), and had his breakthrough role in the 2006 dance film '' Step Up''. He gained wider attention for his leading ro ...
in the lead role.
On 5 April 2017, it was announced that Icelandic director
Baltasar Kormakur
Balthazar, or variant spellings, may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* ''Balthazar'' (novel), by Lawrence Durrell, 1958
* ''Balthasar'', an 1889 book by Anatole France
* ''Professor Balthazar'', a Croatian animated TV series, 1967-1978
...
was working on a new adaptation of ''I Am Victor'', a short story by Nesbø previously planned as an NBC television series but not completed.
Personal life
Nesbø played top-flight football for
Molde FK
Molde Fotballklubb () is a professional football club based in Molde, Norway, that competes in Eliteserien, the top flight of Norwegian football. Founded on 19 June 1911, the club was originally known as International and changed its name to ...
until he tore the
cruciate ligament
Cruciate ligaments (also cruciform ligaments) are pairs of ligaments arranged like a letter X. They occur in several joints of the body, such as the knee joint and the atlanto-axial joint. In a fashion similar to the cords in a toy Jacob's ...
s in his knee, and had to concentrate on other aspects of his life. Nesbø is a dedicated rock climber and has climbed sport routes up to French grade 7c+.
In addition to his career as an author, Nesbø was also the main vocalist and songwriter for the Norwegian rock band
Di Derre
Di Derre is a Norwegian Pop rock band, founded in 1992. They were awarded the Gammleng-prisen in 1996.
Band members
* Jo Nesbø – vocals, guitar
*Espen Stenhammer – drums
*Magnus Larsen jr. – bass guitar, vocals
*Halvor Holter – keybo ...
. He lives close to his former wife and their daughter in
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
Cockroaches
Cockroaches (or roaches) are a Paraphyly, paraphyletic group of insects belonging to Blattodea, containing all members of the group except termites. About 30 cockroach species out of 4,600 are associated with human habitats. Some species are we ...
Nemesis
In ancient Greek religion, Nemesis, also called Rhamnousia or Rhamnusia ( grc, Ῥαμνουσία, Rhamnousía, the goddess of Rhamnous), was the goddess who personifies retribution, a central concept in the Greek world view.
Etymology
The n ...
'', 2008)
* ''Marekors'' (2003) (English: ''
The Devil's Star
''The Devil's Star'' ( no, Marekors, literally "The Nightmare Cross", 2003) is a crime novel by Norwegian writer Jo Nesbø, the fifth in the Harry Hole series. An English-translated version of the book named ''The Devil's Star'' was translated by ...
'', 2005)
* ''Frelseren'' (2005) (English: '' The Redeemer'', 2009)
* ''Snømannen'' (2007) (English: '' The Snowman'', 2010) – Adapted into the 2017 film of the same name.
* ''Panserhjerte'' (2009) (English: ''
The Leopard
''The Leopard'' ( it, Il Gattopardo ) is a novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa that chronicles the changes in Sicily, Sicilian life and society during the ''Risorgimento''. Published posthumously in 1958 by Feltrinelli (publisher), Feltrinell ...
Police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest a ...
Knife
A knife ( : knives; from Old Norse 'knife, dirk') is a tool or weapon with a cutting edge or blade, usually attached to a handle or hilt. One of the earliest tools used by humanity, knives appeared at least 2.5 million years ago, as evide ...
* ''Doktor Proktors Prompepulver'' (2007) (English: ''Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder'') (2010)
* ''Doktor Proktors Tidsbadekaret'' (2008) (English: ''Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder: Bubble in the Bathtub'') (2011)
* ''Doktor Proktor Og Verdens Undergang. Kanskje.'' (2010) (English: ''Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder: The End of The World. Maybe.''; also known as ''Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder: Who Cut the Cheese?'') (2012)
* ''Doktor Proktor Og Det Store Gullrøveriet'' (2012) (English: ''Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder: The Great Gold Robbery''; also known as ''Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder: The Magical Fruit'') (2014)
* ''Kan Doktor Proktor Redde Jula?'' (2017) (English: ''Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder: Can Doctor Proctor Save Christmas?'' also known as ''Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder: Silent (but Deadly) Night'') (2018)
The Olav Johansen novels
* ''Blod På Snø'' (2015) (English: '' Blood on Snow'', 2015)
* ''Mere Blod'' (2015) (English: ''Midnight Sun'', 2015)
Stand-alone works
* ''
Karusellmusikk
''Karusellmusikk'' is a 2001 collection of short stories by Norwegian writer Jo Nesbø
Jo Nesbø (; born Jon Nesbø; 29 March 1960) is a Norwegian writer, musician, economist, and former football player and reporter. More than 3 million co ...
'' (2001) – Short stories
* ''Det Hvite Hotellet'' (2007) (English: ''The White Hotel'')
* ''Hodejegerne'' (2008) (English: ''Headhunters'') – Adapted into the 2011 film of the same name.
* ''Sønnen'' (2014) (English: '' The Son'', 2014)
* ''
Macbeth
''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...
'' (April 2018)
* ''Kongeriket'' (2020) (English: ''The Kingdom'', 2020)
* ''Sjalusimannen Og Andre Fortellinger'' (2021) (English: ''The Jealousy Man and Other Stories'', 2021)
*''Rotteøya Og Andre Fortellinger'' (2021)
Stemmer fra Balkan
''Stemmer fra Balkan'' ("Figures in the Balkans") is a documentary book written by Jo Nesbø and Espen Søbye.
In it they recount their experiences travelling to Serbia to write about the war that started on March 23, 1999. The book discusses wha ...
/
Atten dager i mai
''Stemmer fra Balkan'' ("Figures in the Balkans") is a documentary book written by Jo Nesbø and Espen Søbye.
In it they recount their experiences travelling to Serbia to write about the war that started on March 23, 1999. The book discusses wh ...
political thriller
A political thriller is a thriller that is set against the backdrop of a political power struggle, high stakes and suspense is the core of the story. The genre often forces the audiences to consider and understand the importance of politics. The s ...
which envisages what would happen if Norway were to be invaded by Russia to seize the nation's
oil resources
Oil and gas reserves denote ''discovered'' quantities of crude oil and natural gas (oil or gas fields) that can be profitably produced/recovered from an approved development. Oil and gas reserves tied to approved operational plans filed on the ...
. The first season premiered in October 2015, the second in September 2017, and the third in January 2020.
Awards and nominations
* The Riverton Prize 1997 for Best Norwegian Crime Novel of the Year (''The Bat'')
* The
Glass Key Award The Glass Key award ( sv, Glasnyckeln, da, Glasnøglen, no, Glassnøkkelen, fi, Lasiavain-palkinto, is, Glerlykillinn) is a literature award given annually to a crime novel by an author from the Nordic countries.
The award, named after the nov ...
1998 for Best Nordic Crime Novel of the Year (''The Bat'')
* The Norwegian Booksellers' Prize for Best Novel of the Year 2000 (''The Redbreast'')
* The Mads Wiel Nygaard Bursary 2002 (''Nemesis'')
* Best Norwegian Crime Novel Ever Written awarded by the Norwegian book clubs in 2004 (''The Redbreast'')
* The
Finnish Academy
The Finnish Academy of Science and Letters (Finnish ''Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia''; Latin ''Academia Scientiarum Fennica'') is a Finnish learned society. It was founded in 1908 and is thus the second oldest academy in Finland. The oldest is the Fi ...
of Crime Writers' Special Commendation 2007 for Excellence in Foreign Crime Writing (''The Devil's Star'')
* Shortlisted for
Duncan Lawrie International Dagger The CWA International Dagger (formerly known as the Duncan Lawrie International Dagger) is an award given by the Crime Writers' Association for best translated crime novel of the year. The winning author and translator receives an ornamental Dagger ...
2007 (''The Redbreast'')
* The Norwegian Booksellers' Prize for Best Novel of the Year 2007 (''The Snowman'')
* Shortlisted for Ark's Children's Book Award for Best Children's Book 2007 (''Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder'')
* The Norwegian Book Club Prize 2008 for Best Novel of the Year (''The Snowman'')
* Nominated for the Norwegian Bookseller's Prize 2008 (''Headhunters'' and ''Doctor Proctor's Time Bathtub'')
* Nominated for the Edgar Award 2010 (''Nemesis'')Mystery Writers of America Announces 2010 Edgar Award Nominees (press release). Mystery Writers of America via ''
PR Newswire
PR Newswire is a distributor of press releases headquartered in Chicago. The service was created in 1954 to allow companies to electronically send press releases to news organizations, using teleprinters at first. The founder, Herbert Muschel, ...
''. 19 January 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
* Awarded the Norwegian Peer Gynt Prize 2013