Writers from Oslo

Jon "Jo" Nesbø (Norwegian: [ˈjuː ˈnɛ̀sbøː]; born 29 March 1960) is a Norwegian writer, musician, and former football player and reporter. More than 3 million copies of his novels had been sold in Norway as of March 2014, and he had sold over 50 million copies worldwide by 2021, making him the most successful Norwegian author of all time. His work has been translated into more than 50 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. In 2007 he released his first children's book, Doktor Proktors Prompepulver (English translation: Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder). The 2011 film Headhunters is based on Nesbø's novel Hodejegerne (The Headhunters).

Unni Maria Lindell (born 3 April 1957 in Oslo) is a Norwegian writer. She is best known for her crime novels (whodunits), but has also written a collection of poems and several children's and young adult books.
Lindell worked as a journalist before she became an author. Her first book Den grønne dagen ("The green day") was published in 1986. One of Lindell's most prominent characters is detective Cato Isaksen. Some of the Isaksen books have been adapted as TV films starring Reidar Sørensen.
Lindell was awarded the Mads Wiel Nygaards Endowment in 1998 and the Critics' Prize for the year's best children's or youth literature. In 1999 and in 2018 she received the Riverton Prize (Rivertonprisen), a literature award given annually to the best Norwegian detective story.

Andreas Holmsen (5 June 1906 – 20 February 1989) was a Norwegian historian, author, and educator. He is most commonly associated with his textbook Norges historie fra de eldste tider til 1660 (Norwegian History from the Oldest Times to 1660), which is a standard introduction to early Norwegian history.

Rolf Kristian Eckersberg Stenersen (13 February 1899 – 15 October 1978) was a Norwegian businessman, non-fiction writer, essayist, novelist, playwright and biographer. He was also a track and field athlete and art collector.

Sonja Hagemann (6 September 1898 – 17 October 1983) was a Norwegian literary historian and literary critic, especially of children's literature. She is primarily known for the monumental Barnelitteratur i Norge (Norwegian Children's Literature I:1965; II:1970; III:1973).
She was raised in Christiania (now Oslo) Norway. She graduated with a degree in economics at the University of Oslo (1919).
She first worked in government service. She worked at Dagbladet as a critic of children's literature (1946-1971).
She received the Arts Council Norway Honorary Award (Norsk kulturråds ærespris) in 1980.
She represented the Liberal Party in Oslo school board. She was a parliamentary ballot candidate from the constituency of Oslo in 1965.She was married to Otto Holmboe Hagemann (1891–1961) in 1925 and was the mother of geologist Fredrik Hagemann.

Leif Vetlesen (7 August 1921 – 18 May 2003) was a Norwegian sailor, political worker, organizational worker and writer.
He was born in Kristiania as a son of engineer Alf Vetlesen (1878–1963) and teacher Aagot Bugge (1881–1967). He was a great-grandson of Frederik Moltke Bugge. He finished his secondary education at Oslo Cathedral School in 1939, and then went to sea. He was going to return to land after one year, but when Norway was involved in World War II in April 1940, their merchant fleet became a crucial asset in the war and Vetlesen stayed. He worked at sea for several years, but while hospitalized with jaundice in Cardiff, he became involved with the British Communist Party. As he became known as a good speaker, he was hired in the trade union Norwegian Seafarers' Union in 1944.After the war he launched a campaign for better treatment of war sailors, but his agitation led to him being fired from the union in 1947. In 1949 he was also excluded from the Young Communist League of Norway. His marriage since 1943 to Lorna Dilys Peaty also ended in 1949; in 1951 he married Vesla Gunvor Hansen. After the Soviet invasion of Hungary he renounced Communism and joined the Norwegian Labour Party together with his wife.Vetlesen held various jobs, both as a manual worker and electoral campaigner for the Labour Party, before being hired as information director in the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation. He remained here until 1982 except for three years from 1968 to 1971 in Uganda. From 1982 to 1985 he was secretary-general of Amnesty International Norway. His wife was a government minister from 1986 to 1988.Vetlesen's former work for war sailors was taken up by Thore Horve during the 1960s, and led to an ex gratia monetary payment to sailors in 1972. Vetlesen released several books about the topic, including Sjøfolkenes kamp for det hemmelige fond (1949), Reis ingen monumenter. Kampen om Nortraships hemmelige fond (1981), Med døden i kjølvannet. Av en krigsseilers saga (1989) and Syv fortellinger fra Norges krig på havet (with others, 1993). He also wrote two books about the Communist Party and Peder Furubotn. He was decorated with the HM The King's Medal of Merit in gold in 1997, and died in May 2003 in Oslo.

Tordis Ørjasæter (born 25 March 1927) is a Norwegian literary critic, biographer, former professor of educational science, and novelist. She has been particularly engaged in culture and literature for children. She has written biographical works on Sigrid Undset, Selma Lagerlöf, Tove Jansson, and Nini Roll Anker. She was awarded the Brage Prize in 1993.

Leif Longum (19 November 1927 – 5 May 1997) was a Norwegian essayist and literary researcher. He was born in Oslo. He was assigned to the Nansen Academy from 1960 to 1972, and the University of Bergen from 1972 to 1995; from 1992 as a professor. He published the textbook Å lese skuespill in 1976. His principal work is an analysis of the "cultural radicalism" in Norway in the interwar years, with particular focus on the troika Sigurd Hoel, Helge Krog and Arnulf Øverland. He published the essay collection Å krysse sine spor in 1995, while the collection På fallrepet was published posthumously in 1998.

Ruth Krefting (22 September 1900, Kristiania – 19 December 1987, Oslo) was a Norwegian painter and playwright.

Edith Ranum (23 May 1922 – 25 October 2002) was a Norwegian crime fiction writer, novelist and playwright.