Karl Ove Knausgård
Karl Ove Knausgård
Full Name and Common Aliases
Karl Ove Knausgård is a Norwegian novelist, best known for his My Struggle series.
Birth and Death Dates
Born on June 6, 1968, in Oslo, Norway. Still alive as of my last update.
Nationality and Profession(s)
Norwegian novelist
Early Life and Background
Karl Ove Knausgård was born to a family of modest means, with his parents' divorce happening when he was young. His father remarried but had a strained relationship with Karl Ove throughout his life. Despite this complicated upbringing, Knausgård developed a passion for writing at an early age and attended the University of Oslo.
Major Accomplishments
Karl Ove Knausgård is perhaps best known for his six-volume novel My Struggle (Min Kamp in Norwegian). The series is a sweeping narrative that follows the author's life from childhood through adulthood, including his struggles with mental health and addiction. This monumental work has been widely praised for its literary merit and has won numerous awards.
Notable Works or Actions
My Struggle Series: A six-volume novel published between 2009-2011.
A Time for Everything (Det bemærkelsesværdige menneske): Published in 1998, this is Knausgård's first major literary work.
Impact and Legacy
Karl Ove Knausgård's writing has had a significant impact on contemporary literature. His exploration of themes such as mental health, identity, and family dynamics has resonated with readers worldwide. The My Struggle series is not only a personal narrative but also a literary experiment in form and style.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Karl Ove Knausgård is widely quoted and remembered for his thought-provoking writing that challenges readers to confront their own lives. His exploration of the human condition through My Struggle has inspired a new generation of writers and readers alike.
Quotes by Karl Ove Knausgård
Karl Ove Knausgård's insights on:
I don't know why people do not read 'Mein Kampf' more regularly. It tells you first-hand about all the narcissism; you see that collapse in German culture. There is no chance that anyone could become a Nazi by reading that book.
Those small things, like giving a hug to man, I try to avoid it. Because I can see the situation is coming, and I try to prepare. But I remember the first time I did it, I was 16, and I was at the gymnasium, and it was a cosmopolitan thing, an international thing, a modern thing, but I never felt at ease with it at all.
I don't talk about feelings, but I write a lot about feelings. Reading, that's feminine; writing, that's feminine. It is insane - it's really insane - but it still is in me.
When I write something, I can't remember in the end if this is a memory or if it's not - I'm talking about fiction. So for me, it's the same thing.
When I wrote my fictional novels, they always had a starting point of something real. Those images that are not real are exactly the same strength and power of the real ones, and the line between them is completely blurred.
'My Struggle' came from a place of questioning and feelings of inauthenticity and frustration, and almost all of that is gone.
When I started writing 'My Struggle,' my father was still an issue: someone I had in me every day, someone I would dream about - he was still a part of me. He was such a huge figure for me, and now he is just one among many, and that feels like a relief.
The notion of what is public and what is private has been dissolved. My children see documentaries; they see Instagram. Everyone is very open: it has become less taboo to expose lives.
Knut Hamsun's writing is magical. His sentences are glowing; he could write about anything and make it alive. Of contemporary writers, Thure Erik Lund is my definite favorite.