Dag Solstad, "a towering figure of Norwegian letters admired by literary greats around the world," died March 14 at age 83, the Guardian reported. "Known for prose combining existential despair, political subjects and a droll sense of humor," he won the Norwegian critics prize for literature three times and was a perennial contender for the Nobel Prize in literature.
Solstad was translated into Japanese by Haruki Murakami and author Lydia Davis taught herself Norwegian by reading his 400-page novel The Insoluble Epic Element in Telemark in the Years 1592–1896, the Guardian noted. Karl Ove Knausgård admired his "old-fashioned elegance" and Per Petterson called him "Norway's bravest, most intelligent novelist."
Solstad's other books include Novel 11, Book 18, translated by Sverre Lyngstad; Professor Andersen's Night, translated by Agnes Scott Langeland; T Singer, translated by Tiina Nunnally; and Armand V, translated by Steven T. Murray.
Solstad began his writing career as a newspaper journalist, before writing short fiction in his early 20s. "The core concerns of his 18 novels, stories, plays and essays, however, were more personal, frequently featuring difficult father-son relationships," the Guardian noted. He also wrote (with crime writer Jon Michelet) five books about soccer's World Cups between 1982 and 1998. Several of his novels are available in paperback from New Directions.
Norway's prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre told NTB that Solstad was one of the most significant Norwegian authors of all time: "His work will continue to engage and inspire new readers. Today my thoughts go out to his family and loved ones."
