Being an unskilled laborer, Per Petterson made his literary debut in 1987 with the book Ashes in My Mouth, Sand in My Shoes, being a collection of short stories. After this, Petterson has written six novels, having his breakthrough as a writer in 2003 with the novel called Out Stealing Horses. As in Norway, he has received prizes in France and in the United Kingdom, and The New York Times described the book as “one of the five best fiction books” in 2007. The year after, his novel I Curse the River of Time was published.
“Out Stealing Horses is an intensely lyrical end evocative novel that handles with a deft and seemingly effortless prose style the transition of the past into memory, and its shifting, unpredictable persistence. A masterful achievement by one of Europe’s finest novelists”, one of the judges in the Dublin IMPACT award 2007 stated.
The story takes place in 1948, in the Norwegian countryside. The novel stresses the change of perspective of the world, from innocence to betrayal and of the wish of a simpler way of life.
In his novel I Curse the River of Time, you meet Arvid, facing a divorce and looking for a new footing in life. Complicated issues are written with humor, taking place in 1989 – the end of Communism.
Thus far, Per Petterson’s novels are translated into 49 languages; including Albanian, Bosnian and Serbian. If you are interested in reading Per Petterson’s books, then these are available in the different languages (publishers are in parentheses):
Albanian: I Curse the River of Time
(Shkupi) Out Stealing Horses
To Siberia
Serbian: I Curse the River of Time
(Geopoetika) Out Stealing Horses
Bosnian: I Curse the River of Time
(Connectum) Out Stealing Horses
Go to the Economist and read the interview of the Norwegian award-winning writer, Per Petterson.