Meny
  • It is 72 years today since Orhan Pamuk was born.

    Turkish author, born and grew up in Istanbul, Nisantasi, in an affluent middle-class family. The father was a civil engineer, as was Orhan’s grandfather, who laid the foundations for the family’s fortune. After graduating from school – the secular American Robert College – Pamuk studied Architecture and Journalism. Until he was 22, he devoted himself to painting and dreamt of becoming an artist. T...

    Further reading

  • It is 67 years today since Fred Vargas was born.

    Fred Vargas is a pseudonym used by the French historian, archaeologist and crime writer Frédérique Audoin-Rouzeau. "Vargas" was a character played by Ava Gardener in The Barefoot Contessa; the name was first used by Audoin-Rouzeau’s twin sister Joëlle, the visual artist Jo Vargas. Their father, Philippe Audoin-Rouzeau, was a journalist and a famous figure in surrealist circles. He was very part...

    Further reading

  • It is 158 years today since E.W. Hornung was born.

    The English teacher and journalist Ernest William Hornung (Willie to his family) was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s brother-in-law. If Sir Arthur was the father of Sherlock Holmes, the most famous fictional detective in the world, you could say that Hornung created the most famous crook, the gentleman thief A.J. Raffles. Like Holmes, Raffles has occasionally turned up in books by other authors.
    H...

    Further reading

Sample of Authors

Författarporträtt av Mankell, Henning

Mankell, Henning
1948 - 2015

Henning Georg Mankell was a Swedish playwright and author. From the 1990s onwards, he won international renown for his...

Further reading
Portrait of Jakob Arjouni

Arjouni, Jakob
1964 - 2013

Pseudonym for the German author and dramatist Jakob Bothe. He was born as Jakob Michelsen in Frankfurt am Main as the son...

Further reading
Författarporträtt av Tangen, Geir

Tangen, Geir
1970 -

The Norwegian author Geir Tangen was born in Øystese in Hardanger where he also grew up. In the family home, reading was ...

Further reading
Portrait image of W. Somerset Maugham

Maugham, W. Somerset
1874 - 1965

William Somerset Maugham was a British author born in Paris. His father was a lawyer at the British Embassy there. When...

Further reading