Asbjørn Aarnes

Asbjørn Aarnes (20 December 1923 – 8 January 2013) was a Norwegian professor and literary historian.

Biography He was born at Vågbø in Tingvoll Municipality, Norway. He studied from 1951-52 at École Normale Supérieure in Paris. In 1957, Aarnes became Dr. Philos. at the University of Oslo.

Awards Aarnes became a member of the Norwegian Academy of Sciences in 1983. He received several French honorary decorations, including l'Ordre national du Mérite in 1970, the Légion d'Honneur in 1979 and l'Ordre des Palmes Académiques in 1984. He was the first recipient of the Anders Jahre cultural prize (Anders Jahres kulturpris) which he received jointly with sculptor Nils Aas in 1990.

Personal life In 1950, he married the actress Berit Alten (1915–2002), the daughter of Edvin Alten (1876–1967) and Ragna Aass (1880–1975). She was the younger sister of actress Rønnaug Alten (1910– 2001).