Gunnar Staalesen

Gunnar Staalesen (born 19 October 1947) is a Norwegian writer. He is a major figure in the Nordic noir crime fiction genre through his 20 novels featuring Varg Veum, a private detective in Bergen on the rainy west coast of Norway. The Varg Veum series has been praised as one of the best in modern crime fiction, and Staalesen has sold more than 4 million books in 24 countries. Staalesen is also a screenwriter and a playwright who has worked extensively with Den Nationale Scene, the largest theatre in Bergen.

Early life Staalesen was born in Bergen, where he has lived his entire life. His parents were an educator and a nurse, and he grew up mostly in the Nordnes neighbourhood. A bookworm from childhood, he credits his initial interest in crime fiction to reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes books as a teenager.

Career After Staalesen failed to sell a collection of poems and a novel as a teenager, he published his first novel, Times of Innocence, in 1969. He published three additional novels, including the first two books in a series of crime novels starring two Bergen police officers, before he introduced Varg Veum in 1977 in the novel “Bukken til havresekken.”

Staalesen’s crime novels frequently examine social injustices illuminated by Veum through his detective work. The series has been praised for its intricate plots, atmospheric evocation of the Norwegian settings and clever interpretations of the classic detective novel form, leading some reviewers to call Staalesen “the godfather of Norwegian noir.”

In 1997, Staalesen stepped away from crime fiction and published three historical novels examining Bergen across the 20th century. Staalesen considers the Bergen Trilogy to be his best work. Varg Veum makes an appearance in the third novel of the trilogy. Staalesen has written a standalone sequel to the Bergen Trilogy, titled "2020 Post Festum," which was published on 15 October 2021.

Staalesen’s novels have been adapted for cinema, television, radio and the stage. Twelve films based on the Veum series were made between 2007 and 2012, all starring Trond Espen Seim.

Personal life Staalesen married his wife, Ellen-Karin Kristiansen, in 1969, and they are grandparents.