He studied Scandinavian Languages, Religion and Philosophy at the University of Oslo. A teacher of philosophy for several years, he published his first book, Diagnosis in 1986. This was followed by, among others, The Frog Castle (1988); The Solitaire Mystery (1990), Critic's Prize for Books for Children and Young Adults; Vita Brevis (1996) and The Orange Girl (2003), Norwegian Language Prize. In his career as author of children's books and novels for adults, the most prominent is Sophie's World (1991), translated into 51 languages and with over 25 million copies sold.
He has founded the Sophie Foundation, for the sustainable development of the environment, and was named Appointed Commander of the Royal Norwegian Saint Olav's Order (2005).
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