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Johan Harstad

ヨハン・ハルスタ

Johan Harstad

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1979-02-10 （Stavanger, Norway）
Nationality
Norwegian
Languages
Norwegian, English
Residence History
Oslo, Norway

Career

Occupations
novelist, short story writer, playwright, graphic designer
Active Years
2001-
Affiliations
National Theatre of Norway (Nationaltheatret)
Influenced By
David Lynch, Arthur Koestler, Jonathan Safran Foer (mentioned as a comparison)
Nominations
Nominated for another Brage Prize (year unspecified), Candidate for the Norwegian Ibsen Award (2012) (Memoirs of a Breadman trilogy)

Awards

Brage Prize (children's literature)
2008
Work: 172 Hours on the Moon
Category: 児童文学
Organization: Brage Prize committee
Result: 受賞
Norwegian Ibsen Award
2014
Work: Osv. (play)
Category: 戯曲
Organization: Ibsen Award committee
Result: 受賞
Europese Literatuur Prijs
2018
Work: Max, Mischa & Tetoffensiven (Dutch translation)
Category: 翻訳作品賞
Organization: Europese Literatuur Prijs committee
Result: 受賞（翻訳者／翻訳版）
Dobloug Prize
2019
Organization: Swedish Academy (Dobloug Prize)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

From Here On In You Only Get Older

2001 short prose collection

Debut short prose collection (2001) containing stories that explore everyday life and subtle estrangement.

growing upsuburban lonelinesspassage of time

Ambulance

2002 short story collection

2002 collection of short stories compiling early works.

everyday anxietyyouth perspective

Buzz Aldrin, What Happened to You in All the Confusion?

2005 novel (contemporary fiction)

Set mainly in the Faroe Islands, it follows a protagonist who chooses to be 'second best' in life, taking Buzz Aldrin as his hero.

identitysuccess and failureloneliness
Adaptations
  • [TV series] Buzz Aldrin (TV adaptation) (2009)
Translations
  • English translation: Buzz Aldrin, What Happened to You in All the Confusion? (translated by Deborah Dawkin) — Seven Stories Press (2012)

Hässelby

2007 novel (postmodern/surreal)

A novel imagining the children's character Alfie Atkins as an adult who is ultimately held responsible for the end of the world; shows influences from David Lynch and ideas of synchronicity.

postmodernismreinterpretation of iconsapocalypse

172 Hours on the Moon

2008 sci-fi / horror (YA/Adult crossover)

A sci-fi/horror novel about a return to the Moon; partly an homage to 1970s–80s sci-fi and horror films, blending young adult and adult elements.

spacehorrornostalgia
Translations
  • English translation: 172 Hours on the Moon (translated by Tara Chance) — Little, Brown (2013)

Osv.

2010 play / long-form drama

A two-part, extensive play set in 1994 about an American family's breakdown, interweaving 1990s conflicts such as the Bosnian War and Rwandan genocide; earned Harstad the Norwegian Ibsen Award.

war and memoryfamily disintegrationtrauma

Max, Mischa & Tetoffensiven

2015 novel (ambitious epic) 1000 pages

An over-1000-page epic centered on the life of playwright/director Max Hansen who emigrates from Norway to the U.S. as a teenager.

immigration experienceart and identitymulti-generational narrative
Translations
  • Dutch translation (awarded Europese Literatuur Prijs 2018)

The Red Handler

2018 novel

Published in 2018; the English translation The Red Handler was released in 2024.

politicsmemoryindividual and history
Translations
  • English translation: The Red Handler (translated by David Smith) — Open Letter (2024)

Bibliography

  • Herfra blir du bare eldre. Oslo: Gyldendal. 2001.
  • Ambulanse. Oslo: Gyldendal. 2002.
  • Buzz Aldrin, hvor ble det av deg i alt mylderet?. Oslo: Gyldendal. 2005.
  • Hässelby. Oslo: Gyldendal. 2007.
  • Darlah – 172 timer på månen. 2008.
  • Bsider. Oslo: Gyldendal. 2008.
  • Osv. Oslo: Gyldendal. 2010.
  • Max, Mischa & Tetoffensiven. Oslo: Gyldendal. 2015.
  • Ferskenen. 2018.

Adaptations

  • TV adaptation of Buzz Aldrin, What Happened to You in All the Confusion? (2009)

Translations of Works

  • 172 Hours on the Moon (English translation by Tara Chance — Little, Brown, 2013)
  • Buzz Aldrin, What Happened to You in All the Confusion? (English translation by Deborah Dawkin — Seven Stories Press, 2012)
  • The Red Handler (English translation by David Smith — Open Letter, 2024)
  • Max, Mischa & Tetoffensiven (Dutch translation — awarded Europese Literatuur Prijs)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
contemporary and experimental proseblend of realism and surrealismcross-genre, expansive narrative techniques
Recurring Motifs
lonelinesssearch for identitymemory and traumapop culture (space, films)

Legacy

Recognized as a major contemporary Norwegian writer with a wide range from epic novels to plays and YA-tinged sci‑fi horror; acclaimed in both theater and literature, with translations and screen adaptations abroad.

In Popular Culture

  • TV adaptation of Buzz Aldrin increased mainstream recognition
  • Translations expanded readership across Europe and the U.S.

Trivia

  • Often intentionally misspells geographical names in his plays (e.g. Washingtin, Akapulco, Ellis Iland).
  • Darlah – 172 Hours on the Moon won the Brage Prize in the children's literature category.
  • Dutch translation of Max, Mischa & Tetoffensiven won the Europese Literatuur Prijs.