Arnold Jacoby facts for kids

Victor Arnold Rosenblad Jacoby (born September 10, 1913 – died January 15, 2002) was a Norwegian writer and translator. He created many books for young people, including adventure stories and comics. He also wrote crime novels and biographies about real people. Besides writing his own books, he translated many children's and young adult books from English into Norwegian.

About Victor Jacoby's Life

Jacoby was born and grew up in Brooklyn, a part of New York City. His parents had moved to America, but his family later moved back to Larvik, Norway. This happened when his grandfather, Georg Jacoby, passed away, and his plant nursery needed someone to look after it.

When Jacoby was a young man, he moved to Oslo. There, he earned a living by writing and creating advertisements and illustrations. During World War II, he moved to Ula, and then back to Larvik. Later, in 1961, he bought a very old house in Andora, Italy. He spent a lot of time there, working on his books.

Victor Jacoby had three children:

• Marianne Rosenblad Jacoby Steina, who became a translator and editor.
• Louis Jacoby, who is a singer and writer.
• Tom Rosenblad Jacoby, who is an illustrator and graphic designer.

Victor Jacoby was married to Ellen Dahl. He passed away in Larvik.

Victor Jacoby's Writing Career

Victor Jacoby started his writing career in 1941. A magazine called Mystikk held a competition for new stories. Jacoby won with his story "Mysteriet 'Robusta Gloria'" (The Mystery of Robusta Gloria). It was published using his first two names, Victor Arnold, as a pen name. The story featured a detective named Herlofsen.

He wrote more stories for Mystikk, including "Røntgenplatens hemmelighet" (The X-Ray Plate Secret). He also wrote a crime novel called Døden annonserer ikke (Death Does Not Advertise). Because of World War II, Jacoby used several different pen names for his books. For example, he wrote Døden og skipperen (Death and the Captain) as Sven (Tor) Winge. For children's books like Jon i verden (John in the World) and Krussedulle (Doodles), he used the name Tone Silje.

Translator and Illustrator

Over 50 years, Jacoby translated almost 200 children's books. He helped bring many popular series to Norwegian readers. These included The Hardy Boys, the Bobbsey Twins, Twin Connection, and Honey Bunch.

He was also a talented illustrator. Early in World War II, he had a drawing office in Oslo with brothers Trygve and Olav Mosebekk.

Comics and Collaborations

Jacoby created several comics. One was Atlantis for the magazine Norsk Ukeblad, which he signed as Erik Glende. This comic started in 1942 but stopped when the Germans shut down the magazine in 1943.

In the same year, he worked with Trygve Mosebekk on the comic Cyklon-Kid (The Cyclone Kid) for Mystikk magazine. This comic was also stopped by the Germans. After the war, the series was updated and published as Sabotasjegjengen (The Sabotage Gang) in the new magazine, Alle Menns Blad. During the war, he also made the comic Bimba - hele verdens lille venn (Bimba: The Whole World's Little Friend) for children's holiday magazines.

Victor Jacoby was a close friend since childhood with the famous adventurer and researcher Thor Heyerdahl. Jacoby wrote several biographies about Heyerdahl, including Señor Kon-Tiki, which was published around the world. They even lived near each other in Italy for some time.

Important Works

One of Jacoby's most important books was Det angår også deg (It Also Applies to You). He wrote this book with Herman Sachnowitz. It tells the story of Sachnowitz's experiences as a prisoner during World War II. The book was first published in 1976 and has been translated into many languages, sharing an important historical account.

In 1984, Jacoby published Min afrikanske gullalder (My African Golden Age). This book describes the adventures of Jacob Matheson, who was Thor Heyerdahl's half-brother, during his time in Africa.

Books by Victor Jacoby

• 1941: Det hemmelighetsfulle triangel (The Mysterious Triangle)
• 1942: Døden annonserer ikke (Death Does Not Advertise)
• 1943: Kajakk-klubben (The Kayak Club)
• 1943: Døden og skipperen (Death and the Captain)
• 1943: Krussedulle (Doodles; under the pseudonym Tone Silje)
• 1944: Kajakk-klubben og den sorte dame (The Kayak Club and the Black Lady)
• 1945: Jon i verden (John in the World; under the pseudonym Tone Silje)
• 1946: Kajakk-klubben og hjemmefronten (The Kayak Club and the Home Front)
• 1947: Kajakk-klubben og den røde X (The Kayak Club and the Red X)
• 1947: Sabbatnatten (Sabbath Night)
• 1951: Eventyret om skogen (The Tale of the Woods)
• 1965: Señor Kon-Tiki
• 1970: Historien om Thor Heyerdahl (The Story of Thor Heyerdahl)
• 1976: Det angår også deg (It Also Applies to You; together with Herman Sachnowitz)
• 1984: Møte med Thor Heyerdahl (Meeting with Thor Heyerdahl)
• 1984: Min afrikanske gullalder (My African Golden Age)