Jo Nesbø facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jo Nesbø
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Nesbø in September 2008
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| Born | Jon Nesbø 29 March 1960 Oslo, Norway |
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Jon "Jo" Nesbø (born March 29, 1960) is a famous Norwegian writer and musician. By 2021, his books had sold over 50 million copies around the world. This makes him the most successful Norwegian author ever. He first became well-known as the singer and guitarist for the band Di Derre. Their second album was a huge hit in Norway. It was so popular it almost sold enough to be "double platinum." The album was first called Kvinner & Klær (Women & Clothing). But it had to be renamed Jenter & Sånt (Girls & Stuff) after a magazine complained.
His first novel, The Bat, came out in 1997. This was one year before Di Derre's last album. The Bat won the Riverton Prize for the best Norwegian crime novel. It also won the Glass Key prize for the best Nordic crime novel. After 1998, Jo Nesbø focused on writing. He continued his very popular crime novel series about Inspector Harry Hole. He has won many awards for these books. ..... This book was also very successful.
Headhunters was the first movie based on a Nesbø novel. It was released in 2011. Since then, several movies and TV shows have been made from his books. This includes both his crime novels and his children's books. Jo Nesbø often helps write the scripts for these adaptations himself.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Jo Nesbø was born in 1960 in Oslo, Norway. He grew up in a town called Molde. He studied economics and business at the Norwegian School of Economics. Before he became a writer, he worked as a journalist and a stockbroker.
Writing Career
The Harry Hole Mystery Series
The Harry Hole series follows a tough detective named Harry Hole. He works for the Crime Squad and later for the National Criminal Investigation Service. His investigations take him from Norway to many other countries. Harry Hole often deals with cases that seem unrelated. These cases sometimes involve dangerous criminals or powerful groups. He also faces personal challenges throughout the series.
The Harry Hole novels are complex and often feature characters in danger. When Harry Hole returned in The Thirst, Nesbø said he always comes back to Harry. He described it as an exciting and emotionally tiring experience.
A movie based on The Snowman came out in October 2017. It starred Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson, and Charlotte Gainsbourg. A TV show called Jo Nesbø's Detective Hole started filming in Oslo in 2024.
The Doctor Proctor Adventure Series
..... It was first published in 2007. The books are illustrated by Mike Lowery. The series is set in Oslo. It tells the story of Doctor Proctor, a quirky professor. He is waiting for his big invention to become famous. He teams up with his neighbor Lisa and her friend Nilly. ..... He also invents "Fartonaut Powder," which can blast users into space. In the second book, he invents a bathtub that lets people travel through time. As of 2018, there are five books in this fun series.
A live-action movie of the first book was made in 2014. It was only available in Norwegian. A sequel, Doktor Proktors Tidsbadekar, was released in 2015. Both movies received mixed reviews.
The Olav Johansen Thriller Series
In 2013, it was announced that Jo Nesbø had written two novels under the name Tom Johansen. These books were called Blood on Snow and More Blood on the Water. They were later published in 2015 under Jo Nesbø's own name. The second book was titled Midnight Sun: Blood on Snow 2.
Warner Brothers bought the rights to Blood on Snow in 2013. They planned to make a movie, possibly starring Leonardo DiCaprio. However, in 2017, Tobey Maguire's company bought the rights. Maguire was set to direct the movie. Filming for Blood on Snow took place in Latvia in February 2025.
This series follows Olav Johansen, who works for a crime boss in Oslo. In Blood on Snow, Olav falls for his boss's wife. The problem is, his boss has hired him to eliminate her.
A movie based on Midnight Sun, called The Hanging Sun, premiered in September 2022. It was shown at the 79th Venice International Film Festival.
Other Exciting Projects
In 2011, Jo Nesbø's story Twelve was made into a film called Jackpot. This was a black comedy crime mystery movie.
In 2014, it was announced that Nesbø would retell the story of Macbeth. This was part of the Hogarth Shakespeare project. His version, Macbeth, is a crime story set in the 1970s. It features an Inspector Macbeth who is part of a special police team. The book was published in April 2018.
Plans were also announced in 2016 to adapt his stand-alone novel, Sønnen (The Son), into a film. Denis Villeneuve was set to direct, with Jake Gyllenhaal as a producer and Channing Tatum in the main role.
In 2017, it was reported that director Baltasar Kormakur was working on a new adaptation of I Am Victor. This is a short story by Nesbø.
Other Work and Hobbies
Before his writing career, Nesbø played as a striker for the football team Molde FK. He had to stop playing football after a knee injury.
Jo Nesbø has been the lead singer and main songwriter for the Norwegian rock band Di Derre since it started in 1992.
Nesbø lives in Oslo near his ex-wife and their daughter. He is also a dedicated rock climber. He started climbing seriously when he was 50 years old. In 2023, he achieved a big goal by climbing a difficult French grade 8a sport route.
Film and TV Adaptations
Based on His Books
- Headhunters (Film, 2011)
- Jackpot (Film, 2011)
- I Am Victor (Film, 2013)
- Doctor Proctor: Bubble in the Bathtub (Film, 2015)
- The Snowman (Film, 2017)
- The Hanging Sun (Film, 2022)
- Headhunters (TV series, 2022)
- Killer Heat (Film, 2024)
- Jo Nesbø's Harry Hole (TV series, upcoming)
Scripts and Original Stories by Nesbø
- Deadline Torp (TV series, 2005)
- Occupied (TV series, 2015-2020)
- So Long, Marianne (TV series, 2024)
Awards and Recognitions
Jo Nesbø has received many awards for his writing:
- The Riverton Prize 1997 for Best Norwegian Crime Novel (The Bat)
- The Glass Key Award 1998 for Best Nordic Crime Novel (The Bat)
- The Norwegian Booksellers' Prize for Best Novel 2000 (The Redbreast)
- Best Norwegian Crime Novel Ever Written in 2004 (The Redbreast)
- The Norwegian Booksellers' Prize for Best Novel 2007 (The Snowman)
- The Norwegian Book Club Prize 2008 for Best Novel (The Snowman)
- Awarded the Norwegian Peer Gynt Prize 2013
- Martinus Readers' Choice Award (Best Foreign Author) Slovakia 2014
- St. Petersburg Reads Award (Best International Author) Russia 2014
- The Riverton Honor Prize Norway 2016
- Boréales Honorary Award (for his entire literary work) France 2017
- The Raymond Chandler Award (Lifetime Achievement) 2018
- The Icepick Award (Best Translated Crime Novel) Iceland – Sønnen The Son 2018
- The Riverton Prize (Best Norwegian Crime Novel) Norway – Kniv Knife 2020
- CoScan's Nordic Person of the Year Award UK 2020
- Francisco Gonzalez Ledesma Award (for his entire literary work) Spain 2023
- Honorary Doctorate of the University of West Attica Greece 2023
- The Pepe Carvalho Award (for his entire literary work) Spain 2024
