Svalbard in fiction facts for kids

Svalbard is an archipelago (a group of islands) located in the Arctic. It is the northernmost part of Norway. Many writers and filmmakers have chosen Svalbard as the setting for their stories. They often highlight its cold Arctic climate, its remote location, and the amazing beauty of its huge glaciers, mountains, and fjords.

Books Set in Svalbard

Many exciting books take place in the icy landscapes of Svalbard. These stories often feature adventure, mystery, and fantasy.

Adventure and Mystery Novels

North of Danger by Dale Hollerbach Fife is a story from World War II. It's about a 12-year-old boy in Svalbard. He has to hide in a coal mine to escape from Nazi invaders. This book was named the best children's book of 1978 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

Bear Island is a thriller novel written by Scottish author Alistair MacLean in 1971. The story follows a movie crew that travels to Svalbard. But when they arrive, members of the crew start to be killed.

The Norwegian crime writer and glacier expert Monica Kristensen wrote a novel called Operation Fritham. This book is also set in Svalbard. It tells the story of a group of World War II veterans. They meet in Svalbard to remember Operation Fritham. This was a real Norwegian military operation in 1942. Its goal was to capture coal mines so Nazi Germany could not use the coal. The old soldiers do not know that one person in their group is not a veteran. This person is a murderer pretending to be an old soldier. The head of the Svalbard police force must solve this mystery.

Dark Matter by Michelle Paver is a ghost story. It takes place in 1937 in a lonely bay in Svalbard. A group of scientists go to Svalbard to spend the winter in an old mining camp. However, they soon find out that there is something scary hiding in the ice.

Fantasy Worlds in Svalbard

Svalbard is home to the armored polar bears in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials book series. This series is a trilogy of fantasy novels. It includes Northern Lights (also known as The Golden Compass), The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. The books follow the adventures of two children, Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry. The series has won many awards. The Amber Spyglass won the Whitbread Book of the Year prize in 2001. Northern Lights won the Carnegie Medal for children's fiction in the UK in 1995. The story includes fantasy elements like witches and armored polar bears.

Other Novels Set in Svalbard

Neige Noir ("Black Snow") is a 1974 novel by Canadian author Hubert Aquin. It is about a newly married couple from Montreal who travel to Svalbard. The Svalbard Passage by Thomas Kirkwood is a thriller. It is set in the US, Norway, and Svalbard during the Cold War.

The Solitude Of Thomas Cave by Georgina Harding is a novel about a sailor. He spends an entire winter alone in Svalbard. Reviews say that the descriptions of the scenery in the book are "outstanding".

Movies Featuring Svalbard

Svalbard's dramatic scenery has also been featured in several films. These movies often show the beautiful but harsh Arctic environment.

Filmmaker Knut Erik Jensen made three short films about Svalbard. These are Svalbard in the World (1983), Cold World (1986), and My World (1987). These three films together are known as the "Svalbard trilogy". They are considered a very important part of his artistic work.

The Norwegian film Orion's Belt (1985) is set in Svalbard. The movie was directed by Ola Solum. It shows the white icebergs and tall mountain ranges of the region. This film was one of two Norwegian movies from the 1980s that became very popular around the world.

The 1998 Belgian-Dutch-German movie When the Light Comes also takes place in Svalbard.

Images for kids

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  Spitsbergen, the largest island in the archipelago, during August