STOCKHOLM (AP) — Ingvar Ambjørnsen, a Norwegian creator who combined a pointy, even darkish tone with humor and empathy in works that depicted the lives of the oppressed and susceptible, has died, his writer stated. He was 69.
The Cappelen Damm publishing home didn’t specify the reason for demise. Ambjørnsen had lengthy been public together with his battle in opposition to a lung sickness referred to as power obstructive pulmonary illness, or COPD.
Norwegian tabloid VG reported he’s survived by his spouse, Gabriele Haefs, saying she posted information of Ambjørnsen’s demise on Saturday.
Born on Might 20, 1956, in Tönsberg — described on his German-language creator web site as “Norway’s most bar-filled town” — Ambjørnsen grew up in Larvik and labored in numerous jobs in business and psychiatry earlier than publishing his first documentary novel in 1981. 4 years later, he moved to Hamburg, the place he lived for many years.
“His books are characterized by powerful, realistic descriptions of the seamier side of life,” the writer stated.
Ambjørnsen grew to become one of many writer’s best-known modern authors with 4 novels constructed across the character Elling, a shy and imaginative outsider who coped with the humorous however endearing foibles of day by day life after launch from a psychiatric hospital.
The comedy “Elling” — the story of two not too long ago launched psychological sufferers bunking collectively in an condo in Oslo — was nominated in 2001 for an Academy Award as greatest foreign-language movie. The story landed on Broadway in 2010, with a play starring Denis O’Hare and Brendan Fraser: One of many misfits was fixated on his mom, the opposite obsessive about intercourse.
Based on the creator web site, Ambjørnsen wrote 18 novels and three collections of quick tales, in addition to a number of books for kids and youth. A newly written assortment of quick tales is about to go on sale in Norway on July 31.
