A language learners’ forum

I have successfully ordered and received books from https://www.bokkilden.no/, and I'm wondering what books do young people in Norway read? What are considered the classics? What are works that Norwegians commonly reference or allude to?

I know about the Moomin comics, I'm just wondering what other "graded readers" I can engage in while learning about Norwegian culture.

Tusen takk.

Let me recommend Anne B. Ragde. She’s a very popular Norwegian author of light fiction. I’ve read her in German, and she’s great. Lots and lots of everyday Norwegian life in her Berlinerpoplene series.

https://no.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_B._Ragde

Well my heart did a little leap of joy when I read that first part about successfully ordering and receiving books from a Norwegian bookseller. Were they physical books?

I am sure you will get better answers than mine, and I look forward to other responses. I love children's lit.

Since you have the Moomins on your list, I presume you are open to books written in Swedish. If so, I would add Astrid Lindgren. My favorite of hers is Ronja the Robber's Daughter. (Digression: I have read a lot of both Tove Jansson and Astrid Lindgren in Danish. I love their stories so much and hope to try them in Swedish someday.) And what about H.C. Andersen from Denmark?

The following are Norwegian authors. I have either read these (in Danish) or I want to read them.

Karius og Baktus by Thorbjørn Egner. For kids. Originally published in 1949, so I guess that makes it a classic. Is it still popular in Norway? I don't know. Maybe someone will tell us!

Snøsøsteren (2018) by Maja Lunde. For kids. Christmas theme.

Sophies Verden by Jostein Gaarder. YA. Kind of a unique book that is a tour of philosophy.

Folkeeventyr by Asbjørnsen and Moe. Classic folk and fairy tales.
For Folkeeventyr, here is a website:
https://folkeeventyr.no/

Ravneringene by Siri Pettersen. YA Fantasy trilogy.

Elsa Maria wrote:Well my heart did a little leap of joy when I read that first part about successfully ordering and receiving books from a Norwegian bookseller. Were they physical books?

The first book was electronic, the second a physical textbook.

I'm more interested in stuff in Norwegian, but probably I can find norsk translations of stuff--it seems that the Scandinavian countries share their literature.

Thank you for the suggestions.

Elsa Maria gave a good overview. Astrid Lindgren is very well known, and is read in Norwegian translation in Norway. I wouldn't read it in Swedish if you study Norwegian.

I guess you're looking for children literature because you want something easy but authentic to read. The folk tales collected by Asbjørnsen and Moe is probably a good idea and some of the stories are well known still today.

There is a comic based on norse mythology that I read when I was a kid. It's very well done.

Maybe you'd be interested in Øverland. His most famous poem "Du må ikke sove" is well known and maybe not too hard to read.

Children's classics: all the books by Thorbjørn Egner (Karius og Baktus, Folk og røvere i Kardemomme by) and Anne Cath. Vestly (Mormor og de åtte ungene, Lillebror og Knerten, both these are series of books). Astrid Lindgren is also very widely read (but not Norwegian, as has been pointed out). And the poetry by André Bjerke and Inger Hagerup (both wrote both for adults and children, but their children's verse is the best known, especially in the case of André Bjerke).

As for Jostein Gaarder, he also wrote a couple of books that I (as a teenager) enjoyed even more than Sophie's World. They are called Julemysteriet and Kabalmysteriet (I recently came to think of them again and have ordered both at the library in Spanish, so I'll soon find out if my taste in literature has changed over the last 25 years )