Johan Harstad
Meet the hipster Norwegian writer with a thing for self-effacement
‘THE PERSON YOU LOVE IS 72.8% WATER, AND IT HASN’T RAINED IN WEEKS.’
As far as the opening lines of books go, this is up there with the best. It comes from Buzz Aldrin, What Happened to You in all the Confusion?, the debut novel by Norwegian Johan Harstad. The story begins with humble gardener Mattias tending lawns in Harstad’s own hometown of Stavanger, a place better known for its petroleum than its prose. ‘It’s a wonderful place to grow up,’ says the writer. ‘As the oil capital of Norway we’ve always been connected to the rest of the world.’
Buzz Aldrin was published in Norwegian in 2005 when Harstad was in his mid-twenties. Since then it’s been a creeping word-of-mouth hit, making its way around the globe – an English translation has recently been published. Readers have clearly warmed to Mattias and his unusual preoccupation with Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon. Mattias wants to be the person in the shadows, whose quiet work allows others to seize the glory. His urge to remain anonymous feels like a rallying cry for ordinary people in an age of celebrity obsession.
While Harstad says he’s flattered by comparisons to the likes of US author Jonathan Safron Foer and Japanese icon Haruki Murakami, he claims music is as important an influence as literature. In his second novel, Hasselby (not yet translated into English), one of the characters loves The Police. ‘I don’t like The Police but after listening to hours of their music I started to get into the head of the character.’
As well as being a novelist, a musician, a photographer and a playwright he’s a graphic designer. ‘I do many cover designs while I write my novels,’ he says. ‘It’s a good way to visually interpret what I’m trying to do and to think about the tone I’m setting. I love graphic design but first and foremost I’m a novelist. That’s the one thing I could never give up.’ Mathew Lee
