Per Petterson Quotes

Powerful Per Petterson for Daily Growth

About Per Petterson

Per Petterson (born February 16, 1952) is a Norwegian novelist, essayist, and poet known for his powerful storytelling, introspective characters, and exploration of the human condition in the Arctic landscape. Born in Ålesund, Norway, Petterson spent his childhood in the small fishing village of Vågåmo, which would later serve as the setting for many of his works. After completing high school, Petterson moved to Oslo to study literature at the University of Oslo. However, he left before graduating and worked various jobs, including stints as a seaman, truck driver, and construction worker, before returning to his studies. His literary career began in earnest with the publication of his first novel, "Det vakreste" (The Most Beautiful), in 1984. Petterson gained wider recognition with the publication of "Seierherrerne" (Out Stealing Horses) in 1985. The novel follows a man named Trond who returns to his childhood home in rural Norway after learning that his estranged father has died. In the peaceful solitude, he reflects on his past and reconnects with his youthful self. The book was met with critical acclaim and cemented Petterson's status as one of Norway's most important contemporary authors. In 1997, Petterson published "En kjøpmann i Buenos Aires" (A Man Called Ove), a novel that follows the life of a grumpy widower named Ove. Initially seen as an old man with no desire to live or make friends, Ove gradually opens up and finds connections in unexpected places, ultimately learning to love and embrace life once more. The book was translated into numerous languages and became an international bestseller, making Petterson a household name around the world. Petterson's works often delve into themes of memory, identity, and the power of place, drawing heavily from his own experiences growing up in rural Norway. His distinctive writing style, characterized by its sparse prose and emotional depth, has earned him numerous awards and accolades, including the Brage Prize, the Riverton Prize, and the Nordic Council Literature Prize. He continues to write novels and essays that captivate readers with their poignant insights into the human condition.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Everyone smiles in the same language."

This quote by Per Petterson suggests that emotions such as happiness or joy are universal, transcending linguistic and cultural barriers. A smile is a universal gesture that communicates positivity and warmth, making it an essential part of human connection regardless of the words being spoken or written. Essentially, Petterson highlights our shared humanity through the simple act of smiling.

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."

The quote by Per Petterson highlights the beauty of autumn as a season that brings rebirth, similar to spring. While spring is characterized by vibrant blooming flowers, autumn presents the spectacle of leaves transforming into a variety of colors before they fall, symbolizing each leaf as a unique flower. Essentially, he is reminding us to appreciate the subtle beauty in every season, and particularly in autumn, where transformation and change are central elements.

"The snow was falling so thickly that it gave the feeling of having a blanket thrown over you."

This quote by Per Petterson evokes a sense of comfort, security, and peacefulness associated with a heavy snowfall. The imagery of a blanket being thrown over you suggests warmth, protection, and tranquility. It is as if the falling snow is enveloping everything in a cozy and serene embrace.

"It's just that life is difficult, and that's all there is to it."

This quote by Per Petterson acknowledges the inherent difficulty in life, suggesting that it is an unavoidable truth. It underscores the universal experience of hardship and struggle as a fundamental aspect of human existence. Embracing this reality may help us navigate through challenges more effectively and find meaning amidst adversity.

"To be alive is to be given a second chance every day."

This quote by Per Petterson emphasizes that each new day is an opportunity for growth, redemption, and fresh starts, reinforcing the value of life itself. It highlights the continuous nature of existence, where every sunrise offers a renewed chance to learn, love, and strive. In essence, it encourages us to make the most of our time and appreciate the gift of life each day.

When a translation is very good, it is fascinating to see how the book changes and yet stays the same. I think 'Out Stealing Horses' sounds more American for Americans than it does in Norway, and still, it is all there, everything that I wrote. It's amazing.

- Per Petterson

Book, I Think, Very, Norway

Philosophically I am, or at least have been, a follower of Sartre. I am very interested in the choices we make, or don't make, in life-defining matters. That moment of 'angst' and its consequences can be such a cruel thing.

- Per Petterson

Follower, Been, Very, Angst

I come from a working-class family. They're the people I know and the people I love, I guess. I do not write about them for political reasons, but because, as I see it, most interesting things - social, political, emotional - take place there. It's a bottomless well for an author like me.

- Per Petterson

Love, Working-Class, Reasons, Bottomless

'In the Wake' was a very bleak book. This relationship was not too good, the father and son. This time around, I wanted a father and a son who really loved each other, which would be visible on the first page and would still be there on the last page.

- Per Petterson

Book, Other, Very, Bleak

I do not think of literature as something confessional or therapeutic. I make sentences in order to be precise about experiences and things. I am urged by many things and no things in particular.

- Per Petterson

Think, About, Sentences, Therapeutic

To me, a book is a book. A novel is a novel, and you have hundreds of possibilities, options, and they may all be fine. Charles Dickens or Ingeborg Bachmann, Claude Simon or later writers. The one and only condition is that it has to be good: it has to have quality, substance, atmosphere.

- Per Petterson

Possibilities, Atmosphere, Dickens

There is always this quarrel about what is preferable: the straight, naturalistic, epic storytelling or the modernistic, disjointed, slightly hermetic one. To me it does not matter, as long as it's good. I like both kinds. Although the common reader seems to prefer the first, which is to be expected, and who would blame her?

- Per Petterson

Storytelling, Slightly, Naturalistic

I was born in 1952, so obviously the sixties were important. That's when I came of age. It was also a revolutionary period, a complete break with the generation before us in terms of culture, literature, music, and in politics, of course. 1968 was an important year; I was 16, and the world became clear to me, visible, so to say.

- Per Petterson

Politics, Before, Became, Sixties

To say that a family is happy I think is to diminish it, taking out what is interesting. Growing up, I don't think my family was any happier or unhappier than anyone else's. My mother and father should have been divorced or never even married. On the other hand, I remember many moments of happiness.

- Per Petterson

Been, Mother And Father, Divorced

The important discovery I made very early is that my novels had to be written without any given plan or outline. I can't do it in any other way. But then they are dependent on the sentences, my intuition, and, as I have experienced many times, the subconscious.

- Per Petterson

Other, Very, Sentences, Novels

Some critics said, 'Hey, why are you writing historical novels?' I say they're not historical, they're contemporary, because people walking around who lived through this, even a little bit, they carry it inside. The contemporary isn't just what you can see now.

- Per Petterson

Why, Through, Some, Novels

I hate plots.

- Per Petterson

Hate, Plots

1989 was such a very, very important year in Europe. The wall fell, the Soviet Union was crumbling, and so many things happened - in 15 minutes, the world changed.

- Per Petterson

Year, Soviet Union, Very, Crumbling

I do consider myself a Norwegian writer, or a Scandinavian writer, as my family tree reaches into both Denmark and Sweden. I don't think about it, of course, when I am writing.

- Per Petterson

Tree, Myself, Think, Scandinavian

At first I wanted to go to university, but I really didn't dare to. I was too self-conscious, being a working-class kid. It was really difficult. I was going to study history, but the professor asked me some questions I didn't understand, and I didn't dare to ask what they meant. I left university and went to work in the Post.

- Per Petterson

Study, Some, Working-Class, Study History

When you are a sentence-based writer, they have to be good. They have to be really on the spot. Because when you don't have a plot, really, what shall you rely on? Just language. And sometimes I am so afraid of writing the wrong thing, I just sit and wait for the right thing to come.

- Per Petterson

Language, Wait, Sometimes, Sit

I don't know if nature is a direct literary influence on my writing, but it is certainly important to me. I take great joy in writing about it. It is something I have taken with me from my childhood; the body exposed to the threat of the physical world and at the same time being at home in it.

- Per Petterson

About, Literary, Direct, Exposed

If you're a Norwegian writer, you are not visible in the world. The door of the English language is very hard to open for a Norwegian writer.

- Per Petterson

Door, Visible, Very, Norwegian

Living here where I live, on a farm way out in the countryside, in the woods, in fact, I have plenty of time to be alone, and I like it. I always have. I like my own company. And I am not the only one who feels this way; a high percentage of the Norwegian population feel as I do.

- Per Petterson

Fact, Here, Feels, Norwegian

In a household tragedy, you are very much aware of being alone. It is something that is possible to grasp, and that is why it hurts so much. Because you are alone. I know a little about this.

- Per Petterson

Why, Very, About, Being Alone

I admire American literature, both contemporary and classic - 'Moby-Dick' is just about the best book in the world - and I admire British literature for its insistence on dealing with social class. It may have been an influence.

- Per Petterson

Social Class, Dealing, Been, Insistence

I grew up in the city. Both my mother and father were factory workers, and I loved the life in the 'metro.' Everybody saw me as a very urban guy. And I was.

- Per Petterson

Mother And Father, Factory, Metro

I worked in a bookstore in Oslo, importing the English-language books.

- Per Petterson

Books, Worked, Oslo, Bookstore

To tell you the truth, I don't edit much at all. Most times, when I have finished the first draft, that's the book. Of course, I work on the page I am on until I am happy with it. I might even say that I try to state the landscape.

- Per Petterson

Book, I Am Happy, Tell, Draft

I decided if I couldn't be a writer, my life would be miserable. I had this imaginary room of references to all the books I had read, a kind of bubble, in which I lived.

- Per Petterson

My Life, Which, Read, Imaginary

I'm a family-based person, even though we didn't exactly have a very happy family. I was never in any doubt that this was a centre of writing.

- Per Petterson

Happy, Very, Though, Centre

I rely heavily on rhythm when I write. You should tap your foot when you read it, all the way through.

- Per Petterson

Through, Tap, Read, Foot

Making sentences is what I do. I mean, the story will come as I write.

- Per Petterson

Will, Making, I Write, Sentences

When my mother talked about her brother, there was this light in her eyes. I thought, 'This is the basis of a novel.'

- Per Petterson

Thought, About, Basis, Talked

A lot can change because you are embarrassed by something.

- Per Petterson

Change, Because, Lot, Embarrassed

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