Forfang, Åsmund
Entry updated 20 November 2023. Tagged: Author.
(1952- ) Norwegian author and journalist. As a student aged 19, his first contribution to the genre was the collection Bilen med det store hjertet ["The Car With the Huge Heart"] (coll 1972 chap): on board the space cruiser Atlona travelling between the stars, the storyteller Gorm ed Ria is employed to entertain the crew, distracting them from the frightening emptiness of Hyperspace. The stories tell of worries and threats rather than wonders and human achievements, leaving his listeners bewildered and disapproving. In "Nederlaget" ["The Defeat"] a group of astronauts approaching the end of their long Space Flight discover they have reached an ancient Earth. "Tømmerhoggerne" ["The Lumberjacks"] is a modern fairytale involving trolls, Magic and a young boy's struggle to save a forest. The title story "Bilen med det store hjertet" amusingly points out the logical consequences of falling in love with your car. "Byen med den store hjernen" ["The City With the Huge Brain"] is about an automated society making people go crazy. "Musikeren" ["The Musician"] is a lyrical piece of prose about a gifted musician literally filling the Solar System with his music, and "Maleren" ["The Painter"] is about a friendship between an author and an extraordinary gifted painter, whose task is to enrich other people's lives with words and colours.
Following his sf debut, Forfang made some translations for the Lanterne Science Fiction series and contributed several short stories to Nova and Algernon which are included in his two next books: I tråd med meg selv ["In Line With Myself"] (coll 1973) and Kringsett av fiendar ["Surrounded By Enemies"] (coll 1976). 22 years later he returned to the genre with a Fantasy tale for children: Det svarte sverdets hemn ["The Revenge of the Black Sword"] (1998). Filled with fantastic elements, it tells about the ultimate battle between good and evil, and the young knight Morgan who is forced to choose a side and fight for his survival. Forfang's other books are mainstream. [CPe]
Åsmund Forfang
born Orkdal, Norway: 22 May 1952
works (selected)
works for children
- Det svarte sverdets hemn ["The Revenge of the Black Sword"] (Oslo, Norway: Det Norske Samlaget, 1998) [hb/Olav Hagen]
collections
- Bilen med det store hjertet ["The Car With the Huge Heart"] (Oslo, Norway: Gyldendal Norsk, 1972) [coll: chap: in the publisher's Lanterne Science Fiction series: pb/Peter Haars]
- I tråd med meg selv ["In Line With Myself"] (Oslo, Norway: Gyldedal Norsk, 1973) [coll: hb/nonpictorial]
- Kringsett av fiendar ["Surrounded By Enemies"] (Oslo, Norway: Gyldendal Norsk, 1976) [coll: hb/nonpictorial]
links
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