Johansen, Dag Ove
Entry updated 3 November 2023. Tagged: Author.
(1950- ) Norwegian author, editor and publisher with approximately 100 short sf stories in Magazines, Anthologies, newspapers and Fanzines. Ten of his 30 books are sf. Johansen became interested in sf at an early age, encouraged by his teachers to write essays such as "What do you think the future will be like?" At 18 he founded a local sf club and launched his fanzine Fabula whose 10 issues appeared irregularly 1969-1975. In 1971 he first contributed to the Norwegian Science Fiction Magasinet – which in 1973 changed its name to Nova – with "Glasskulen" ["The Glass Bowl"] (1971 Science Fiction Magasinet #4).
Planetmalerne ["The Planet Painters"] (coll 1974 chap) contained lyrical Religious allegories and well-regarded sf stories such as "Billy". Another notable story was the satire "År 33 etter TV" ["Year 33 After TV"]. His first full-length book was T for Tramatura ["T Is for Tramatura"] (coll 1974), inspired by J G Ballard's Vermilion Sands (coll 1971) and still reckoned a highlight of the period.
Three new books of his were announced in 1977-1978. Lemenhæren ["The Lemming Army"] (coll 2020), was announced by Stowa Forlag, publisher of Nova, but later cancelled and released by another publisher in 2020 (see below). A novel called «Talsmannen» ["The Prophet"] was never published. The collection Syklon ["Cyclone"] (coll 1979) almost suffered the same fate but was eventually saved by the idealistic publisher Regnbuetrykk. Again Johansen showed his inventiveness, his thought-provoking stories taking the reader by surprise.
Reviewed in major newspapers, the title story of Ond sirkel ["Vicious Circle"] (coll 1984) marked this author's literary breakthrough. Reminiscent of T for Tramatura, it tells of a young boy having delusions about being abducted to the planet Tramatura. Is he actually telling the truth or is he just a really sick youngster? The book also contained his most discussed story, "Blu" ["Blu"], later expanded as the Young Adult novel Rambos lov ["The Law of Rambo"] (1989). Stormnatt ["Storm Night"] (1988) takes place in the northern part of Norway. On a night in 1945 a fisherman comes upon a stranger who seems to be confused and unable to identify himself. Is he a quisling or a German refugee? The answer is totally unexpected. Repeatedly this author tells us about an outcast being misjudged by society.
Based upon archaeological evidence, the Prehistoric SF – called "cave fiction" by some critics – Komsa trilogy is reckoned as Johansen's major sf work. Its name is taken from the nearby mountain Komsa in the northernmost part of Norway; the existence of the Komsa-folket ["Komsa Tribe"] is well documented by rock carvings and remains of human settlements. The novels Den hvite søvnen ["The White Sleep"] (1991), Havørnas skygge ["Shadow of the Sea Eagle"] (1992) and Nordlysvinger ["Wings of Northern Light"] (1993) tell a dramatic story taking place some nine thousand years ago. The tribe is attacked by the fearsome Bear People from the east, and many tribe members are abducted. Alongside description of their culture, Mythology and efforts to stay alive under rough climate conditions, the tale follows the Komsa Tribe pursuing the Bear People to rescue the abductees.
Tidskapselen ["The Time Capsule"] (1998) is another Young Adult novel, based on the short stories "Tårnet" ["The Tower"] (December 1982 Capricorn #1) and "Tidskapselen" ["The Time Capsule"] (January 1983 Algernon #25). In a Far Future world where civilization seems to have degenerated, a time capsule is found. Documents within reveal a past very unlike our present reality. Living at the top of a gigantic tower, the theocratic society described is ruled by "The Trinity"; the religious parallel is intentional.
Johansen has always been interested in the history and fate of the native Sami people, living mostly in the northern parts of Scandinavia and Finland. In 1999 he won the publisher Egmont's contest for a series of popular novels, with the Sjamanens rike series ["The Realm of the Shaman"] (2002-2003). The twelve books [not listed below] tell how groups of Sami emigrated during the 1890s from Kautokeino in northern Norway to teach Alaskan Inuits reindeer husbandry. The true story was told in the documentary book Landet bakom ["The Country Behind"] (2014; exp 2022).
In 2020 Johansen returned to fantastic literature with Vargtid, en fabel fra fortid til fremtid ... og tilbake igjen ... ["Time of the Wolf, a Fable from the Past to the Future ... and Back ..."] (coll 2020), regarded as an epilogue to the Komsa trilogy. Four short stories taking place in four different ages – 2094 BCE, 1944, 2020 and 2033 – feature people living in the same area interconnected by supernatural events within the depths of a mountain cave.
Still more important is the collection Lemenhæren ["The Lemming Army"] (coll 2020), which took 43 years to see print. The book contains three dark and violent novellas: "Til siste åndedrag" ["Until the Last Breath"] (April 1977 Algernon #13), "Blu" ["Blu"] (August 1977 Nova #3), and "Miljø 89" ["Environment '89"] (in Siste reis ["The Last Journey"], anth 1982, ed Terje Wanberg). Øyvind Myhre wrote in Nova #3 (1977) that "these stories probably represent the very best this skilful author has so far achieved". Johansen is presently at work on further books. [CPe]
Dag Ove Johansen
born Mo i Rana, Norway: 4 February 1950
works (selected)
series
Komsa
- Den hvite søvnen ["The White Sleep"] (Oslo, Norway: Bladkompaniet, 1991) [Komsa: hb/Wenche Kildahl]
- Havørnas skygge ["Shadow of the Sea Eagle"] (Oslo, Norway: Bladkompaniet, 1992) [Komsa: hb/Wenche Kildahl]
- Nordlysvinger ["Wings of Northern Light"] (Oslo, Norway: Bladkompaniet, 1993) [Komsa: hb/Wenche Kildahl]
individual titles
- Tidskapselen ["The Time Capsule"] (Stamsund, Norway: Orkana, 1998) [chap: pb/Nina Beyer]
collections
- Planetmalerne ["The Planet Painters"] (Oslo, Norway: Forlaget For Flere, 1974) [coll: chap: pb/Dag Ove Johansen]
- T for Tramatura ["T Is For Tramatura"] (Oslo, Norway: Fredhøis, 1974) [in the publisher's Science Fiction series: pb/]
- Syklon ["Cyclone"] (Trondheim, Norway: Regnbuetrykk, 1979) [pb/Dag Ove Johansen]
- Ond sirkel ["Vicious Circle"] (Oslo, Norway: Bok og Magasinforlaget, 1984) [in the publisher's Nova series: pb/nonpictorial]
- Vargtid, en fabel fra fortid til fremtid ... og tilbake igjen ... ["Time of the Wolf, a Fable from the Past to the Future ... and Back ..."] (Fauske, Norway: Bondes, 2020) [coll: chap: pb/Rita Lindberg Pettersen]
- Lemenhæren ["The Lemming Army"] (Fauske, Norway: Bondes, 2020) [pb/Thore Hansen]
links
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