Anne-Cath. Vestly
| Anne-Cath. Vestly | |
|---|---|
 Anne-Cath. Vestly (1963) | |
| Born |
Anna Catharina Schulerud 15 February 1920 Rena, Norway |
| Died |
15 December 2008 (aged 88) Mjøndalen, Norway |
| Occupation | Children's book author |
| Nationality | Norwegian |
| Period | 1950s–2002 |
| Spouse | Johan Vestly |
| Children | 2 sons |
Anne-Cath. Vestly (15 February 1920 – 15 December 2008)[1] was a Norwegian author of children’s literature whose stature in Norwegian society can somewhat be compared to Sweden's famous children's book author Astrid Lindgren among Swedish people.
Biography
She was born Anne Catharina Schulerud in Rena, Åmot in Hedmark. Her first book, Ole Aleksander Filibom-bom-bom, eventually developed into a series of twelve books. She challenged the traditional gender roles in the "Aurora" series (1966–1972), in which she depicts a family where the mother works as a lawyer, while the father, an ancient history Ph.D. candidate, stays at home with their two children.
Her most famous work Eight Children and a Truck (Åtte små, to store og en lastebil in Norwegian) concerns a family with eight children living in a small apartment in Oslo. It was the first in a series of nine books, the last of which was published in 2000 about the children’s grandmother. The series is known as the "Eight Children" series in English ("Mormor og de åtte ungene" in Norwegian) and was published in English translation by Methuen. It is one of the most famous Norwegian children's book series. Methuen has also published several of Vestly's other children's books, including those of the "Aurora" series.
Vestly also worked as an actress, playing Grandma in the television and screen versions of Grandma and the Eight Children (Mormor og de åtte ungene). She also co-starred with Alf Prøysen in Kanutten og Romeo Klive (1963), a popular children's television show.
She married Johan Vestly in 1946, who illustrated all her books until his death in 1993 (although some of the English translations were illustrated by John Dyke). Anne-Cath. Vestly was also the sister of Mentz Schulerud and aunt of Ingrid Schulerud, married to Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg.
Final years and death
Anne-Cath. Vestly was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in early 2006. According to her family, she had shown signs of dementia for several years prior to her diagnosis. She spent her final years living in a nursing home in Mjøndalen, where she died on 15 December 2008 at the age of 88.[1][2]
Selected awards
- Riksmålsprisen, 1977
- Peer Gynt Prize, 1980
- Alf Prøysens Ærespris, 1986
- Norwegian Booksellers' Prize, 1986 (for the book Mormor og de åtte ungene på sykkeltur i Danmark)
- Spellemannprisen 1991 (for the album Marte og mormor og mormor og Morten 1-4)
- Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav (Knight, First Class) 1992
- Norsk kulturråds ærespris, 1994
- Brage Prize Honorary Award, 1995
- Prillarguri Award, 2000
References
- 1 2 Hedeman, Anders (December 15, 2008). "Anne-Cath. Vestly er død". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 2008-12-19. Retrieved 2008-12-15.
- ↑ "Author Anne-Cath. Vestly dies at 88". Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. The Norway Post. 15 December 2008. Retrieved 17 December 2008.
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Erik Bye |
Recipient of the Norsk kulturråds ærespris 1994 |
Succeeded by Ole Henrik Moe |