Olav Njølstad

Olav Njølstad (born 1 March 1957) is a Norwegian historian, biographer and novelist. He served as director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute from 2015 to 2025.^[1]

Olav Njølstad
Njølstad at 2024 Nobel Week
Born	March 1, 1957
Occupation(s)	Historian, biographer and novelist

Olav Njølstad

Literary background

As a novelist he made his literary debut in 2003 with the thriller Mannen med oksehjertet, and wrote the novel Brennofferet in 2005.^[2]

His biography of resistance leader, government minister and lawyer Jens Christian Hauge (Jens Chr. Hauge – fullt og helt from 2008) was well received by the critics.^[3][4]

Selected works

• Kunnskap om våpen: forsvarets forskningsinstitutt 1946 – 1975 (1997) (With Olav Wicken)
• Strålende forskning: Institutt for energiteknikk 1948 – 1998 (1999)
• War and Peace in the 20th Century and Beyond (edited with Geir Lundestad, 2002)
• Mannen med oksehjertet (thriller, 2003)
• Brennofferet (novel, 2005)
• Norske nobelprisvinnere: fra Bjørnson til Kydland (2005)
• Jens Chr. Hauge – fullt og helt (biography, 2008)

References

1. «Olav Njølstad ny Nobel-direktør», aftenposten.no, 13 June 2014, accessed 13 June 2014.
2. "Olav Njølstad" (in Norwegian). Gyldendal Norsk Forlag. Retrieved 6 November 2009.
3. Lahlum, Hans Olav (29 November 2008). "Jens Chr. Hauge av Olav Njølstad. Årets største, dyreste - og beste!". Bokavisen (in Norwegian). Retrieved 6 November 2009.
4. Berglund, Nina. "National hero led double life". Aftenposten. Archived from the original on 18 October 2008. Retrieved 6 November 2009.