Ørstavik, Hanne

The Norwegian author Hanne Ørstavik was born in the village of Tana in the northern province of Finnmark where many of her novels are set. Her paternal grandparents were missionaries, so she was brought up in a devoutly Christian setting. When she was sixteen, she moved with her family to Oslo where she later studied psychology, French and sociology. While at university she was the leader of the Christian student organisation, but she is no longer a member of the state church. Ørstavik is also a qualified teacher, she has taught drama and art and she has studied creative writing. For several years she lived with the author Håvard Syvertsen, with whom she has a daughter. Nowadays, Ørstavik lives in Oslo, where, in addition to writing, she practices as a rose therapist (rosen method bodywork).