Erling Pedersen

In residence: June - July 2022

Erling Pedersen (b. 1947, Romsdalen, Norway) is a Norwegian author and scriptwriter. Having worked as a mathematics and arts teacher before leaving the profession in 1980 to become a freelance writer, Pedersen has written over forty novels and short stories for children, young people and adults. Key works include a tetralogy about a family on a small farm on the west coast of Norway, a trilogy about King Christian IV and his Norwegian women and a one-hundred year story. Pedersen has also written over forty manuscripts and plays for television, film, theatre and radio. 

Taking inspiration from his passion for ornithology Pedersen often uses birds as metaphors in his writing. In 2020 he published Minstens lange reise, a children’s book about a barn swallow's first year of life. From the day "The little one" leaves the nest in a Norwegian barn, following his journey to South Africa, until his return to the barn with a partner to nest with his own eggs. In 2021 he followed up with Lisa og havørnungen, a story about a girl who takes care of an orphaned young white-tailed eagle. Pedersen is currently finishing his next piece, Kråka som ville bli ravn - The crow that wanted to be a raven, which is due for release in 2022.

During the residency, Pedersen will research the ivory gull and begin preparing for a book about this species.

www.erlingpedersen.no