Ari Behn

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Ari Behn
Aribehn.JPG
Ari Behn in Bergen
Born (1972-09-30) 30 September 1972 (age 40)
Århus, Denmark
Other names Ari Mikael Bjørshol
(1972–1996)
Occupation Author
Spouse(s) Princess Märtha Louise of Norway
Children Maud Angelica Behn
Leah Isadora Behn
Emma Tallulah Behn
Parents Olav Bjørshol (father)
Marianne Solberg (mother)

Ari Mikael Behn (né Ari Mikael Bjørshol, born 30 September 1972) is a Norwegian author, and is also known as the husband of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway. He has written three novels, two collections of short stories and a book about his wedding. His 1999 short stories collection Trist som faen ("Sad as hell") sold in about 100 000 copies and received very favourable reviews,[1]as did his collection from 2011, Talent for lykke,[2] described by one critic as "[e]xemplary literary creations on the ambivalent talent some desperate men have for luck".[3] His books have been translated into Swedish, Danish, German, Hungarian, and Icelandic as well as French. In the spring of 2011, Ari Behn made his debut as a playwright with Treningstimen, directed by Kim Sørensen and staged at Rogaland Teater.

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Life [edit]

Behn was born in Århus, Denmark. He is the eldest child of Olav Bjørshol (b. 1952) and Marianne Rafaela Solberg (b. 1953). Both his parents are Waldorf teachers who have worked at the Waldorf School in Moss; his father has a degree in special education while his mother has trained as a Waldorf teacher. His parents married in 1973 but divorced after nine years; both have since remarried, Olav Bjørshol to a daughter of André Bjerke. However, in 2007 the parents of Ari Behn were married again.[4]

Behn's original surname was Bjørshol. In 1996,[5] he changed his name to Ari Behn when he took his maternal grandmother's maiden name. The name Behn has German origin. He has two younger siblings, Anja Sabrina and Espen, neither of whom use the name Behn. In 2009, it was made public that Behn's de jure paternal grandfather Bjarne Nikolai Bjørshol was not his biological grandfather. Ari Behn's father met his biological father, Terje Erling Ingebrigtsen, for the first time, but Ingebrigtsen died before Ari Behn had a chance to meet him.[6][7]

Ari Bjørshol attended the Waldorf School in Moss and is baptized in The Christian Community. He has a bachelor's degree in history and religion from University of Oslo.

Behn achieved immediate literary success with his first collection of short stories, which received several good reviews and has sold more than 100,000 copies. He subsequently published two novels; however, the reviews of these works were less positive.

Together with his wife, Princess Märtha, he has written a book about their wedding in 2002. He has also participated in various creative projects — for example, the design of china for Magnor Glassverk.

Marriage and family [edit]

Behn married Princess Märtha Louise of Norway on 24 May 2002. They have three daughters: Maud Angelica, Leah Isadora, and Emma Tallulah.

Issue [edit]

Name Birth
Maud Angelica Behn 29 April 2003
Leah Isadora Behn 8 April 2005
Emma Tallulah Behn 29 September 2008

Ancestry [edit]

Press coverage [edit]

Behn made the headlines of Norwegian newspapers in the autumn of 2006, when he revealed that he voted for the Norwegian Labour Party.[9] His friendship with the current Minister of Culture and Labour leader Trond Giske has attracted criticism from newspapers and politicians.[10] In January 2009, Behn received massive media coverage in the Norwegian press after going on a "personal vendetta" against former palace official Carl-Erik Grimstad, accusing him of spreading tabloid nonsense regarding Behn and his family.[11]

Honours and awards [edit]

See also List of honours of the Norwegian Royal Family by country

  • Royal family centennial medal 2005 (Norway)
  • King Olav's 100 year medal 2003 (Norway)

Foreign honours [edit]

Bibliography [edit]

  • Trist som faen ("Sad as hell"), 1999, collection of short stories, 93 pages
  • Fra hjerte til hjerte ("From heart to heart"), 2002 in collaboration with wife Märtha Louise, is a book about their wedding
  • Bakgård ("Backyard"), 2003
  • Entusiasme og raseri ("Enthusiasm and Rage"), a roman à clef published in October 2006
  • Vivian Seving etc., 2009
  • Talent for lykke ("Talent for luck"), 2011

References [edit]

External links [edit]