Åsne Seierstad
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Åsne Seierstad | |
 Åsne Seierstad in 2007
Photo: Jarle Vines
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| Born | February 10, 1970 Oslo, Norway |
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| Occupation | Broadcast Journalist, Author |
Åsne Seierstad (born February 10, 1970) is a Norwegian freelance journalist and writer, best known for her accounts of everyday life in war zones - most notably Kabul after 2001, Baghdad in 2003 and the ruined Grozny in 2006.
[edit] Personal and professional life
Åsne Seierstad studied at the University of Oslo where she successfully completed her studies in Russian, Spanish and the history of philosophy. From 1993 until 1996 she reported for the Arbeiderbladet in Russia and in 1997 from China. From 1998 until 2000 she worked for the national television network NRK (Norsk Rikskringasting) where she reported from the Serbian breakaway province of Kosovo. With Their Backs To The World: Portraits from Serbia, her first book, is an account of this time. (This book was extended and republished in 2004 when she again visited Serbia. The name was changed slightly, to Portraits of Serbia, signalling that Serbia’s back is no longer turned to the world.)
As a reporter she is particularly remembered for her work in war zones such as Afghanistan, Iraq and most recently Chechnya, as well as for her reports on the September 11 attacks in the United States of America. The Bookseller of Kabul, her second, bestselling book, is an account of the time she spent living with an Afghan family in Kabul after the fall of the Taliban in 2001. Her other books include One Hundred And One Days: A Baghdad Journal which describes the three months she spent in Iraq in the build-up to the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, and most recently Angel of Grozny: Inside Chechnya, an account of the time she spent in Chechnya after the war.
She currently lives and works in Oslo.
[edit] Awards and honours
- 1999: Gullruten Award for the best news coverage from Kosovo.
- 2001: Fritt Ord Award
- 2002: Årets Frilanser Award from the Norwegian reporters association. Also received the Bokhandlerprisen award from the association of Norwegian authors.
- 2003: The Peer Gynt and Den Store Journalistprisen Award which is the highest honour a reporter in Norway can receive.
[edit] Bibliography
- With Their Backs to The World: Portraits of Serbia (2000, though updated extensively in 2004)
- The Bookseller of Kabul (2003)
- One Hundred And One Days: A Baghdad Journal (2005)
- Angel of Grozny: Inside Chechnya (2007)
