Nesbø's Golden Touch

It's spring break! Time to grab a good book and hit a sunny beach or cozy couch. And it's a great time to take your reading cues from the Norwegians and pick up some påskekrim, or Easter crime.

Norway's premiere crime writer, Jø Nesbø, seems to be at the top of his game these days. Fans love his popular Harry Hole series, plus he's got a series of children's books to his credit, not to mention movie deals. Who says crime doesn't pay? Nesbø sells a book every 23 seconds.

And now diehard Nesbø fans also will be happy to know that the author is adding television to his list of credits with the NBC series "I Am Victor" in the works. The series, based on an upcoming Nesbø novel, will star John Stamos of "ER" and "Glee" fame.

Anya Britzius, associate editor of Viking, caught up with Nesbø when he was in St. Paul recently. Don't miss her interview in the magazine's March issue, where the author discusses storytelling, character development, movie deals and much more!
  

Amy Boxrud is editor of Viking magazine. She lives with her family in Northfield, Minn., where she’s a member of Nordmarka 1-585.

Steiro Plays Young Bowie

The Viking staff has enjoyed following the career of Norwegian model Iselin Steiro over the past few years. Her image seems to be everywhere, from the pages of Harper's Bazaar to the cover of Vogue Italia. Most recently she's appeared in David Bowie's new music video, "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)," where she's cast as the young Bowie. While she's not walking the runway for Prada or Valentine, she's a student at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design.

Want to learn more about one of Norway's busiest models? Check out our "Norwegian Love" cover story in the February 2013 issue of Viking. You'll find an interview with Steiro and her husband, Norwegian actor/physician Anders Danielsen Lie, along with profiles of more notable Nordic couples.

Amy Boxrud is editor of Viking magazine. She lives with her family in Northfield, Minn., where she’s a member of Nordmarka 1-585.  

Nordic Paper Cutter Brings Work to Seattle

Like most kids that grew up in a northern climate, I tried my hand at cutting paper snowflakes when I was younger. Little did I know I was practicing psaligraphy, an art form which Norwegian-Danish artist Karen Bit Vejle has elevated, using painstaking patience and concentration, to a level most of us couldn't imagine. Using only scissors and paper as her tools, Bit Vejle creates stunning, multi-faceted works from a continuous sheet of paper. If you live in the Seattle area, you'll want to check out her upcoming exhibit, "Scissors for a Brush," which runs March 22–June 16 at the Nordic Heritage Museum. Bit Vejle will visit the museum and lead public tours of the exhibit at 2 p.m. on Fri. and Sat., Mar. 22 and 23.

Bit Vejle didn't start the project with an exhibit in mind. Rather, she cut paper simply because she couldn't stop herself, she explains in her artist statement. “I have finished a number of cuttings over the course of nearly 40 years, and as I never had anywhere else to keep them, they had just remained hidden underneath my rugs,” she says. “They might have stayed there forever, if a colleague had not happened to look under my rugs and find them. He thought they should see the light of day. Ever since, these paper cuttings have taken on a life of their own and started a crusade for the rediscovery of paper cutting.”

Exhibition curator Sissel Guttormsen says, “[Bit Veile] is one of very few in Europe who can cut at such an advanced technical and artistic level. There is a great degree of humor in Karen Bit Vejle’s world of imagery; humor and the ability to identify joy in small things. Just as often, though, she confronts deep seriousness and themes intended to invoke involvement and reflection.”

Alongside Bit Vejle’s work, "Scissors for a Brush" will feature four original paper cuts by Hans Christian Andersen, never before seen in the United States. For exhibit details, visit nordicmuseum.org. 

For other not-to-be-missed Norwegian events on both sides of the pond, be sure to check out the Kalender in Viking magazine each month! 

Amy Boxrud is editor of Viking magazine. She lives with her family in Northfield, Minn., where she’s a member of Nordmarka 1-585.

Photo: Lasse Berre