Countdown with ...

Gunnar Staalesen

Gunnar Staalesen was born in Bergen in 1947. He is both a writer and a playwright. His first book was published in 1969. He was the press secretary at the National Theatre of Bergen for 13 years until 1986. After that he became a full-time writer and he is best known for the 18 books about the private detective Varg Veum.

Interviewed 22 February 2014

Ten words to sum up your working life to date ...

Press secretary for 13 years, writer the rest of it.

Nine things you can see from where you're sitting ...

A graveyard, a road, cars, buses, a mountain, trees, flowers, people – and a cat.

Eight minutes to prepare a meal. What's it going to be ?

Scrambled eggs.

Seven people you'd like to go for a drink with ...

Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Ross Macdonald, Georges Simenon, Maj Sjöwall, Per Wahlöö, Jo Nesbø – what a party that would be!

Six things you can't live without ...

My wife, my kids and grandchildren, my computer, my running shoes and the daily bread.

Five favourite words ...

Love, friendship, respect, imagination and humour.

Four places you'd run away to ...

Paris, Rome, London or Barcelona.

Three books you've bought recently ...

For Whom the Bells Toll
Politi (Jo Nesbø’s latest, in Norwegian)
Carmen Zita and Death (Karin Fossum’s latest, in Norwegian, too)

Two things that make you rant ...

Stupidity and brutality, not at least in politics.

One thing you'd tell your teenage self ...

Grow up!