Ari Behn | |
---|---|
Ari Behn in Bergen |
|
Born | 30 September 1972 Århus, Denmark |
Other names | Ari Mikael Bjørshol (1972–1996) |
Occupation | Author |
Spouse | Princess Märtha Louise of Norway |
Children | Maud Angelica Behn Leah Isadora Behn Emma Tallulah Behn |
Parents | Olav Bjørshol and Marianne Solberg |
Ari Mikael Behn (né Ari Mikael Bjørshol, born 30 September 1972) is a Norwegian author, and is best known as the husband of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway. He has written two novels, a collection of short stories and a book about his wedding. His 1999 short stories collection Trist som faen ("Sad as hell") received favourable reviews[citation needed], while his later work has not received the same positive reviews from literary critics.
Contents |
Life
Behn was born in Århus, Denmark. He is the eldest child of Olav Bjørshol (b. 1952) and Marianne 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.[1]
Behn's original surname was Bjørshol. In 1996,[2] 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 uses the name Behn. 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
Behn married Princess Märtha Louise of Norway on 24 May 2002. They have three daughters: Maud Angelica, Leah Isadora, and Emma Tallulah.
Issue
Name | Birth |
---|---|
Maud Angelica Behn | 29 April 2003 |
Leah Isadora Behn | 8 April 2005 |
Emma Tallulah Behn | 29 September 2008 |
Ancestry
Ancestors of Ari Behn | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Press coverage
|
Extended royal family
* Member of the Norwegian Royal House
|
Behn made the headlines of Norwegian newspapers in the autumn of 2006, when he revealed that he voted for the Norwegian Labour Party.[3] His friendship with the current Minister of Culture and Labour leader Trond Giske has attracted criticism from newspapers and politicians.[4] 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.[5]
Honours and awards
- Royal family centennial medal 2005 (Norway)
- King Olav's 100 year medal 2003 (Norway)
Foreign honours
- Netherlands : Grand Honorary Cross with Star of the Order of the Crown (2010)
Bibliography
- 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