Tore Skeie

Tore Skeie (born 1977) is a Norwegian author and historian specializing in medieval Norwegian history. His first book, written about Norwegian nobleman Alv Erlingsson, won him NOK 100,000 in a history competition and became a bestseller for its publisher. His third book, published in 2018, led to him receiving the (Sverre Steen Award) and a ten-year stipend from the Arts Council Norway worth NOK 268,222 annually.

Tore Skeie
Skeie in 2019
Born	1977 (aged 46 or 47) Gjøvik, Norway
Alma mater	University of Oslo
Occupations	Author Historian
Years active	2008–present

Biography

Skeie was born in 1977 and is from Gjøvik. He studied at the Blindern campus of the University of Oslo, where he graduated with a master's degree in history, basing his thesis on Alv Erlingsson. After graduating, Skeie adapted Erlingsson's story into a book, Alv Erlingsson: fortellingen om en adelsmanns undergang (Alv Erlingsson: The Story of a Nobleman's Downfall). While writing the book, Skeie faced severe financial hardship and had to work other jobs to pay his bills. His work won Norwegian publisher  [no]'s History Competition in 2008; the competition's judges called Skeie's book a "narrative achievement" and awarded him the grand prize of NOK 100,000. The book was published by Spartacus the following year and received positive reviews; despite initial difficulties getting the book to store shelves, it became the publisher's bestseller by the end of 2009.

Skeie published his second book, Jomfruen fra Norge (The Virgin of Norway), in 2012, also with Spartacus. The book detailed the complex royal alliances and power struggles in early 14th-century Scandinavia. [no] of Stavanger Aftenblad called it "extremely engaging". At the same time, Bjarne Tveiten of Fædrelandsvennen thought it was "good" but criticized it for not being as exciting as Steie's previous work.

Skeie published his third book, Hvitekrist: om Olav Haraldsson og hans tid (White Christ: about Olav Haraldsson and his era), in 2018 with publisher Gyldendal. It was translated into English by Alison McCollough, his first such book, and was published by Pushkin Press under the title The Wolf Age: The Vikings, the Anglo-Saxons, and the Battle for the North Sea Empire. Leif Ekle of NRK described it as "enthralling" and "well written", and Jonathan McAloon of the Financial Times wrote that its English translation had the "energy of an epic television show". Following the book's publication, he received a ten-year stipend from the Arts Council Norway worth NOK 268,222 annually, which was granted to him to allow him to focus more heavily on his nonfiction work. The book also won him the (Sverre Steen Award) from the Norwegian Historical Association in 2019, which cited his "masterful use of language, able to bring older Norwegian history to new generations of readers."

Bibliography

• Alv Erlingsson: fortellingen om en adelsmanns undergang (2008)
• Jomfruen fra Norge (2012)
• Hvitekrist: om Olav Haraldsson og hans tid (2018)

References

1. "Sverre Steen-prisen 2019" [Sverre Steen Award 2019] (PDF). Norwegian Historical Association (in Norwegian). 3 May 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
2. Lien, Øyvind (23 January 2010). "På hjemlig forfatterkveld" [At a domestic writer's evening]. Oppland Arbeiderblad (in Norwegian). Retrieved 8 September 2024.
3. Lindskog, Thorkil H. (4 March 2010). "Mye om middelalderen" [A lot about the Middle Ages]. Halden Arbeiderblad (in Norwegian). Retrieved 8 September 2024.
4. Haga, Sverre Gunnar (3 April 2019). "Ti års stipend til Tore Skeie" [Ten-year scholarship to Tore Skeie]. Norwegian Non-Fiction Writers and Translators Association (in Norwegian). Retrieved 8 September 2024.
5. Norheim, Olav (3 December 2008). "Fikk historikerpris" [Historian prize received]. Ringerikes Blad (in Norwegian). Retrieved 8 September 2024.
6. "Bestselger i løpet av en dag" [Bestseller within a day]. Oppland Arbeiderblad (in Norwegian). 17 December 2009. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
7. Omdal, Sven Egil (12 December 2012). "Norgesrikets undergang" [The downfall of the Kingdom of Norway]. Stavanger Aftenblad (in Norwegian). Retrieved 8 September 2024.
8. Tveiten, Bjarne (4 December 2012). "Godt om Norden på tidleg 1300-tal" [A good one about the Nordic countries in the early 14th century]. Fædrelandsvennen (in Norwegian). Retrieved 8 September 2024.
9. Ekle, Leif (1 November 2018). "Medrivende om hellig voldsmann" [Enthralling about a holy violent man]. NRK (in Norwegian). Retrieved 8 September 2024.
10. "The Wolf Age: The Vikings, the Anglo-Saxons, and the Battle for the North Sea Empire". Publishers Weekly. 4 August 2024. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
11. McAloon, Jonathan (6 December 2021). "The Wolf Age by Tore Skeie — we three Viking kings". Financial Times. Retrieved 8 September 2024.