Agnar Mykle

Born in Trondheim in 1915, Mykle worked for two years as a school teacher in North Norway, before moving to Bergen to study economics at the newly founded Norwegian School of Economics. In 1942 he married Jane.

Mykle had his first short story printed in a magazine in 1945, and made his debut three years later with the short story collection The Rope Ladder, which was well received. In the meantime he had studied puppetryin Paris together with Jane (they published a book on puppetry in 1954). Mykle was starting to gain fame, also for his newspaper writings.

Three years after the debut, he published his first novel, THE HOTEL ROOM. In 1954 he published his best-loved book, LASSO ROUND THE MOON, and two years later THE SONG OF THE RED RUBY, which was confiscated on a court order, leading to a scandalizing and deeply traumatic court case that Mykle and Gyldendal eventually won. These were the first two books of a planned trilogy, but it would take another 9 years before Mykle published new material again, and the trilogy was never completed. In the 1960s Mykle expressed himself frequently in another form: public letters. Mykle was gradually seen as an eccentric, not least for his grandiose statements of his own superiority. After the publication of a slim, but moving two-story book, LARGO (1967), Mykle retired from public and never published anything again for the rest of his life.

Still, the strength of his major works continued to fascinate new readers, especially young people, and his death in 1994 led to a resurgence of interest in this great author’s writings and fascinating life.

"If you're lucky enough to get hold of a copy, Agnar Mykle's LASSO ROUND THE MOON (1954) might be the best book you've never read."
- Lonely Planet's guide to Scandinavia

Bibliography:

NOVELS
The Hotel Room (Tyven, tyven skal du hete), 1951
Lasso Round the Moon (Lasso rundt fru Luna), 1954
The Song of the Red Ruby (Sangen om den røde rubin), 1956
Rubicon, 1965

SHORT STORIES
The Rope Ladder (Taustigen), 1948
I Don't Care, the Boy Said (Jeg er like glad, sa gutten), 1952
Cross My Heart (Kors på halsen), 1958
Largo, 1969