List of Norwegian women writers

This is a list of women writers who were born in Norway or whose writings are closely associated with the country.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

A

• Anne Lise Aas (1925–2020), interior designer and journal editor
• Anna Caspari Agerholt (1892–1943), women's rights activist, writer and educator, covered the history of the Norwegian women's movement
• Astrid Hjertenæs Andersen (1915–1985), early modernist poet, travel writer
• Ella Anker (1870–1958), journalist, playwright, pamphleteer
• Nini Roll Anker (1873–1942), prolific realistic novelist, playwright
• Ingeborg Arvola (born 1974), novelist, children's writer
• Elise Aubert (1837–1909), novelist, short story writer, non-fiction writer

B

• Irene Ibsen Bille (1901–1985), novelist, playwright
• Inger Bråtveit (born 1978), novelist, children's writer
• Toril Brekke (born 1949), novelist, short story writer, children's writer, works on women's rights
• Hanne Bramness (born 1959), poet
• Gerd Brantenberg (born 1941), novelist, dramatist, feminist
• Elin Brodin (born 1963), novelist
• Magdalene Sophie Buchholm (1758–1825), poet, only acknowledged women writer of her times

C

• Camilla Carlson (1930–1990), poet, novelist, critic
• Solveig Christov (1918–1984), novelist, short story writer, playwright
• Camilla Collett (1813–1895), novelist, feminist essayist
• Marie Colban (1814–1884), novelist, short story writer

D

• Gro Dahle (born 1962), poet, children's writer
• Ingri d'Aulaire (1904–1980), English-language children's writer, together with husband Edgar Parin d'Aulaire
• Elisabeth Dored (1813–1895), novelist, author of I Loved Tiberius set in ancient Rome
• Conradine Birgitte Dunker (1780–1866), memoirist
• Astrid Sverresdotter Dypvik (born 1977), journalist, historian, non-fiction writer

E

• Clara Thue Ebbell (1880–1971), young adult writer, biographer, feminist
• Marit Eikemo (born 1971), essayist, novelist, journalist, magazine editor
• Ellen Einan (1931–2013), poet, illustrator
• Rawdna Carita Eira (born 1970), Norwegian and Sámi playwright, short story writer
• Anne Karin Elstad (1938–2012), author of best-selling novels, including the four-part series on Julie
• Magli Elster (1912–1993), poet, literary critic
• Dorothe Engelbretsdatter (1634–1716), poet, Norway's first female author

F

• Karin Fossum (born 1954), widely translated crime fiction writer, known as the "Norwegian queen of crime"

G

• Ågot Gjems-Selmer (1858–1926), writer of works on family life, children's writer
• Beate Grimsrud (1963–2020), novelist, playwright, children's writer

H

• Magnhild Haalke (1885–1984), widely recognized author of 30 works, mainly novels
• Ingeborg Refling Hagen (1895–1989), prolific novelist, children's writer, poet
• Inger Hagerup (1905–1985), poet, dramatist, anti-Nazi writings
• Marie Hamsun (1881–1969), actress, poet, children's writer, some works translated into English
• Lillemor von Hanno (1900–1984), actress, novelist, playwright
• Inger Elisabeth Hansen (born 1950), poet
• Ebba Haslund (1917–2009), novelist, short story writer, playwright, essayist, critic, author of Nothing Happened
• Torill Thorstad Hauger (1943–2014), non-fiction writer, children's writer
• Tone Hellesund (born 1967), non-fiction writer specializing in gender studies
• Vera Henriksen (1927–2016), historical novelist, playwright, non-fiction writer
• Vigdis Hjorth (born 1959), novelist, children's writer
• Tone Hødnebø (born 1962), poet
• Gunvor Hofmo (1921–1995), influential modernist poet
• Anne Holt (born 1958), best-selling, widely translated crime writer
• Åsta Holth (1904–1999), novelist, poet, short story writer
• Aslaug Høydal (1916–2007), novelist, poet, children's writer, educator
• Ida Hegazi Høyer (born 1981), novelist

J

• Anna Jacobsen (1924–2004), Norwegian Sami writer, translator and publisher
• Caroline Schytte Jensen (1848–1935), songwriter, composer
• Margaret Johansen (1923–2013), novelist, short story writer, feminist
• Ragnhild Jølsen (1875–1908), reactionary writer, works on conflicts between rural society and industrial communities
• Lizzie Juvkam (1883–1869), novelist

K

• Mette Karlsvik (born 1978), journalist, novelist
• Mahmona Khan (born 1973), Pakistani-Norwegian journalist, non-fiction writer
• Gustava Kielland (1800–1889), songwriter, memoirist
• Liv Køltzow (born 1945), novelist, playwright, essayist, feminist writer
• Christiane Koren (1764–1815), poet, playwright, diarist

L

• Sissel Lange-Nielsen (born 1931), novelist, critic, journalist
• Britt Karin Larsen (born 1945), poet, novelist, works tracing the Romany people in Norway
• Trude Brænne Larssen (born 1967), novelist
• Marita Liabø (born 1971), novelist
• Tove Lie (1942–2000), poet
• Sofie Aubert Lindbæk (1875–1953), novelist, critic, educator
• Unni Lindell (born 1957), crime fiction writer, children's writer
• Hilde Lindset (born 1978), short story writer, educator
• Merethe Lindstrøm (born 1963), novelist, short story writer
• Antonie Løchen (1850–1933), children's short story writer and women's rights activist
• Cecilie Løveid (born 1951), playwright, children's writer, poem on Breivik
• Bente Lyon

M

• Ragnhild Magerøy (1920–2010), historical novelist, author of the Gunhild trilogy on 19th-century rural society
• Trude Marstein (born 1973), novelist, essayist, some works translated into English
• Karin Moe (born 1945), poet, prose writer, critic
• Toril Moi (born 1953), academic works on women's writing, feminism, now based in the United States
• Anna Munch (1856–1932), novelist and playwright
• Dagne Groven Myhren (born 1940), Norwegian literature researcher, folklorist
• Marit Myrvoll (born 1953), Sami social anthropologist, museum director

N

• Marja Bål Nango (born 1988), Norwegian Sami film director and screenwriter
• Torborg Nedreaas (1906–1987), short story writer, novelist, playwright, evoking class differences
• Åse-Marie Nesse (1934–2001) philologist, poet
• Tove Nilsen (born 1952), novelist, children's writer, critic
• Anne-Pia Nygård (born 1977), autobiography in Nynorsk

O

• Hanne Ørstavik (born 1969), novelist
• Sara Margrethe Oskal (born 1970), Sami writer, actress, film director
• Mari Osmundsen (born 1951), pen-name of Anne Kristine Halling, novelist, children's writer
• Sissel Benneche Osvold (born 1945), journalist
• Gunnhild Øyehaug (born 1975), poet, short story writer

P

• Synnøve Persen (born 1950), Sami poet, biographer, artist
• Helvi Poutasuo (1943–2017), Finnish Sami teacher, translator and newspaper editor

R

• Anne B. Ragde (born 1957), novelist, children's writer, crime fiction writer, author of Berlin Poplars
• Eva Ramm (born 1925), psychologist, essayist, novelist, children's writer

S

• Wera Sæther (born 1945) psychologist, poet, novelist, essayist, children's writer
• Cora Sandel (1880–1974), short story writer, novelist, painter, author of the Alberta Trilogy
• Mathilde Schjøtt (1844–1926), non-fiction writer, critic, biographer, feminist
• Constance Wiel Schram (1890–1955), non-fiction writer, biographer, translator, feminist
• Åsne Seierstad (born 1970), journalist, non-fiction works including The Bookseller of Kabul
• Solfrid Sivertsen (born 1947), librarian, poet, novelist, children's writer
• Sarita Skagnes (born 1969), Indian-born women's activist, memoirist
• Amalie Skram (1846–1905), short story writer, novelist, feminist
• Kirsten Sødal (born 1935), children's writer
• Kristin Solberg (born 1982), journalist, television reporter
• Kjersti Løken Stavrum (born 1969), journalist, editor, secretary general of the Norwegian Press Association
• Grethe Fatima Syéd (born 1968), literary scholar and novelist

T

• Marie Takvam (1926–2008), poet, novelist, children's writer, actress
• Magdalene Thoresen (1819–1903), Danish-born Norwegian poet, short story writer, playwright
• Astrid Tollefsen (1897–1973), poet, lyricist
• Aadel Brun Tschudi (1909–1980), Chinese-born Norwegian geographer, sinologist
• Marit Tusvik (born 1951), poet, children's writer, playwright

U

• Linn Ullmann (born 1966), journalist, novelist

V

• Aslaug Vaa (1889–1965), poet, playwright
• Halldis Moren Vesaas (1907–1995), poet, children's writer, depictions of women's life
• Anne-Catharina Vestly (1920–2008), popular children's writer, widely translated
• Bjørg Vik (1935–2018), novelist, dramatist, feminist writer, some works translated into English

W

• Torild Wardenær (born 1951), poet, playwright
• Herbjørg Wassmo (born 1942), poet, novelist
• Elisabeth Welhaven (1815–1901), salonist, short story writer
• Marie Wexelsen (1832–1911), poet, children's writer, novelist, hymnist

See also

• List of Norwegian writers
• List of women writers