Anne-Katarina Vestli

Anne-Cath. Vestly is a writer whose books have been associated for more than fifty years with the childhood of all Norwegian children.

The future famous writer was born in the Norwegian town of Omut in Hedmark County in the southeast of the country in the distant year 1920. Her maiden name was Schulerud, but after marrying Johan Vestly, Anne-Cath. took her husband’s surname. Johan Vestly helped his wife greatly by illustrating her books.

Vestly’s very first work was the book Ole Aleksander Filibombom-bom, which over time grew into an entire series. What all did not happen to this cheerful and quick-witted boy! Little readers fell in love with him and no longer wanted to part with either him or the storyteller. And she did not want to part with her listeners either — thus, five books emerged from radio broadcasts about Ole Aleksander. These were followed by books about dad, mom, eight children and a truck, and then about everyone else. In all, Anne-Cath. Vestly wrote more than forty books; they are divided into cycles, and each cycle is united by its own characters. Her books have been translated into many languages. Children in our country also read them. A filmstrip was even released based on the book Dad, Mom, Eight Children and a Truck.

Anne-Cath. Vestly’s books are somewhat like fairy tales: they always end well. But they are not fairy tales; they are real life, and a very difficult one at that. And if her books have happy endings, it is only because her characters are invariably kind and considerate, always ready at any moment to help one another, and one can always rely on them. In 1951, when there were still almost no television sets in people’s homes and radio occupied their place, the young actress Anne-Cath. Vestly was invited to host radio programs for the very youngest children. For each broadcast she had to invent a funny little story and read it herself. It was from such little stories that her books later came into being. When you visit her home, it almost seems that the eight children inseparable from her, or Ole Aleksander, or the dachshund Samovar Pipe, are about to run into the room, because the truck, although it