The Embassy is pleased to inform that one of Norway’s internationally most famous writers Mr. Jostein Gaarder will be visiting China 15 - 23 Oct. 2007. Mr. Gaarder is the author of many highly acclaimed works including the world's most selling novel in 1995 Sophie's World. The major purpose of the visit is giving lectures at key universities in China as well as launching the Chinese translation of his novel “Maya” published by The Writer’s Publishing House.
With his exuberant imagination and joy of storytelling, Jostein Gaarder has fascinated an entire world. His many novels, wich all pose central questions about man’s place in the universe, are read with the same interest all over the globe. The subjects he raises are universal, and they interest people regardless of their cultural, ethnic or religious background.
In 1991, when Jostein Gaarder wrote Sophie’s World, he believed that a novel on the history of philosophy would appeal only to a specialist readership. In 1995 the book was the most sold novel in the world. To date, Sophie’s World has been translated into 55 languages and has sold over 30 million copies. Jostein Gaarder’s other works – both his children’s books and adult novels – have proved hugely popular and been published in a host of countries.
Gaarder’s profound personal commitment and great fund of knowledge have inspired readers all over the world to think and ask questions about ourselves, our place in history, and the world around us. In 1997 Gaarder and wife Siri Dannevig formed the Sofie Foundation to promote a sustainable environment. The foundation annually awards the Sophie Prize, worth $100,000 US to "an individual or an organization that in a pioneering or a particularly creative way, has pointed to alternatives to the present development and/or put such alternatives into practice."
Mr. Gaarder is a gifted speaker. When giving talks, as in his novels, Mr. Gaarder usually touches upon big and fundamental issues such as: what is philosophy, the relationship between philosophy and science, nature and environment, human rights versus human obligations etc.