Jostein Gaarder
Jostein Gaarder (born August 8, 1952) is a Norwegian intellectual and author of novels, short stories, and children's books.
Gaarder was born in Oslo, Norway, into a pedagogical family. He studied Scandinavian languages and theology at the University of Oslo. For a while, before launching his writing career, he taught philosophy at a folkehøyskole.
His best known work is the novel Sophie's World, subtitled A Novel about the History of Philosophy (ISBN 0425152251). This popular work has been translated into fifty-three languages; there are twenty-six million copies in print, with three million copies sold in Germany alone.
In 1997, he established the Sophie Prize together with his wife Siri Dannevig. This prize is an international environment and development prize (USD 100,000 = 77,000 €), awarded annually. It is named after the novel.
Controversial criticism of Israel and Judaism
In August 2006, Gaarder published an op-ed piece in the one of the largest newspapers in Norway, Aftenposten, expressing his outrage against Israel's military operations since 1967[1] [2]. The text, which Gaarder on a August 7 2006 NRK channel 2 radio debate said was read by 'countless people' and 'Mideast experts' prior to publishing, is by many perceived as attacking not only Israel and Israeli policy, but also Jews and Judaism in general.
The piece titled “God’s chosen People” claims that Israel's policies are founded in a religion that is "archaic" and "warriorlike". Among other things, he writes:
“We laugh at this people’s whims and cry over its misdeeds. To act as God’s chosen people is not only foolish and arrogant, it is a crime against humanity. […] We do not believe in divine promises as a rationale for occupation and apartheid. We have left the medieval behind. We laugh embarrassed from those who still believe that the god of the flora, faun and galaxy has chosen one particular people as his favorite and given them funny tablets of stone, burning bushes and a license to kill.”
In the article, Gaarder contrasts the use of religious legitimization of war and occupation with humanistic values, quoting Albert Schweitzer "Humanity is never to sacrifice a human being for a cause." Furthermore, he claimed that many Israelis celebrate the death of Lebanese children, comparing this behavior to the biblical story of Israelites celebrating God’s plagues against Egypt. He states "We recognize the State of Israel of 1948 but not that of 1967. It is the state of Israel that fails to recognize, respect, or defer to the internationally lawful Israeli state of 1948. Israel wants more; more water and more villages.", adding that Israel already has ceased to exist. He maintains he is a friend of Jews, and finishes his article by envisioning another exodus of Jews from Israel but hoping that: "[...] not one Israeli child lose its life. Far too many civilians and children have been murdered already."
Reactions to the article were mixed: the Jewish community and many intellectuals in Norway condemned it, others criticized it as being too harsh, while many also supported him [3] [4] [5] [6].
In numerous interviews after the publication of the op-ed, he has maintained that he is not an anti-semite and that the piece should not be viewed as an attack on Jews or Judaism. The Jewish community in Oslo, however, have said that even if this should the case, the article opens a "can of worms" and legitimize ancient and deep-rooted anti-semitic thoughts and behaviour. Comments Odd-Bjørn Furre, renouned historian and director of the Holocaust-centre in Oslo, "[...] Gaarder uses a language which contributes to lowering barriers in the description of Israel and Jewish culture. [...] Gaarder has crossed a line, but I don't think he understands it" [7].
List of works
- Diagnosen og andre noveller (The Diagnosis and Other Stories) (1986)
- Froskeslottet (The Frog Castle) (1988)
- Kabalmysteriet (The Solitaire Mystery) (1990) ISBN 042515999X
- Sofies verden (Sophie's World) (1991) ISBN 0425152251
- Julemysteriet (The Christmas Mystery) (1992) ISBN 0374123292
- Bibbi Bokkens magiske bibliotek (Bibbi Bokkens magic library) (1993) ISBN 8200212106
- I et speil, i en gåte (Through a Glass, Darkly) (1993) ISBN 0753806738
- Hallo? Er det noen her? (Hello? Is Anybody There?) (1996) ISBN 0374329486
- Vita Brevis (Brief Life) (also appeared in English as That Same Flower) (1996) ISBN 0753804611
- Maya (1999) ISBN 0753811464
- Sirkusdirektørens datter (The Ringmaster's Daughter) (2001) ISBN 0753817004
- Appelsinpiken (The Orange Girl) (2004) ISBN 0297849042
References
- ^ Template:No icon "God's chosen People". Aftenposten. August 5, 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-07.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Famous Author Excoriates Israel". weblog. August 5, 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-07.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Template:No icon
"Most horrible thing I have read". Aftenposten. August 5,
2006. Retrieved 2006-08-07.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); line feed character in|date=at position 15 (help) - ^ Template:No icon
"Gaarder hurts the Jews". Aftenposten. August 7,
2006. Retrieved 2006-08-07.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); line feed character in|date=at position 15 (help) - ^ Template:No icon
"Old Prejudice, New Hatred Towards Jews". Aftenposten. August 7,
2006. Retrieved 2006-08-07.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); line feed character in|date=at position 15 (help) - ^ Template:No icon
"Shut up, Gaarder!". Aftenposten. August 8,
2006. Retrieved 2006-08-07.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); line feed character in|date=at position 15 (help) - ^ Template:No icon
"Gaarder shows dangerous lack of knowledge!". Verdens Gang. August 8,
2006. Retrieved 2006-08-07.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); line feed character in|date=at position 15 (help)
External links
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