Jostein Gaarder was born in Oslo in 1952.
Sophie's World, the first of his books to be published in English, has been translated into 60 languages and has sold over 40 million copies.
He is the author of many other bestselling, beloved novels and children's books, including The Orange Girl, The Christmas Mystery, The Ringmaster's Daughter and The World According to Anna.
His new novel An Unreliable Man will be published in 2018.
He lives in Oslo with his family.
