Tordis Ørjasæter

Tordis Ørjasæter (born 25 March 1927) is a Norwegian literary critic, biographer, former professor of educational science, and novelist. She has been particularly engaged in culture and literature for children. She has written biographical works on Sigrid Undset, Selma Lagerlöf, Tove Jansson, and Nini Roll Anker. She was awarded the Brage Prize in 1993.^[1][2]

Born in Oslo on 25 March 1927, Ørjasæter is a daughter of lecturer Toralf Greni and Agnes Morch. In 1953 she married author and journalist Jo Ørjasæter (1925–2006). Her father-in-law is author Tore Ørjasæter (1886–1968).^[2] She is the mother of Elin Ørjasæter.^[3]

Ørjasæter graduated as cand.mag. from the University of Oslo in 1957. From 1957 to 1970 she was assigned as critic for the newspaper Nationen. She published the book Med barn i teater in 1959. As a columnist for the newspaper Dagbladet, she wrote about children's programs in radio and television in the regular column På bølgelengde. From 1971 to 1977 she was literary critic for Dagbladet, responsible for children's and young adult literature.^[2]

In 1976, she issued the book Boka om Dag Tore, treating challenges with children with disabilities, based on experience with her oldest son who had been diagnozed as autist. In 1978, she wrote the book Barn og bøker, and in 1981 the book Barn, kultur, kreativitet, jointly with Barbro Sæterdal. In 1981 she also wrote a work for UNESCO, The Role of Children's Books on Integrating Handicapped Children into Everyday Life, as well as the main chapter in Den norske barnelitteraturen gjennom 200 år. She was awarded the honorary prize Askeladden from the institution Norsk Barneforum in 1981.^[2]

Her 1985 book Møte med Tove Jansson was followed by a biography of Sigrid Undset, Menneskenes hjerter,^[2] which also earned her the Brage Prize in the category general literature in 1993.^[4] A follow-up book, Sigrid Undset og Roma, came in 1996.^[1] She contributed to the work Norges Litteraturhistorie, writing about children's literature up to 1980. In 2000, she wrote the biography Nini Roll Anker, en kvinne i tiden, jointly with her husband Jo Ørjasæter. She wrote the novel En borgerlig pike in 2001. In 2005, she published Inn i barndomslandet – Selma Lagerlöf – Tove Jansson – Sigrid Undset.^[2] In 2009, she published the book Dagen og dagene.^[1]

A lecturer at Statens spesiallærerhøgskole from 1977, she was appointed professor at the University of Oslo from 1991 to 1993. She was a board member of the publishing house Aschehoug from 1982 to 1996, and was member of the editorial group of the magazine Gymnadenia from 1997 to 2003.^[1]