| Odd Selmer | |
| Birth Date: | 7 February 1930 |
| Birth Place: | Strinda, Norway |
| Occupation: | Journalist, author |
| Awards: | Norwegian Ibsen Award (1988) |
Odd Selmer (7 February 1930 – 2 March 2024) was a Norwegian journalist, novelist, crime fiction writer and playwright. Probabably best known for his audio plays, he was awarded the Norwegian Ibsen Award in 1988.
Selmer was born in Strinda on 7 February 1930, to Jul Olaf Selmer and Dagmar Thekla Aarum. He grew up in Lillehammer, from the age of seven. In 1956 he married hotelier Reidun Lilleseth.
Selmer started his working career as journalist, working for the newspaper Norwegian: [[Morgenbladet]] from 1951 to 1953, and for Norwegian: Møre Dagblad from 1953 to 1954. He attended from 1955 to 1956. He worked one year for the Norwegian News Agency, and eventually for Norwegian: [[Adresseavisen]] from 1959 to 1971.
His book debut was the travelogue Norwegian: Gjennom Canada i prærievognens spor from 1958. Then he followed up with the crime novels Norwegian: Døden kommer bakfra from 1963, and Norwegian: Skriftemålet from 1965.
He is probably best known for his audio plays. These include Norwegian: Amerikaturen from 1971, Norwegian: Virkelighetens verden (1972), Norwegian: Reisende (1972), Norwegian: Vennskapets frukter (1972), and Norwegian: Misjonæren (1973). He wrote the play Norwegian: Spill in 1973, and the novel Norwegian: Gullburet in 1975. This contemporary novel is a critical depiction of a political and art society in Oslo. Further audio plays are Norwegian: Alpinisten (1975), Norwegian: Butikksjefen (1976), and Norwegian: En våken og fri presse (1976). He wrote the plays Norwegian: Dobbeltspill in 1979 and Norwegian: Det er min vår i høst in 1981, and the audio plays Norwegian: Som gul morild i blodet (1981), Norwegian: Paradisløpet (1984), and Norwegian: Otium (1985). Further the audio play series Norwegian: På egne ben from 1988, and the series Norwegian: Fru Mao from 1989, and the audio play Norwegian: Pappas dag from 1990.
In 1977 he wrote a historical novel about the eccentric "Lady" Barbara Arbuthnott, a Scottish Lady who settled in Sunndal in the 1870s. Later novels are Norwegian: Det året Mao døde (1984), and Norwegian: Og verden var som ny from 1992, set in Kristiania and Wien around 1900.
His audio plays have been translated into fifteen languages. He was awarded the Ibsen Prize in 1988 for the audio play series På egne ben.[1]
Selmer died on 2 March 2024, at the age of 94.[2] [3]