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Ingvild H. Rishøi

Goodreads Author

Born

in Oslo, Norway

Website

https://www.rishoi.no/

Genre

Fiction, Children's

Member Since

September 2024

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Ingvild H. Rishøi was born and raised in Oslo and hers is a wildly willful voice in fiction. She has consistently wowed readers with her pared down yet powerful storytelling, with an acute eye for the wonder of everyday life and for vulnerable characters at the fringes of society, not seldom children.

Her literary career began in 2007 with the release of the short story collection, Do Not Erase, which introduced her as a promising new voice in Norwegian literature. Her second collection of short stories, The Tale of Mrs Berg, published in 2011, was shortlisted for the prestigious Brage Prize.

In 2014, Rishøi received widespread acclaim and popular recognition for the short story collection Winter Stories. The book won the Critics’ Prize for b ...more

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Hi Ingvild. Having read through your catalogue (multiple times), I just wanted to express that you are among my favourite all-time authors! As a big fan of the short story in particular, I was wondering if you have ever considered returning to the genre in some capacity? Your style of writing always stood out as unique and creative, but also very intentional, and I selfishly admit it would have made me very happy! :)

Ingvild H. Rishøi Hi!

How nice it is to hear that you have read my books, and multiple times -thank you! And it's also really nice to notice that there are still short s…moreHi!

How nice it is to hear that you have read my books, and multiple times -thank you! And it's also really nice to notice that there are still short story readers out there (they're not the loudest audience, I think?)

When I write, I have no genre in mind - or rather - I have one, but it often turns out to be the wrong one. When I wrote short stories, several times I was SURE I was writing a novel, as my raw material and first drafts were huge. But then I started editing, and when I edit, I like to keep only the words that feel strictly nessecary to me. And then, they all turned out to be short stories!

As for Brightly Shining (Stargate in Norwegian), I think it could also be called a short story - it is indeed a very short novel, but I was kind of thankful when my publisher said we could call it a novel. Thankful for the ... novelty, maybe?

But to answer your question: It seems like I can't control this - sometimes something turns out to be a short story, and sometimes (one time!) a novel. The book I'm writing right now is still very, very, long - and it's one story, but recently I've been wondering if maybe I could turn some parts of it into short stories. Among others, I think both Alice Munro, Elizabeth Strout and Frode Grytten has made really interesting mixes between novels and short stories, and that's inspiring. So right now, that's my plan!

But as mentioned above: My plans often go down the drain.(less)

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Hi Ingvild! How do you get the ideas to your wonderful books? And can you say something about how you build your characters?

Ingvild H. Rishøi Hi Kirsti!

Thank you so much for your kind words - they made me happy!

I generally get my ideas when I'm outside, walking around, at the gym, or when I…moreHi Kirsti!

Thank you so much for your kind words - they made me happy!

I generally get my ideas when I'm outside, walking around, at the gym, or when I'm in public transport, listening to people. On buses it's easy to take notes, but at the gym, I think it's embarrassing, so I often have to hide in the stretching area with my notebook (I tend to forget the ideas if I don't write them down immediately). I think I get ideas these places because this is where I meet people I don't know, and I'm interested in strangers. I'm also fascinated by how people show who they are in their way of speaking.

An example: A couple of days ago, I walked through the schoolyard close to where I live in Oslo, and there I passed some seven year olds, quarreling.
Then I heard one girl scream to another: "It isn't ALLOWED to call other people "chicken nuggets"!"

And I stopped. that went straight down into my notebook. I didn't know "chicken nugget" was a bad thing to be called! But of course it is, when you're seven years old (only slightly bigger than a nugget) - this girl showed her exact age and emotions through her way of speaking.

A for the characters, I don't really feel that I'm building them! I know many authors put down their characters' weaknesses, wishes, and so on, before they start writing. But to me, the fun about writing is NOT knowing what I'm going to write. It's like being a kid (chicken nugget) playing - kids have no plans for plot or characters, but they're having fun! So generally, I just start of with a voice in my head - sometimes a kid's voice, like in Brightly Shining, sometimes a grown up voice, and then I see things in my head and take notes of everything I see.

Of course, this only makes the very, very first (and bad) draft. After that comes the endless editing. But that's another question, for another day!

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Ingvild H. Rishøi’s books

Average rating: 4.07 · 25,224 ratings · 2,937 reviews · 19 distinct works • Similar authors

	Brightly Shining by Ingvild H. Rishøi (Goodreads Author), Caroline Waight (translator) 4.03 avg rating — 18,772 ratings — published 2021 — 41 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Vinternoveller 4.24 avg rating — 4,185 ratings — published 2014 — 24 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Historien om Fru Berg 4.16 avg rating — 1,674 ratings — published 2011 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	La stå 3.96 avg rating — 283 ratings — published 2007 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Noveller i samling 2007-2014 4.39 avg rating — 92 ratings — published 2014 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Vi kan inte hjälpa alla by Ingvild H. Rishøi (Goodreads Author), Stephen Farran-Lee (Translator) 4.17 avg rating — 64 ratings — published 2024	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Pling i bollen by Ingvild H. Rishøi (Goodreads Author), Bendik Kaltenborn (Illustrator) 3.90 avg rating — 42 ratings — published 2011 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Borti natta by Ingvild H. Rishøi (Goodreads Author), Bendik Kaltenborn (Illustrator) 4.41 avg rating — 22 ratings — published 2024	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The life and death of Janis Joplin by Ingvild H. Rishøi (Goodreads Author), Runa Eilertsen (Narrator) 4.08 avg rating — 13 ratings — published 2014	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Julehistorier fra alle tider by Ingvild H. Rishøi (Goodreads Author), Ingar Sletten Kolloen, Kari Veiteberg really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2021	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Ingvild Rishøi rated a book it was amazing The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 03, 2026 10:19AM · 2 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Ingvild Rishøi answered Ann Myhre's question: I am an old woman and after a long reading life I prefer anything but Norwegian literature. I've got some exceptions (regler er til for å brytes) and you are among them. I love your naked language, when I read your short stories I am at - like - Linderud too, there is nothing between me and them. Who is your favorite writer, and do you have any writer you love to read and you think: I can never tell anyone this? Thank you so much for your kind words! I think my favorite writer, or at least the most important writer in my life, must be the Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. The books I read as a child still influence me, and what made the deepest impact was her See Full Answer
Dec 21, 2025 06:42AM · 1 like · like
Ingvild Rishøi rated a book it was amazing Advent by Gunnar Gunnarsson	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Ingvild Rishøi rated a book it was amazing Long Bright River by Liz Moore (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Ingvild Rishøi rated a book it was amazing Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Ingvild Rishøi rated a book it was amazing Time of the Child by Niall Williams (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Mar 24, 2025 05:24AM · 4 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Fall of Light by Niall Williams. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Fall of Light by Niall Williams <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Ingvild Rishøi rated a book it was amazing Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Quotes by Ingvild H. Rishøi (?)

“Miracles do happen,” the caretaker used to say. “Sometimes there just isn’t any other way out, and that’s when a miracle happens.”
― Ingvild H. Rishøi, Brightly Shining

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“It began and then it went on and in the end it ended. Yes. Seeds bud and become firs that sprout cones and grow and topple and die. People make up gods and forget them again, and still it all goes on.”
― Ingvild H. Rishøi, Brightly Shining

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“It's always hope that ruins everything.”
― Ingvild H. Rishøi, Brightly Shining

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