Jostein Gaarder was born in Oslo, Norway, in 1952. He taught high-school philosophy for several years before publishing a collection of short stories in 1986 and, shortly thereafter, his first two novels, The Solitaire Mystery and Sophie's World, and several others since then. He lives in Oslo with his family.

"First, think a beginner's guide to philosophy . . . Next, imagine a fantasy novel--something like a modern-day version of Through the Looking Glass. Meld these disparate genres, and what do you get? Well, what you get is an improbable international bestseller . . . [A] tour de force."
--John Elson, Time

"This book contains a novel mantra for those days when the world gets in your face."
--Entertainment Weekly

"A whimsical and ingenious mystery novel that also happens to be a history of philosophy."
--Alexander Theroux, The Washington Post Book World

"Extraordinary . . . read it for yourself."
--Newsweek

"A simply wonderful, irresistible book . . . a cross between Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy and Alice in Wonderland."
--Daily Telegraph

"Sophie's World is sheer delight. How I wish I'd had it during my college freshman survey of philosophy!"
--Madeleine L'Engle

Publisher: Picador USA

Pub date: 2024-10-29

Length: 544 pages