Ari Mikael Behn (né Ari Mikael Bjørshol, born 30 September 1972) is a Norwegian author, and is best known as the husband of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway. He has written two novels, a collection of short stories and a book about his wedding. His 1999 short stories collection Trist som faen ("Sad as hell") received favourable reviews , while his later work has not received the same positive reviews from literary critics.

Life

Behn was born in Århus, Denmark, the eldest child of Olav Bjørshol (b. 1952) and Marianne Solberg (b. 1953). Both his parents are waldorf teachers who have worked at the Waldorf School in Moss; his father has a degree in special education while his mother has trained as a waldorf teacher. His parents married in 1973, but divorced after nine years and both remarried, Olav Bjørshol to a daughter of André Bjerke. However, in 2007 the parents of Ari Behn were married again.

Behn's original surname was Bjørshol. In 1996, he changed his name to Ari Behn when he took his maternal grandmother's maiden name. The name Behn has German origin. He has two younger siblings, Anja Sabrina and Espen, none of whom use the name Behn. Ari Bjørshol attended the Waldorf School in Moss and is baptized in The Christian Community. He has a bachelor's degree in history and religion from University of Oslo.

Behn achieved immediate literary success with his first collection of short stories, which received several good reviews and has sold more than 100,000 copies. He subsequently published two novels, however, the reviews were less positive.

On 24 May 2002, Behn married Princess Märtha Louise of Norway. They have three daughters: Maud Angelica; Leah Isadora; and Emma Tallulah.

Together with his wife, he has written a book about their wedding. After his marriage to Märtha Louise, he has also participated in various creative projects, for example, the design of china for Magnor Glassverk.

Family

Ancestry

Issue

Name	Birth
Maud Angelica Behn	29 April 2003
Leah Isadora Behn	8 April 2005
Emma Tallulah Behn	29 September 2008

Press coverage

Behn made the headlines of Norwegian newspapers in the autumn of 2006, when he revealed that he voted for the Norwegian Labour Party. His friendship with the current Minister of Culture and Labour leader Trond Giske has attracted criticism from newspapers and politicians.In January 2009, Behn received massive media coverage in the Norwegian press after going on a "personal vendetta" against former palace official Carl-Erik Grimstad, accusing him of spreading tabloid nonsense regarding Behn and his family..

Bibliography

• Trist som faen ("Sad as hell"), 1999, collection of short stories, 93 pages
• Fra hjerte til hjerte ("From heart to heart"), 2002 in collaboration with wife Märtha Louise, is a book about their wedding
• Bakgård ("Backyard"), 2003
• Entusiasme og raseri ("Enthusiasm and Rage") , a roman à clef published in October 2006

References

1. http://www.vg.no/nyheter/innenriks/artikkel.php?artid=2704691
2. http://www.snl.no/.nbl_biografi/Ari_Behn/utdypning
3. Ari Behn stemmer Arbeiderpartiet (Adresseavisen)
4. Karrieretrøbbel for Giske (Nettavisen)
5. Ari Behn raser mt tidligere soussjef (Dagbladet)

External links

• Royal House of Norway