From architecture to literature: “Of course a writer like me needs a writing room!”

Knut Faldbakken uses his writing room at Ridabu mainly to “gaze into space.” That’s how novels are born.

Photo: Anne Bråtveit Text: Marianne Lie Berg

Writers are often particular about their workspace. They rent studio apartments, travel abroad during work periods, or set up their own “den” in their home.

“I thought that building a writing room would suit us here. I have been writing full-time for many years, and I have always worked at home,” says author Knut Faldbakken, as he strolls around the garden at Ridabu with his wife, Kirvil Haukelid.

During his career, Knut Faldbakken has published nearly fifty works, most of them novels. The fact that he is in his 80s does not seem to have dampened his vitality.

“In a way, I am constantly working to mold reality, as I perceive it, into literary language. That is my fundamental driving force. I have few other interests, no hobbies or other things I would rather do. Of course, an author of my type needs a writing room!”

energetic. Retirement is a distant concept in this residence. Both Faldbakken and his wife Kirvil Haukelid work from home and are both in full swing.

a whole life

After traveling around Europe for ten years, where he wrote his early breakout hits, such as Sin mors hus (His Mother's House, 1969), Maude danser (Maude Dances, 1971), Insektsommer (Insect Summer, 1972), and Uår (Bad Year, 1974-76), Faldbakken moved back to his childhood town of Hamar in 1977.

Here he stumbled upon an old farmstead with a spacious 4.8-acre plot.

“The place breathes history, much of it my own history too, as my father's family comes from a small farm in Vallset. What's more, Enerstua was ideally located in rural surroundings with views over Lake Mjøsa and ‘half of Hedmark’, and only a ten-minute drive from the city,” explains Faldbakken.

architect assistance. Knut Faldbakken lives in what was once an old farmstead dating back to the 1850s. ASAS Arkitektur designed the new writing studio that stands proudly at the front of the property.

The old farmhouse became cramped as the family grew to five children, so extensions were added.

Now the house is a conglomeration of different architectural styles. The original house is a charming log cabin from around the 1850s.

Faldbakken had a new section built in the 1970s, in the Scandinavian style that was modern at the time. Today, Haukelid has his furniture upholstery workshop on the ground floor, while the author sits upstairs and writes.

“When your home is both a family home and a workplace and needs to provide an inspiring environment, details become important. I'm at home pretty much all the time. The coronavirus quarantine has had absolutely no impact on me. Not being able to hug people does get a bit tedious in the long run, but I've been living like this for over 50 years,” laughs Faldbakken.

sense of aesthetics. The farmhand's room is tastefully decorated, revealing that the house is home to an upholsterer with a keen eye for preserving older objects. The window on the right leads into the study.

a project comes to fruition

“The reason for the writing room project was that Knut was turning 70. He has always said that if you were to have a study, it would have to be one with lots of light and a view,” says Haukelid.

She contacted everyone who had been invited to the 70th birthday party and suggested a joint gift: money for a preliminary project for a writing room.

Haukelid had worked with architect Katrine Aursand on a decoration project.

It felt natural to ask if her company, ASAS Arkitektur, could take on the task of sketching out how a writing room could harmonize with the other architectural features of the home. They could.

gazing. Here, the author sits and “gazes” while preparing for the day ahead. Books don’t write themselves, and Faldbakken follows a strict writing routine with one writing session in the morning and one after dinner. The large window wall opens up the entire house to the view over Hedmarken and Mjøsa. “When you have surroundings like this, you have to let them in,” exclaims Faldbakken.

“Putting the author in a greenhouse was not an option. We had to close it off, while at the same time opening it up to the beautiful surroundings. With the eras already represented here, it was obvious that we had to plan with the architecture of our time,” explains Aursand.

She shows us the first drawings from 2011. A room measuring just under 20 square meters has really taken time, with the preparation of alternative proposals, discussions about construction details, choice of materials, colors in relation to interior design, and so on.

“Quality comes at a price,” notes the author.

“Yes, and then a few books had to be written before we really got started,” laughs the architect.

well-thought-out niche

The extension appears, quite rightly, as a stylish, modern addition to the building. The sloping roof is supported by glued laminated timber beams that are attached to the old facade with steel brackets. Large windows provide plenty of light in the ceiling, and vertical panels create an extra sense of space.

“If I could highlight one successful detail, it would be the barely one-meter gap between the old house facade and the back wall of the study,” says Faldbakken.

Instead of connecting the study directly to the 1970s building, the architects created a niche between the two structures.

A window has also been added facing the alcove. When it snows, rains, or leaves fall and pile up in the corner, it becomes a small organic sculpture in a display window.

“It was important to create this space, to let go of the old and allow the new to stand on its own,” says Aursand.

The original exterior wall from the 1850s has been retained and forms the back wall inside the study. This is a fascinating detail that demonstrates the historical connection between the farmhand's cottage and the modern architectural expression.

“It quickly became clear to us that this room would be more than just a workspace. The light in here lifts the mood of the whole house. The fact that the floor is ‘on the ground’ gives a unique feeling of contact with the cultural landscape that surrounds us here,” exclaims the author happily.

writing is living

Lunch is served and Faldbakken is in his element. He is mostly responsible for the cooking, and it has become customary for meals to be served in the writing room.

“We call it the winter garden. It's not that he writes so much here; this is where he sits and ‘gaze,’” says Haukelid slyly.

The author explains, with a twinkle in his eye, that “gazing” is a good expression for an important part of the creative process.

"Having a place where you can take in all your impressions, while letting your thoughts flow out, emptying yourself, and at the same time being ‘filled’ – that's probably what trendy people call meditating. Here in Hedmarken, we ‘gaze’ if you are lucky enough to have a good place where you feel that you are in balance, in harmony with yourself and your surroundings. This room is such a place," explains Faldbakken.

The actual writing room, where all ideas, thoughts, and impressions are stored on a computer hard drive, is hidden away at the back of the house, in a small, cramped room closed to the public. In here, between crooked bookshelves and overflowing desks, there is a blissful chaos of manuscript piles, cardboard boxes with previous publications, and Post-it notes stuck to the walls.

For Faldbakken kom koronaen egentlig litt beleilig. Han har vært midt i innspurten til en ny roman denne våren, og alle restriksjonene har ført til færre distraksjoner og mindre press utenfra.

“It's a fairly representative impression of my inner life at the very end of a major work,” says Faldbakken.

He is in the midst of “working toward a climax” in his latest novel and reveals that it will have a protagonist who stutters. A crime novel where the main conflict is stuttering is, to say the least, an unusual concept. Faldbakken has always been open about his own stuttering and is a frequent speaker at stuttering associations.

"The work on the novel has taken a year longer than I had planned. I had to turn the pile over before Christmas and chew it through again. I'm almost there, and the best thing now is that I know what I'm going to start on next. As long as I have that momentum going, I can keep writing. For me, that means continuing to live," smiles the soon-to-be 80-year-old author.

He emphasizes that the writing room has raised his quality of life several notches. The human as well as the professional benefits he gets here have become indispensable.

“Without us planning it that way, this room has become the heart of the house. All visitors are drawn here. Maybe I should put up a sign: ‘PRIVATE GAZING IN PRACTICE! ’ at certain times of the day,” laughs Faldbakken.

Knut Faldbakken

Born August 31, 1941 in Oslo

Norwegian author and critic

Lives in Ridabu, a suburb of Hamar, with his wife Kirvil Haukelid

Debuted with Den grå regnbuen (The Gray Rainbow) in 1967

Has published nearly 50 works, most of them novels

Known for pushing boundaries when it comes to taboo subjects, shedding light on everything from incest to pedophilia and gender roles

Has five children, including director Stefan Faldbakken and visual artist and author Matias Faldbakken.

Newly built writing studio designed by ASAS Arkitektur