Almost in nature already: Today, we are introducing the non-fiction writer Andreas Tjernshaugen and his desk which doubles as an observation post.
The Norwegian writer Andreas Tjernshaugen (born 1972) is the successful author of the recent non-fiction work ‘The Secret Lives of Small Birds’ (Norw. Meisenes hemmelige liv, Kagge, 2015, not yet published in English) describing the daily round of the surprisingly lively and multi-skilled great tits. Tjernshaugen and his family live on the Nesodden peninsula on the Oslo fjord with nature waiting to be explored just around the corner. There are always has new, interesting things to discover for the trained sociologist and keen amateur ornithologist. His desk stands in front of picture windows that offer him plenty of opportunity of observe a group of great tits. “I always have a pair of binoculars at hand in case birds fly past,” he says.
While he was working on The Secret Lives of Small Birds he had computer-linked cameras installed in two nest boxes to let him observe the tits live in action. In his new book, Tjernshaugen focuses on the largest animals in the world: the blue whales. True, these creatures are not seen in the waters around his Oslo Fjord peninsula but he is reminded of them every day as an image comes up on this computer desktop: “I took this photo of a diving blue whale during my research journey around the Azores.”
His most recent book is entitled ‘The Whale Adventure’ (Norw. Hvaleventyret, Kagge, 2018, not yet published in English) and tells stories of the encounters between people and the gigantic marine mammals (the German version published by Austrian firm Residenz Verlag will be in the shops by autumn 2019). In this non-fiction work, the author describes the annual migration of whales between icy waters and warmer parts of the oceans, the earliest Norwegian whaling ships and their terrifying expeditions in polar seas, as well as the contemporary battles to save the last remnant of the blue whale population. At present, the books on his desk are scientific, including an encyclopaedia of marine mammals and volumes of Norwegian polar history.
Tjernshaugen is fascinated by the animal world. “Most days, roe deer run through my garden”. When no exciting live specimens are passing by outside, all he needs is to turn round: there is an aquarium in a corner of his study.
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Books of Norway: Andreas Tjernshaugen