Linn Ullmann books

Linn Ullmann is a Norwegian novelist and critic whose literary fiction examines family bonds, memory, and emotional life across seven novels published between 1998 and 2025.

Standalone Novels

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Before You Sleep 1998 Buy
Stella Descending 2000 Buy
Grace 2002 Buy
A Blessed Child 2005 Buy
The Cold Song 2011 Buy
Unquiet 2015 Buy
Girl, 1983 2025 Buy

Linn Ullmann is a Norwegian novelist whose work centers on the inner lives of families and the emotional weight of long relationships. The daughter of filmmaker Ingmar Bergman and actress Liv Ullmann, she published her debut novel Before You Sleep in 1998 and has since produced seven books that move between Norway, Sweden, and the broader Scandinavian landscape of her upbringing. Stella Descending (2000) and Grace (2002) followed in quick succession, establishing her reputation for psychologically precise fiction.

Her later novels have grown more personal. A Blessed Child (2005) deals with a father and his three daughters from different marriages, while The Cold Song (2011) centers on a family gathering that goes wrong. Unquiet (2015) draws directly on Ullmann’s experiences with her aging father in his final years. Girl, 1983 (2025), her most recent novel, is a semi-autobiographical work. Across her career, Ullmann has worked as both a novelist and a literary critic for Norwegian newspapers, and that critical sensibility shows in her controlled, precise prose style.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has Linn Ullmann written?

Linn Ullmann has written seven books in one series.

What was Linn Ullmann's first book?

Linn Ullmann’s first book is Before You Sleep, published in 1998.

Is Linn Ullmann's writing autobiographical?

Her most explicitly autobiographical work is Unquiet (2015), which draws on her relationship with her father, the filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, during his final years. Girl, 1983 (2025) is also semi-autobiographical. Her earlier novels use fictional characters but often return to themes of family legacy that echo her own background as the daughter of Bergman and actress Liv Ullmann.

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