| 1920 | Born October 9 in Kristiansand, Norway. | 1935 | Takes year off from school because of illness. "I read real books instead." | 1936 | Works as cabin boy over the Atlantic on one of his father's ships. | 1938 | Expelled from Kristiansand Cathedral School. | 1939 | Expelled from the high school in Flekkefjord. Travels to central Europe. | 1940 | Gets his artium (high-school diploma) as a private student in Drammen. Travels to Spitzbergen as a seaman. Begins study at the State school of Arts and Crafts. After it is closed he continues to study art at the painter Axel Revold's illegal art academy. | 1943 | Notified the the Germans are about to conscript him for forced labor; flees to Sweden. | 1943-45 | Studies painting at the Royal Academy of Art and under the painter Isaac Grünewald in Stockholm. | 1945 | Returns to Norway. Marries Lisel Funk. | 1946 | Oil painting at the fall exhibition in Oslo. Exhibit of 45 paintings in Kristiansand. | 1950 | Begins teaching carpentry at the Steiner School. Later becomes full-time teacher at the school in all subjects (1951). | 1951 | Dikt [Poems] | 1952 | Før Hanen Galer [Ere the Cock Crows], novel. | 1953 | Ariadne, poems. | 1955 | Jonas, novel. | 1957 | Leaves the Steiner School after breakup of marriage and resurgence of drinking problem. Under en Hårdere Himmel [Under a Sterner Heaven], novel. | 1957-59 | Travels around Italy and Central Europe. | 1958 | Vinter i Bellapalma [Winter in Bellapalma],novel; Den Store By [The Great City], poems. | 1959 | Blåmann [Little Boy Blue], novel. Serves a jail sentence for drunk driving. | 1959-60 | Series of newspaper articles criticizing the Norwegian prison system. | 1960 | Den Onde Hyrde [The Evil Shepherd], novel. | 1961 | First marriage dissolved. Marries Tone Tveteraas. | 1964 | Drømmen og Hjulet [The Dream and the Wheel], novel. | 1965 | Til Lykke med Dagen [Many Happy Returns], musical play. | 1966 | Frihetens Øyeblikk [Moment of Freedom], experimental novel; first volume of the trilogy popularly known as The History of Bestiality. Uten en Tråd [Without a Stitch], pornographic novel, confiscated. Fugleelskerne [The Bird-Lovers], musical play. | 1967 | The case of Without a Stitch comes to trial; book banned. | 1968 | Without a Stitch II published in Denmark. Dedicated to the Norwegian Supreme Court. Aske, Vind og Jord [Ashes, Wind and Earth], selected poems. Norge, mitt Norge [Norway, my Norway], essays. | 1969 | Semmelweis, play. 1969 Kruttårnet [Powderhouse], second volume of trilogy. | 1970 | Vi som Elsket Amerika [We Who Loved America], essays. Amputasjon [Amputation], play. | 1972 | Hertug Hans [Duke Hans], historical novella written in 1948. Politi og Anarki [Police and Anarchy], essays. | 1973 | Stillheten [The Silence], third volume of trilogy. Tilfellet Torgersen [The Torgersen Case], play. | 1974 | Haiene [The Sharks], novel. | 1975 | Moves to the island of Veierland near Tønsberg. | 1976 | Dongery [Blue Jeans], musical play. Våpenløs [Weaponless] (recording, reading own poetry). Found dead May 10. |
Posthumous publications:
| 1976 | Under en Mykere Himmel [Under a Gentler Sky],essays. Rød Emma [Red Emma], unfinished play. Pirate edition stopped by family. | 1977 | Om Brecht [On Brecht], essays. Samlede Dikt [Collected Poems]. Lanterner [Lanterns], short pieces and epistles. | 1978 | Om Teater [On Theater], essays. | 1979 | Bøker og Mennesker [Books and People], reviews and articles. | 1995-96 | Collected Works issued in hardcover, 21 volumes. |