Margit Sandemo ​

Margit Sandemo was a Norwegian-Swedish author. She was best known for her historical romance series, 'The Legend of the Ice People'. Sandemo has published nearly 200 books and her works have been translated into multiple languages.

Quick Facts ​

• Known for writing the Legend of the Ice People (Isfolket) series.
• Published 172 novels which were translated into numerous languages.
• Her total sales exceeded 37 million copies.
• She remains one of the most successful authors in Norwegian history.
• Many of her books were inspired by her own international travels.

Background ​

Sandemo was born in 1924 in Lena, Norway. Raised by a single mother, she was introduced to storytelling at a young age. After the Second World War, she married a Swedish man and moved to his homeland. She worked as a housemaid, nanny, and later as a librarian, where she utilized her deep love for books and reading, whilst consistently writing short stories and poems.

In 1982, she published the first book in the widely popular series The Legend of the Ice People which sold millions of copies worldwide. She continued to write novels and a few non-fiction books for the rest of her life. She passed away in 2018 at the age of 94.

Writing Style and Impact ​

Sandemo's writing style is characterized by her evocative description and strong characters. She wrote extensively about love, historical events, and supernatural themes, blending the boundaries between reality and fantasy. She used her writing as a means to address important social issues and often incorporated elements of her own personal experiences into her narratives. Her work was particularly influential in popularizing the fantasy genre in Scandinavian literature.

Notable Works ​

• The Legend of the Ice People series (1982-1988)
• The Saga of the Sea Witch series (1997-2000)
• The Daughter of the Sun series (2006-2007)