Erling Pedersen was born
Romsdal (in the present-day
Rauma Municipality) in
Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Pedersen moved to
Hedrum Municipality (now part of
Larvik Municipality) as a teacher in 1973. He was worked as a teacher until 1980. He made his literary début in 1972 with the short story collection
Rottenes konge, for which he was awarded the
Tarjei Vesaas' debutantpris. He has written several books for adults, youth and children, and several youth books are published abroad. Pedersen is also a playwrights, with a series of performances on radio and TV. Among his children's books are
Blindgjenger from 1982 and
På dypt vann from 1985. He has been translated into several languages. Pedersen's breakthrough with critics and audiences came with
Skredesyklusen – Din plass på jorda (1981),
Solregn over Skrede (1991),
Smaken av jern (1998) and
Brødre (2001). Pedersen followed four generations throughout the 1900s, and the changes in the Norwegian daily rolled up through the experiences of people. A recent work,
Kongens merke (2006), is about war and persecution in Norway during the reign of King
Christian IV (1588– 1648). With a reign of more than 59 years, King Christian was the longest-reigning monarch of
Denmark–Norway. ==Awards==