Von der Lippe was born in
Bergen, Norway. His parents were Jakob von der Lippe (1870–1954) and Hanna Castberg (1872–1926). His brother
Jens von der Lippe (1911–1990) was a ceramist, non-fiction writer and educator. He grew up in Kristiania (now
Oslo) where he took his
examen artium in 1919. He worked the next year as a teacher at Boen near
Kristiansand. He then started a career in journalism. He was employed at
Tidens Tegn from 1920–21 and then at
Morgenposten where he was a theater critic until 1930. From 1930 to 1949, he worked as Deputy Secretary for
Gyldendal Norsk Forlag. During the
Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany, publishing director
Harald Grieg was under arrest from 1941-42. Von der Lippe attended to the interests of the publisher during that period. ==Bibliography==