One of his best-known books is the action-thriller novel Orion's Belt (1977). The novel was adapted into a 1985 film by the same name, which is regarded as Norway's first modern action film. In 1981, he was awarded the Riverton Prize (best Norwegian crime book of the year) for his crime novel Hvit som snø (White as snow). Twenty years later he won the prize again (as the first author to do so) with Den frosne kvinnen (The frozen woman). His last work became his biggest bestseller: En sjøens helt (A hero of the sea), a six-volume series about Norwegian war sailors during World War II and their destinies. He managed to finish it a week before his death. He was the editor-in-chief of the Norwegian left-wing
daily Klassekampen from 1997 to 2002. == Positions of trust ==