When Ullmann’s first novel,
Before You Sleep, was published in 1998, she was already known as an influential literary critic. Her second novel,
Stella Descending, was published in 2001 and her third,
Grace, in 2002. For
Grace, Ullmann received the literary award The Readers' Prize in Norway, and
Grace was named one of the top ten novels that year by the Danish newspaper
Weekendavisen. In 2007,
Grace was longlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize in the United Kingdom, and in the Norwegian theater Riksteatret played a successful run of the theatrical play
Grace, based on the novel. Ullmann's fourth novel,
A Blessed Child, was published in Norway in 2005, and was shortlisted for the
Brage Prize. In 2007, she received the Amalie Skram Award for her literary work and the Gullpennen (Golden Pen) for her journalism in the Norwegian newspaper
Aftenposten. In 2008,
A Blessed Child was named Best Translated novel in the British newspaper
The Independent, and in 2009 the novel was longlisted for the
Independent Foreign Fiction Prize in the UK and the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in Ireland. Ullmann's novels are published throughout Europe and the United States and are translated into 30 languages. Ullmann is co-founder (2009) and former artistic director of the international artist residency foundation The Bergman Estate on
Fårö. She served on the jury for the main competition at the
2011 Cannes Film Festival. Ullmann's fifth novel,
The Cold Song, was published in Norway in 2011. In 2015, Ullmann appeared as a featured author, leading a writing seminar, at the annual
Iceland Writers Retreat in
Reykjavik,
Iceland. == Personal life ==