Per Petterson is a Norwegian novelist. Petterson's debut was Aske i munnen, sand i skoa (1987), a collection of short stories. He has since published a number of novels to good reviews. Petterson is a trained librarian. He has worked as a bookstore clerk, translator and literary critic before becoming a full-time writer. He cites Knut Hamsun and Raymond Carver among his influences. Petterson's works have been translated into almost 50 languages.