Per Inge Torkelsen
Encyclopedia
Per Inge Torkelsen is a Norwegian comic, author, radio personality, and self declared clown
. He is known for the Norwegian expression "Gi ungdommen en flaske brennevin før idretten tar dem" (Give the youth a bottle of liquor before they are lost to athletics). In 2007 he was elected into the city council in Stavanger for the Liberal Party of Norway
. Between 2003 and 2007 he was the leader of the Eiganes og Våland
borough council. He is listed as a clown in the telephone book.
Born in Stavanger
, Torkelsen is a trained teacher of English
, but is most well known as a comedian. He has worked as a postman, scrap dealer, illusionist, and was the Norwegian champion of magic. He has held talks for companies and has been involved in debates. He has also been the program leader on children's television in Norway and for a period played a permanent role in the long-running NRK program Norge Rundt. Starting in 1980, he was a member of the municipality council in his home city of Stavanger
. Today he is the leader of the Eiganes og Våland
city district council for the Liberal Party of Norway
.
He was only 15 years old when he was first noticed in the national media. He fooled all of Norway's archaeologists by placing five Chinese coins
from the 10th century in an excavation field in Stavanger
. In the end of the 1960s, Stavanger
prison and some other buildings in the market area of Stavanger were torn down, and at the same time archaeologists were excavating. Stavanger museum sent out press releases about the find, and soon the discovery was known around the world. But after some time, Torkelsen contacted regional newspaper Stavanger Aftenblad
in order to tell the truth about the coins. Oddmund Møllerop, the director of the Stavanger archaeological museum at the time, has said that Torkelsen had planted the coins in the perfect spot. The coins happened to be planted in a location where the age of the land that the archaeologists were excavating was precisely the same age as the coins. Had the coins been placed anywhere else in the excavation site, the archaeologists would have been able to tell that they were planted there.
Torkelsen is also known as a talented spokesperson for smokers
and he has many times played around with this theme. He is also known for collecting comic books and owns one of Norway's biggest collections with over 28,000 books. Most of them are displayed in the children's museum
in Stavanger. In addition, he is known for the release of the books Den store stygge idrettsboka (The big ugly sports book), Den store norske begravelsesboka (The big Norwegian funeral book), Ikkje heilt rektige (Not altogether sane), and the controversial Den store, stygge eldreboka (The big, ugly book of the elderly). In addition to all this, he has had success with the variety show group Løgnaslaget (together with Dag Schreiner and Steinar Lyse). The group has also released music.
Torkelsen was one of the founders of Den Store Norske Humorfestivalen (The Big Norwegian Comedy Festival).
Since 2003, he has been a permanent weekly radio columnist for the radio program Norgesglasset on NRK radio
.
to the police because of someone who wrote in to the newspaper urging pensionists to shoot Torkelsen. When the report was dismissed, he filed a complaint against the newspaper, but the paper was found not to be at fault. In the book, Torkelsen wrote, among other things, that pensioner
s that have too much money should pay for themselves, so that other pensioners without any income, single mothers and families just starting out would have it better. Torkelsen says that there would be no requirement for them to do this, however. He has said that he expected to cause a stir after his confrontation with the conservatives among the elderly, but didn't expect death threats or physical attacks.
There was also controversy when he released one of his older books, Den store norske begravelsesboka in 1996. Earlier, in 1992, he released Den store stygge idrettsboka, where he attacked sports. After publishing the book, he was sued by the javelin thrower Trine Hattestad
because she thought that he had defamed her. The case was settled in court and Torkelsen said he was willing to pay 100,000 NOK in damages.
where there were 13 different theatres. From the fall of 2006 until the spring of 2008 he was a director for Teaterverkstedet Ganddal in cooperation with Rogaland
amateur theatre.
As a director for the theater company Teaterverkstedet Ganddal, he has directed two pieces:
These two performances were a huge success for both Torkelsen and Teaterverkstedet Ganddal.
Per Inge Torkelsen in NRK Forfatter 2000: Denne mannen hates Dagbladet
2000: PFU-sak 022/01 Faktor — Klovn til fjells i NRK Nett-TV
Clown
Clowns are comic performers stereotypically characterized by the grotesque image of the circus clown's colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, and red nose, which evolved to project their actions to large audiences. Other less grotesque styles have also...
. He is known for the Norwegian expression "Gi ungdommen en flaske brennevin før idretten tar dem" (Give the youth a bottle of liquor before they are lost to athletics). In 2007 he was elected into the city council in Stavanger for the Liberal Party of Norway
Venstre (Norway)
The Liberal Party is a centrist liberal political party in Norway. The party is the oldest in the country, and has enacted reforms such as parliamentarism, freedom of religion, universal suffrage and free education. Since 2010, the leader of the party is Trine Skei Grande...
. Between 2003 and 2007 he was the leader of the Eiganes og Våland
Eiganes og Våland
-Neighbourhoods:Although the borders of neighbourhoods do not correspond exactly to the borough borders, Eiganes og Våland roughly consists of the following neighbourhoods : Våland, Eiganes, Kampen and Stokka.-Politics:...
borough council. He is listed as a clown in the telephone book.
Born in Stavanger
Stavanger
Stavanger is a city and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.Stavanger municipality has a population of 126,469. There are 197,852 people living in the Stavanger conurbation, making Stavanger the fourth largest city, but the third largest urban area, in Norway...
, Torkelsen is a trained teacher of English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, but is most well known as a comedian. He has worked as a postman, scrap dealer, illusionist, and was the Norwegian champion of magic. He has held talks for companies and has been involved in debates. He has also been the program leader on children's television in Norway and for a period played a permanent role in the long-running NRK program Norge Rundt. Starting in 1980, he was a member of the municipality council in his home city of Stavanger
Stavanger
Stavanger is a city and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.Stavanger municipality has a population of 126,469. There are 197,852 people living in the Stavanger conurbation, making Stavanger the fourth largest city, but the third largest urban area, in Norway...
. Today he is the leader of the Eiganes og Våland
Eiganes og Våland
-Neighbourhoods:Although the borders of neighbourhoods do not correspond exactly to the borough borders, Eiganes og Våland roughly consists of the following neighbourhoods : Våland, Eiganes, Kampen and Stokka.-Politics:...
city district council for the Liberal Party of Norway
Venstre (Norway)
The Liberal Party is a centrist liberal political party in Norway. The party is the oldest in the country, and has enacted reforms such as parliamentarism, freedom of religion, universal suffrage and free education. Since 2010, the leader of the party is Trine Skei Grande...
.
He was only 15 years old when he was first noticed in the national media. He fooled all of Norway's archaeologists by placing five Chinese coins
Chinese coins
Chinese coins were produced continuously for around 2,500 years by casting in moulds, rather than being struck with dies as with most western coins.-Pre-Imperial :The earliest coinage of China was described by Sima Qian, the great historian of c...
from the 10th century in an excavation field in Stavanger
Stavanger
Stavanger is a city and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.Stavanger municipality has a population of 126,469. There are 197,852 people living in the Stavanger conurbation, making Stavanger the fourth largest city, but the third largest urban area, in Norway...
. In the end of the 1960s, Stavanger
Stavanger
Stavanger is a city and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.Stavanger municipality has a population of 126,469. There are 197,852 people living in the Stavanger conurbation, making Stavanger the fourth largest city, but the third largest urban area, in Norway...
prison and some other buildings in the market area of Stavanger were torn down, and at the same time archaeologists were excavating. Stavanger museum sent out press releases about the find, and soon the discovery was known around the world. But after some time, Torkelsen contacted regional newspaper Stavanger Aftenblad
Stavanger Aftenblad
Stavanger Aftenblad or simply Aftenbladet is a daily newspaper in Stavanger, Norway. It was founded in 1893 by the priest Lars Oftedal, and was for a long period a publication for the Liberal Party. It had a circulation of 68,186 copies in 2005...
in order to tell the truth about the coins. Oddmund Møllerop, the director of the Stavanger archaeological museum at the time, has said that Torkelsen had planted the coins in the perfect spot. The coins happened to be planted in a location where the age of the land that the archaeologists were excavating was precisely the same age as the coins. Had the coins been placed anywhere else in the excavation site, the archaeologists would have been able to tell that they were planted there.
Torkelsen is also known as a talented spokesperson for smokers
Smoking
Smoking is a practice in which a substance, most commonly tobacco or cannabis, is burned and the smoke is tasted or inhaled. This is primarily practised as a route of administration for recreational drug use, as combustion releases the active substances in drugs such as nicotine and makes them...
and he has many times played around with this theme. He is also known for collecting comic books and owns one of Norway's biggest collections with over 28,000 books. Most of them are displayed in the children's museum
Children's museum
Children's museums are institutions that provide exhibits and programs to stimulate informal learning experiences for children. In contrast with traditional museums that typically have a hands-off policy regarding exhibits, children's museums feature interactive exhibits that are designed to be...
in Stavanger. In addition, he is known for the release of the books Den store stygge idrettsboka (The big ugly sports book), Den store norske begravelsesboka (The big Norwegian funeral book), Ikkje heilt rektige (Not altogether sane), and the controversial Den store, stygge eldreboka (The big, ugly book of the elderly). In addition to all this, he has had success with the variety show group Løgnaslaget (together with Dag Schreiner and Steinar Lyse). The group has also released music.
Torkelsen was one of the founders of Den Store Norske Humorfestivalen (The Big Norwegian Comedy Festival).
Since 2003, he has been a permanent weekly radio columnist for the radio program Norgesglasset on NRK radio
NRK P1
NRK P1 is one of three nation-wide analogue radio channels operated by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation . It is the direct descendant of NRK's first radio station which began broadcasting in 1933...
.
Controversies
In 2000 there was much debate and resentment from the public when Torkelsen released the book Den store stygge eldreboka, which he initially wanted to call Drep de eldre (Kill the elderly). The book contains a bunch of negative characteristics of the elderly. Because of this he has received death threats and been attacked on the street. In the same year, he reported regional newspaper Rogalands AvisRogalands Avis
Rogalands Avis is a local newspaper published in Stavanger, Norway. It covers Stavanger and the rest of southern Rogaland. It was established in 1899....
to the police because of someone who wrote in to the newspaper urging pensionists to shoot Torkelsen. When the report was dismissed, he filed a complaint against the newspaper, but the paper was found not to be at fault. In the book, Torkelsen wrote, among other things, that pensioner
Pensioner
In common parlance, a pensioner is a person who has retired, and now collects a pension. This is a term typically used in the United Kingdom and Australia where someone of pensionable age may also be referred to as an 'old age pensioner', or OAP. In the United States, the term retiree is more...
s that have too much money should pay for themselves, so that other pensioners without any income, single mothers and families just starting out would have it better. Torkelsen says that there would be no requirement for them to do this, however. He has said that he expected to cause a stir after his confrontation with the conservatives among the elderly, but didn't expect death threats or physical attacks.
There was also controversy when he released one of his older books, Den store norske begravelsesboka in 1996. Earlier, in 1992, he released Den store stygge idrettsboka, where he attacked sports. After publishing the book, he was sued by the javelin thrower Trine Hattestad
Trine Hattestad
Trine Hattestad is a former Norwegian javelin thrower. She was born on 18 April 1966 in Lørenskog, Norway....
because she thought that he had defamed her. The case was settled in court and Torkelsen said he was willing to pay 100,000 NOK in damages.
Other engagements
In 2006, he was the master of ceremonies for the theatre festival in SandnesSandnes
is a city and municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is part of the region of Jæren.-History:Sandnes was separated from Høyland as a municipality of its own in 1860, and gained city status the same year...
where there were 13 different theatres. From the fall of 2006 until the spring of 2008 he was a director for Teaterverkstedet Ganddal in cooperation with Rogaland
Rogaland
is a county in Western Norway, bordering Hordaland, Telemark, Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder. It is the center of the Norwegian petroleum industry, and as a result of this, Rogaland has the lowest unemployment rate of any county in Norway, 1.1%...
amateur theatre.
As a director for the theater company Teaterverkstedet Ganddal, he has directed two pieces:
- Zapp på ein måde
- Pengane eller livet
These two performances were a huge success for both Torkelsen and Teaterverkstedet Ganddal.
External links
Nett-TV 2004 (interview with Torkelsen on the program Først & sist 12 November 2004) Nett-TV 2006 (interview with Torkelsen on the program Først & sist 1 December 2006) Per Inge Torkelsen in Dagbladet ForfatterDagbladet
Dagbladet is Norway's second largest tabloid newspaper, and the third largest newspaper overall with a circulation of 105,255 copies in 2009, 18,128 papers less than in 2008. The editor in chief is Lars Helle....
Per Inge Torkelsen in NRK Forfatter 2000: Denne mannen hates Dagbladet
Dagbladet
Dagbladet is Norway's second largest tabloid newspaper, and the third largest newspaper overall with a circulation of 105,255 copies in 2009, 18,128 papers less than in 2008. The editor in chief is Lars Helle....
2000: PFU-sak 022/01 Faktor — Klovn til fjells i NRK Nett-TV