One of the most innovative novelists of his generation, Dag Solstad searches in his works for the meaning of life in modern society, especially in a well-organized Scandinavian welfare state. His protagonists are writers, historians, teachers, and librarians who reflect on the ever-decreasing importance placed on intellectual values. While his career can be divided into three phases--the modernist from Spiraler (Spirals) in 1965 to Irr! Grønt! (Patina! Green!) in 1969; the socialist realist from Arild Asnes, 1970 in 1971 to Brød og våpen (Bread and Weapons) in 1980; and the postmodernist, beginning with Gymnaslærer Pedersens beretning om den store politiske vekkelsen som har hjemsøkt vårt land (High-School Teacher Pedersen's Account of the Great Political Revival That Has Visited Our Country) in 1982--Solstad's male protagonists who address the question of meaning and norms, or the absence thereof, in contemporary society provide coherence...