Jens Bjørneboe was one of the most cosmopolitan, versatile, and controversial Norwegian writers of his day. His career is fraught with paradoxes. He belongs to the tradition of Norwegian literary radicalism in that he engaged intensely with the issues of his time and place, taking the part of the wretched, defending individual freedom against convention and authoritarianism, and mounting strong attacks on the Norwegian educational and judicial systems. Yet, he was first and foremost a European writer, mindful of a deeper cultural stream--the Bible, classical antiquity, and the masterpieces of European literature and art--and most of his major works are set outside Norway. While his writings are both strongly political and strongly metaphysical, Bjørneboe resisted identification with any political or religious orthodoxy. Although he made relentless use of his own biography, his sights remained firmly fixed on the outside world. In his essay "Litteratur...