Arts·Q with Tom Power

How Jo Nesbø went from stockbroker, to musician, to world-famous crime and thriller writer

The acclaimed Norwegian writer sat down with Q's Tom Power to walk us through his many previous professions.

The acclaimed Norwegian writer walks Q's Tom Power through his many previous professions

A man wearing glasses, a newsboy cap and headphones sits in front of a studio microphone smiling.
Jo Nesbø in the Q studio in Toronto. (Vivian Rashotte/CBC)

Jo Nesbø is one of the world's most famous crime and thriller writers. His books are published in close to 50 languages with more than 50 million copies sold. But you might be surprised to find out that his writing career is a bit of a fluke.

Nesbø sat down with Q's Tom Power to talk about the professions he had before becoming an acclaimed writer, how he became a novelist in the first place, and why he keeps coming back to the character of Detective Harry Hole.

The full interview with Jo Nesbø is available on our podcast, Q with Tom Power. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.


Interview with Jo Nesbø produced by Vanessa Greco.