Roger Pihl, born Roger Kristiansen on 17 November 1954 in Oslo, Norway, is a writer, editor, advertising professional, and software entrepreneur whose output spans fiction, documentary non-fiction, ghostwriting, and guidebooks. As of a 2024 profile by Forfatterforbundet (the Norwegian Authors’ Union), he had published 87 books in Norwegian and translated editions. Beyond the page, he has shaped literary culture in Oslo’s Groruddalen district through festivals, a community cultural centre, and a long-running newspaper column. His books on Danish mountains have appeared in four languages and earned him the Danish nickname “Fjeldkongen af Danmark.”
Key facts
- Born: 17 November 1954
- Country: Norway
- Occupation: writer; editing staff; entrepreneur
- Field: Norwegian literature; editing; advertising; software
Early life and education
Pihl was born Roger Kristiansen in Oslo in 1954 and later took the name Roger Pihl. His formal education took him through four institutions: Westerdals Reklameskole (an advertising school), Institutt for markedsføring (IFM), Handelshøyskolen BI, and Norges Handelshøyskole (NHH). That grounding in advertising and marketing would run alongside, and sometimes feed into, his subsequent work as a writer and editor.
Writing career
Pihl made his literary fiction debut in 2007 with the novel “rolex – en passe lang roman.” Five years later he co-wrote the documentary work “Skyldig til det motsatte er bevist” (2012) with Stein Inge Johannessen. The book examines the case of a man who was charged with a murder and rape he had not committed and who was held in isolation for six months.
His books about Danish mountains have been published in four languages. Among Danes the books earned him the nickname “Fjeldkongen af Danmark” — the Mountain King of Denmark.
Pihl has also worked extensively as a ghost-writer. His clients have included politicians Trude Drevland (“Litt privat”), Per Sandberg (“Mot min vilje”), and Bahareh Letnes and Per Sandberg together (“Fremmede makter har flyttet inn”).
Editing at Store norske leksikon
Since 2008, Pihl has held the position of subject-matter editor (fagredaktør) at Store norske leksikon, Norway’s major online encyclopaedia. His editorial remit covers photography, advertising, branding, and marketing, as well as the geography of several countries: Denmark, Belgium, Finland, Iceland, and the United Kingdom.
Cultural organising in Oslo
In the Groruddalen district of Oslo, Pihl has been a regular presence as a social commentator. Since 2013 he has written the column “Onsdagspihlsen” in Akers Avis/Groruddalen.
He co-founded Vaskeriet kulturhus, a community cultural centre in the Teisen/Fjellhus area of Oslo. The centre received Bydel Alna’s Cultural Prize in 2012. Pihl himself had already received the Bydel Alna Environmental Prize in 2004.
He initiated several literary events, including Indiebokfestivalen (an indie book festival), Forfatterfight, and Debutantfestivalen.
Norsk Kartozoologisk Forening
Pihl is one of three secretary-generals of Norsk Kartozoologisk Forening, an organisation officially founded on 19 June 2003. His fellow secretary-generals are author Tor Åge Bringsværd and philosopher Eilert Sundt the younger.
Other distinctions
In 2005 Pihl became an honorary member of Ejer Bavnehøjs Venner (Friends of Ejer Bavnehøj), a Danish association. The honour sits alongside his long association with Danish geography through his mountain guidebooks.
Did you know
- The idea for Pihl’s book about Danish mountains came to him during a climb of Galdhøpiggen, Norway’s highest mountain. A Norwegian peak, in other words, is where a guidebook to Danish highlands was born. (fjellforum.no)
Data sources
- Wikidata
- brukere.snl.no
- forfatterforbundet.no
- deichman.no
- kartozoologi.no
- boldbooks.com
- forfattersentrum.no
Where it appears
Data updated: 2026-11-02