Jenny Hval is one of the English language’s greatest musical manipulators. Her ability to express both abstract ideas and visceral impulses through song is even more impressive considering English is her second language.
Born in Norway’s southern bible belt — an austere and stifling cultural landscape she describes in harsh detail in her latest novel, Girls Against God — she left as soon as she could.
She moved to Australia for university, started a band there, and worked on her first book. At first, she tried to write it in English before switching to Norwegian, though it’s now been retranslated as Paradise Rot.
Physically, too, Hval eventually returned to her home country, settling in Oslo. But musically, she stuck with her adopted tongue.
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