Lars Saabye Christensen is a Norwegian / Danish author, born on 21 September 1953 in Oslo. Saabye Christensen was raised in the Skillebekk neighbourhood of Oslo, but lived for many years in the Sortland Municipality in northern Norway; both places play a major role in his work. He currently resides in Blindern, the university district of Oslo.

Saabye Christensen is acknowledged as one of the finest writers in his native country, known for his prolific body of work which includes novels, short stories, and poetry. His notable works include Beatles (1984), Herman (1988) - which was adapted into a movie by Erik Gustavson in 1990 - and The Half Brother, a bestseller that won the Nordic Council's Literature Prize.

In interviews, Saabye Christensen comes across as a shy yet cordial individual who felt "suddenly old" after the worldwide success of The Half Brother (2001), which sold 300,000 copies in Norway and was translated into 21 languages. He rarely leaves Oslo and considers the book tours for The Half Brother in Spain and Australia "a big test" for engaging with other languages and cultures.

Aside from writing, Christensen has a deep passion for music. He has written several songs for the Norwegian blues singer Kare Virud, participated in performances by reciting his lyrics, and his voice is featured on one of Virud's albums, called La cicatriz azul.