The School of Night Hardcover by Karl Ove Knausgaard

Product Details

• Publisher: Knopf Canada (2026-01-13)
• Language: English
• Paperback: 512 pages
• ISBN-13: 9781039056855
• Item Weight: 788.13 grams
• Dimensions: 24.23 x 16.31 x 3.94 cm

Karl Ove Knausgaard’s most daring and macabre novel yet, The School of Night is an indelible tale about dark temptations, moral depravity, and what we forget when we bargain with the devil.

London. 1985. A city rife with possibility and desire. One young man who wants it all.

Kristian Hadeland, young and ambitious, has moved to London to study photography. His family never understood him, and his fellow photography students bore him. He throws himself headfirst into the bustling art scene, where he meets Hans, an eccentric Dutch artist. Kristian knows he and his art are destined for more, and with Hans, the future he yearns for is possible—as long as Kristian is willing to sacrifice everything and stop at nothing.

Twenty-four years later, Kristian has achieved everything he’s ever desired, and a major retrospective of his work is being held in New York City. But as Kristian’s past catches up to him, his world begins to crumble. Success comes at a price, but is Kristian prepared to pay it?

In a thrilling twist on Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, Karl Ove Knausgaard masterfully spins a dark cautionary tale about the lengths we will go to achieve success—and how far we are willing to fall. His most daring and macabre novel yet, The School of Night is an indelible tale about dark temptations, moral depravity, and what we forget when we bargain with the devil.

About the Author

KARL OVE KNAUSGAARD’s first novel, Out of the World, was the first ever debut novel to win the Norwegian Critics’ Prize, and his second, A Time for Everything, was widely acclaimed. The My Struggle cycle of novels has been heralded as a masterpiece wherever it has appeared.

MARTIN AITKEN's translations of Scandinavian literature number some thirty-five books. His work has appeared on the shortlists of the International Dublin Literary Award (2017) and the U.S. National Book Awards (2018), as well as the 2021 International Booker Prize. He received the PEN America Translation Prize in 2019.