Oliver Lovrenski

writer

Oliver Lovrenski (2003) is a Norwegian writer with Croatian roots. He grew up in Oslo and made his literary debut at the age of nineteen with the novel Back in the Day (2025), a raw generational portrait of a group of teenage boys from immigrant backgrounds. Their lives unfold on the streets, fraught with violence and drugs but also loyal friendships. Written in a rhythmic language influenced by rap, slang, and youthspeak, the book was an instant bestseller in Norway and was dubbed “the Norwegian Trainspotting”. The book won the Bokhandlerprisen, the prestigious Norwegian Booksellers’ Prize, making Lovrenski its youngest laureate ever. He also won the Oslo City Artist Prize and was nominated for the Brage Prize and the Tarjei Vesaas Debutant Prize. The novel has been published in multiple languages, and it was shortlisted for the 2026 Dublin Literary Award.