Fatland was born in Haugesund, Norway, in 1983, and read for an MPhil in anthropology at the University of Oslo.

[3][4] This was followed by The Border: A Journey Around Russia Through North Korea, China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Norway, and the Northeast Passage, an account of her travels around Russia's border, from North Korea to Norway.

Both books have been translated into English by Kari Dickson, and both received critical acclaim from reviewers in the US and UK.

[7] She has received numerous awards, among them the Norwegian Booksellers’ Prize for Nonfiction and the Wesselprisen (2016).

She speaks eight languages including Norwegian, English, French, Russian, German, Italian, and Spanish.