Frithjof Sælen, Jr. (24 December 1917 – 1 January 2004) was a Norwegian writer, illustrator and member of the resistance during World War II.
After the capitulation of the regular Norwegian forces, he joined the secret resistance movement as a member of Milorg.
The book, subtitled "A fable in colors for adults and children", was a subtle satire on Nazi Germany, and was widely read and later translated to several languages.
[1] In 1942 he followed with Tre kalde karer ("Three Cold Fellows"), caricaturing the Axis Powers Germany, Italy and Japan.
[citation needed] The book sold well (500,000 copies by 2004) and along with Howarth's The Shetland Bus served as the source for the 1954 film in which Leif Larsen played himself – Shetlandsgjengen[6] (released as Suicide Mission in the United States).
[1] From 1994 until his death, he suffered from Parkinson's disease, and he spent his last year in a retirement home in Bergen.