[1] For his "lasting contribution to children's literature" he received the international Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 1990.
[2][3] Tormod Haugen grew up in Nybergsund, a small village in Trysil in Hedmark county, Norway.
[4] He was an experimental and innovative writer who picked up elements from Norwegian folk tales and myths, as well as from international children's literary traditions.
A recurring theme in his writing was the lonely child whose feelings and wishes are disregarded by the adult world, and who, as a consequence of this, winds up in situations that are outside of his control.
He was nominated for the Norwegian Booksellers' Prize in 1997 and for the international Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in 2005.