Hilde Østby is the author of the critically acclaimed novel Encyclopedia of Love and Longing, which was called “one of the best books of the year” by three of Norway’s most esteemed newspapers. She began her writing career as a journalist at a Norwegian news outlet, Dagsavisen, and has worked as an editor and communications adviser. Today, she is a nonfiction critic for Norway’s largest newspaper, Aftenposten. She lives in Oslo with her husband and daughter.

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Ylva Østby is a clinical neuropsychologist who devotes her research to the study of memory. After completing her PhD at the University of Oslo, she worked at the National Centre for Epilepsy in Norway, learning firsthand how devastating memory dysfunction can be. Today, she works at the University of Oslo, investigating the long-term development of memory function in patients with epilepsy. She is also the vice president of the Norwegian Neuropsychological Society. She lives in Oslo with her husband and two children.

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