Henning Howlid Wærp

Henning Howlid Wærp is a Professor of Nordic Literature at UiT The Arctic University of Norway, where he is affiliated with the Department of Language and Culture within the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Teacher Education. His scholarly work focuses on the intersection of literature, Arctic studies, and environmental concerns, with particular expertise in Nordic literary traditions.

Wærp's research interests span Polar literature, Arctic literature, Knut Hamsun's authorship, Cora Sandel's works, Norwegian poetry, travel literature, Northern Norwegian literature, and ecocriticism. His scholarship often examines human-animal relationships, environmental ethics, and the representation of Arctic landscapes in literary works. He approaches Nordic literature through historical, political, and ecological lenses, frequently analyzing how literature reflects and shapes cultural understandings of nature and the North.

His extensive publication record demonstrates a consistent focus on Arctic and Northern Norwegian literary traditions, with particular attention to major figures like Knut Hamsun and Cora Sandel. Recent works show an increasing emphasis on animal representation in literature, eco-critical perspectives, and the evolving relationship between Nordic societies and their natural environments. Wærp's scholarship bridges literary analysis with cultural studies, examining how literature both reflects and influences societal attitudes toward the Arctic, animals, and environmental concerns.

Wærp is an active member of several research communities, including The Hamsun/Ibsen Research Group (HIG), the Center for Arctic Humanities, and Arctic Voices. His scholarly influence extends beyond academia through his work as a literary critic for major Norwegian publications including Bokvennen (2001-2005), Nordnorsk Magasin (2006-2016), and Aftenposten (from 2010).

• Co-editor of Edda. Nordisk tidsskrift i litteraturvitenskap (2006-2010)
• Co-editor of Nordlit. Tidsskrift for litteratur og kultur (1997-2016)
• Co-editor of Hamsun-Selskapets skriftserie (1997-2016)

His eight major book publications include Hele livet en vandrer i naturen. Økokritiske lesninger i Knut Hamsuns forfatterskap (2018), Arktisk litteratur – fra Fridtjof Nansen til Anne B. Ragde (2017), and edited collections on Cora Sandel and Arctic discourses. Wærp has also engaged in international scholarly exchange as a guest researcher at the University of California, Berkeley (2008-2009 and 2018-2019) and Columbia University in New York (2013-2014), demonstrating his prominence in global Nordic literary studies.