There is no way around life. Only a way through.

Jan Arild Gundersen's urge to write was shaped in early childhood, through his youth, and on into adult life. He asked for only one thing: wisdom — the wisdom to see the difference between right and wrong, good and bad, love and hurt. The wisdom to see people as they truly are, not merely as they appear.

That road led through darkness and hard times, through suffering and pain. For Gundersen, wisdom is not something you can learn from a book — it is something you must live through in order to truly understand the depth of the human spirit. There is no way around the road of life, only a way through it.

Out of these experiences grew a goal that has stayed with him ever since: that no one should have to go through darkness and pain alone, the way he once did. He wanted to become, for others, the person he himself never had as a young boy.

Many years ago, working as a teacher in a mountain valley in southern Norway, Gundersen met two young boys who appeared in the schoolyard after the summer holiday. One of them was Robert Lancaster — a smiling ten-year-old carrying more than just a schoolbag on his young shoulders. That meeting would turn out to be the beginning of a path that, years later, brought them both back onto the same track in life: offering hope and comfort to people carrying life's heaviest burdens. Today that same thread continues — Robert through his music, Jan Arild through his books — but the driving force remains the same: to meet people with honesty, and let no one feel alone in their pain.

Career and commitment

Jan Arild Gundersen (b. 1968) is a Norwegian educator, department head, and author who has devoted a long career to human relationships and the conditions young people grow up under. With more than 35 years of experience in the Norwegian school system, he currently works as department head at Skinsnes School in Mandal.

Throughout his career, he has developed a deep understanding of social processes, crisis management, and the emotional lives of individuals at different stages of life. His commitment to creating a sense of safety and improving quality of life for others extends well beyond his job — for many years he has also served, often on a voluntary basis in his own free time, as an important support and conversation partner for people going through difficult life crises.

The writing

It is this close encounter with human fate — in the classroom, in crisis conversations, and in life more broadly — that is the primary driving force behind Gundersen's writing. He writes with a rare empathy, giving voice through his texts to the vulnerable. For many readers, his books serve as a helping hand: a way to put into words thoughts, choices, and feelings that might otherwise be difficult to express on one's own.

Whether he is writing about loss, difficult choices, or the voices of children and young people facing hardship, Gundersen combines professional depth with a profound, personal understanding of what it means to carry something heavy — and what it means to be truly seen.

Bibliography & publications

• When the Only Way Is Through (Når den eneste veien er gjennom, 2025)

  A collection of powerful, deeply human texts and short stories published by Kolofon Forlag. The book explores how our choices affect ourselves and those around us, and offers emotional support for everyday life.

• Shadow Play (Skyggespill)

  An important publication offering unique insight into children and young people's own experiences, thoughts, and voices regarding the difficult subject of sexual abuse.

• Problem-Solving Models (Problemløsningsmodeller)

  Co-author of this academic work, edited by the renowned professor Erling Roland.