Generations of Norwegian children have grown up reading and reciting poems by Inger Hagerup (1905-1985). She made her literary debut in 1939 with I got Lost in the Woods, a collection of poetry.

This was followed by a number of notable collections, like Further (1945) and Verse with the Wind(1958). Involved with in the resistance movement against the Nazis in Norway during World War II, Hagerup is, above all, a poet of love.

But she is also a poet of death; many of her best poems circle this subject. In addition to her life as a children's author, she wrote radio plays and reinterpreted Shakespeare and Goethe. Her memoirs A Girl Came Along, What Are You Doing Down Here, and Out Seeking Labour, were published in the 60's.