Karl Ove Knausgaard: The School of Night with Rachel Kushner

Join us for the San Francisco launch of Karl Ove Knausgaard's new novel, The School of Night, with Rachel Kushner at Calvary Presbyterian Church.

Presented by Green Apple Books and Litquake, San Francisco's Literary Festival, with sponsorship from Norway House.

Knausgaard will join us for a reading of his work and a conversation with Kushner, followed by audience Q+A.
Tickets include a signed copy of The School of Night.
Entry-only tickets are available while supplies last.
Doors 6:00pm, Event Start 7:00pm
Please see our FAQ for more details.
About The School of Night
London. 1985. A city rife with possibility and desire. One young man who wants it all.
Kristian Hadeland, young and ambitious, has moved to London to study photography; he knows that he and his art are destined for more. His family never understood him, and his fellow photography students bore him. But when he meets Hans, an eccentric Dutch artist, the future he yearns for is possible—as long as he is willing to sacrifice everything and stop at nothing.
Twenty-four years later, Kristian sees his dreams come to fruition when a major retrospective of his work is held in New York City. As his past catches up to him, Kristian’s world begins to crumble. Success comes at a price, but is he prepared to pay it?
In a thrilling twist on Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, Karl Ove Knausgaard masterfully spins a cautionary tale about the lengths that we will go to achieve success—and how far we are willing to fall. His most daring and macabre novel yet, The School of Night is an indelible tale about dark temptations and moral depravity, and what we forget when we bargain with the devil.

About Karl Ove Knausgaard
Karl Ove Knausgaard’s first novel, Out of the World, was the first ever debut novel to win the Norwegian Critics’ Prize, and his second, A Time for Everything, was longlisted for the 2010 International Dublin Literary Award. The My Struggle cycle of novels has been heralded as a masterpiece wherever it has appeared. His work is published in thirty-five languages.

About Rachel Kushner
Rachel Kushner is the author of the New York Times bestseller Creation Lake, her latest novel; The Hard Crowd, her acclaimed essay collection; and the internationally bestselling novels The Mars Room, The Flamethrowers, and Telex from Cuba, as well as a book of short stories, The Strange Case of Rachel K. She has won the Prix Médicis and been a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Folio Prize, and was twice a finalist for the Booker Prize and the National Book Award in Fiction. Creation Lake was also longlisted for the National Book Award. She is a Guggenheim Foundation Fellow and the recipient of the Harold D. Vursell Memorial Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Her books have been translated into twenty-seven languages.

About Our Sponsor, Norway House
Connecting the United States and contemporary Norway through
arts, business, and culture.

Norway House is where culture, collaboration, and innovation meet. With His Majesty King Harald V as our Royal Patron and a grand expansion opened by Her Majesty Queen Sonja, we are a recognized bridge between Norway, the United States, and the wider world.

From hosting Norwegian and U.S. leaders to fostering cultural dialogue across the Nordic world and beyond, we create opportunities for new and lasting connections. Through programs like our classes, BARN, and MPI, we ensure that Norwegian heritage is not only preserved but continues to engage, lead, and evolve with the world.

FAQs

• Signed books will be available for pick up upon entry to the event. All books will be signed in advance, and there will be no signing line at this event.
• Seating will be first come, first serve. Priority seating will be given to wheelchair users and those with mobility devices and other attendees with disabilities. There are enough seats for everyone in attendance.
• If you require ASL interpretation, please purchase your ticket by January 1, 2026 so that we can ensure interpreter availability. If you purchase your ticket after January 1, please email [email protected] and we will do our best to to ensure accessibility.
• This is an in-person, ticketed event and will not be livestreamed. No refunds will be given after the event date for those unable to attend. No refunds will be given to those who pick up their book but are unable to attend the event.
• We will accept refund requests up to 24 hours before event start. Refunds requests will not be accepted after that timeframe or after the event itself.
• If for whatever reason you are unable to attend but would still like your copy of the book, books will be available for pick up at 1231 9th Ave after the event at no extra charge. If you would like your book shipped, additional charges will apply.
• To attend the event, you must purchase a ticket through this Eventbrite page.
• Purchase of The School of Night made through the bookstore website does not grant entry to the event. If you have already pre-ordered a copy of The School of Night through the Green Apple Books website prior to November 4, 2025 and would like to attend this event, please contact [email protected].
• We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.
  Accessibility
• The venue is located on ground level, and there is a wheelchair accessible ramp at the venue's Fillmore St entrance.
• If you require space for a wheelchair or mobility device, you can choose a specification at checkout.
• If you require ASL interpretation, please purchase your ticket by January 1, 2026 so that we can ensure interpreter availability. If you purchase your ticket after January 1, please email [email protected] and we will do our best to to ensure accessibility.
• Seating for this event is on both the ground level and up a set of stairs. Those who require accessible seating will be on the ground level.

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