Born in Toronto in 1947, Gary Karlsen came with his family to B.C. in 1956 and attended King George High School. Right after graduation, he crewed on a deep-sea freighter in the hopes of reaching Norway, the land of his ancestors. In his self-published memoir, No Ordinary Seaman (2018), he recalls deep-sea shipping and the idiosyncratic lives of sailors. Between voyages, Karlsen discovers his roots in Norway and becomes immersed in a family larger than he has ever known. But he is soon called back to the sea - his chosen road home.

In his second title, Bosun: The Mariner's Journals (2023), Karlsen presents the saga of Bosun Kleivik, a legendary Norwegian mariner. In this historical fiction, Bosun’s journals take us to many places: the horrors of whaling in Antarctic waters; the Battle of the Atlantic and the fate of men on rafts after their ship is torpedoed; the rage-inducing heat when stranded in the Red Sea; smoking opium in Casablanca; and sexual encounters aboard a passenger-cargo ship. While Bosun is a fearless and heroic leader, he is conflicted by a world of human failings, absurdities, and moral ambiguities.
Bosun is also a family saga. In his nonsensical, two-dimensional world he discovers Aase who gifts him with the meaning of love. His wife, daughter, and granddaughter offer depth to the seafarer’s life lessons. When the old mariner returns from his seaward home to Norway for the last time a final tragedy strikes, and then mysteries are resolved and questions answered, including the significance of the three-dimensional “bosun’s anchor” he had tattooed on his chest in Montevideo. It is worn only by worthy seafarers who exemplify intelligence, leadership, loyalty, and love. It is his maritime legacy.

Karlsen received a BA from SFU and a Masters in Education from UBC.

BOOKS

No Ordinary Seaman - A Memoir (2018) $22.95 978-1-7752669-0-7

Bosun: The Mariner's Journals (2023) $24.95 9781775266921

[BCBW 2024]