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The Last Viking
Erik Bye was a writer, entertainer, TV personality, and easily, in the sixties and the seventies, the most popular man around.
He was born in New York to Norwegian parents who later went back to live there, while their son Erik went
back to the USA to finish his education.
On returning to Norway, he wrote a book about his experiences crisscrossing the USA.
The travel book was a best-seller in Scandinavia and
the book was also translated into English.
Erik also wrote some other books and many songs about the seas
As a journalist interviewing people from the masses
he was superb at getting them to open up and tell their story.
His own untold story was his battle with the booze
Oslo, in the sixties, was difficult to find a place to drink on Sundays, he and his drinking cronies bought
flight tickets to Denmark, and could sit in the international lounge, drink, and miss the plane.
He was also a prolific songwriter, many of his songs have been published in book form
Erik Bye was, in his lifetime, a big, imposing figure
It looks like the way we think Vikings appeared
Alas, his health took a beating; the alcohol spares none after several hospital stays, he passed away at 78
Copyright ©
Jan Hansen
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