Erlend Loe worked at a psychiatric clinic, and was later a freelance journalist for Norwegian newspaper Adresseavisen. Loe now lives and works in Oslo where in 1998 he co-founded Screenwriters Oslo - an office community for screenwriters.

In 1993 he debuted with the book Tatt av kvinnen, and a year later published a children's book, Fisken, about a forklift operator named Kurt. Loe has a distinctive style of writing which is often likened to naïve art. He often uses irony, exaggeration and humor. His children's books are illustrated by Kim Hiorthøy. Loe has recorded many of his books as Norwegian audiobooks.

His popular novel Naiv. Super has been translated into 20 languages: Lithuanian, Latvian, Swedish, Finnish, Estonian, Danish, Icelandic, Dutch, Czech, German, Greek, Polish, Russian, Slovak, English, Italian, French, Portuguese, Serbian, Macedonian and Georgian.

Novels

• Tatt av kvinnen (1993)
• Naiv.Super (1996)
• L (1999)
• Fakta om Finland (2001)
• Doppler (2004)
• Volvo lastvagnar (2005)
• Muleum (2007)
• Stille dager i Mixing Part (2009)

Other works

• Fisken (1994), children's book
• Maria & José (1994), picture book
• Kurt blir grusom (1995), children's book
• Den store røde hunden (1996), children's book
• Kurt quo vadis? (1998), children's book
• Detektor (2000), film script
• Jotunheimen, bill.mrk. 2469 (2001), text to photographs by Bård Løken
• Kurt koker hodet (2003), play, also adapted into a children's book
• Pingvinhjelpen (2006), play
• Organisten (2006), with Petter Amundsen, non-fiction
• The Mischievous Russ/Den Fæle Russen" short story in Jørn Tomter's photography book 'The Norwegian Way
• Kurtby (2008), children's book