Carsten Jensen is considered one of Denmark's greatest living authors.

      His most recent work, the international bestseller The First Stone, a war-novel set in Afghanistan about a group of Danish soldiers, was released in English last autumn. 
      In 2009, Jensen was awarded the prestigious Olof Palme Prize for his "work, in word and deed, to defend the weak and vulnerable as well in his own country as around the world".
      An avid traveller, Carsten Jensen has produced several critically-acclaimed travel biographies, the most famous of which are Jeg har set verden begynde (I Have Seen the World Begin) from 1996 and Jeg har hørt et stjerneskud (I Have Heard a Shooting Star) from the following year. He was awarded the Golden Laurels in 1997 for the former, the most coveted literary prize in Denmark, but had received critical acclaim previous to the award for his essays and articles such as Sjælen sidder i øjet (1985) (The Windows of the Soul) and Jorden i munden (1991) (Earth in the Mouth). As a journalist, he has reported from many regions of conflict, including the Balkans and Afghanistan.

       A leading literary figure in Denmark, Jensen's bestselling novel Vi, de druknede (We, the Drowned) has been translated into 20 languages, and sold more than 600,000 copies worldwide.