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Is Anybody There? In this work, a teenage Norwegian schoolgirl, Sophie, receives a series of inquisitive letters, posing such questions as "Who are you? The ongoing correspondence quickly becomes a course in the history of philosophy from pre-Socratic to modern times. Sophie eventually meets her instructor, Albert Knox, and as they continue their study of philosophy both characters come to suspect that they are actually characters in a novel.

The suspicions of Sophie and Albert lead, in turn, to an investigation of metaphysics and the discovery that the duo are, indeed, characters in a novel, one being written by Albert Knag, a Norwegian military officer stationed in Lebanon. Knag is writing his novel for his daughter, Hilde. Knag's impending return to Norway provides a fair measure of suspense as Sophie's World builds to an appropriately quirky climax.

Gaarder was born into a pedagogical family.

Upon publication in Scandinavia in , Sofies verden developed into an exceptionally popular work. It achieved bestseller status in various European nations and was eventually acquired for American publication. Sophie's World appeared in English translation in and proceeded to draw praise from reviewers. Among its supporters was Andrea Ashworth, who wrote in the Times Literary Supplement that the novel is "seductive and original.

Although some critics expressed reservations about Gaarder's book, they acknowledged the work's merit. John Vernon declared in the New York Times Book Review that "the history of philosophy becomes inserted into the tale of a Norwegian Nancy Drew like an aspirin into a piece of cheese," but conceded that "Mr. Gaarder's tour through the past of Western thought will perhaps have the good effect of encouraging some readers to seek out the real thing.

Prior to the huge success of Sophie's World, Gaarder taught philosophy at a high school in Norway for eleven years. With more than twenty million copies of the book in print, Gaarder's story has spawned an industry.