©2006 The Chestnut Hill Local

Worldly Mt. Airy p.r. man was ‘Beyond the Cold’ in Norway
by MATT SWITKISKI

Michael Kleiner, a Mt. Airy resident, appeared recently at Big Blue Marble Books, 551 Carpenter Lane, to discuss his recently published book, Beyond the Cold: An American’s Warm Portrait of Norway. For more information, visit www.beyondthecold.com, which has slide shows of the country and excerpts from the book.

Up for a little word association? I’m gonna name a country and you tell me the first thing that comes to mind. Japan. I had sushi. England? Good rock music. Norway. Cold—your thoughts too, huh? If you came up with something else on reading “Norway,” you’re either a far worldlier person than I, or you’re Michael Kleiner, a man so in love with the country and its people that he is now hoping to broaden perceptions with his new book, Beyond the Cold.

Kleiner, 47 of Mt. Airy, has “always had an interest in writing,” putting it to good use throughout his career. He’s worked as a journalist in various aspects, as a sportswriter for the Germantown Courier and associate sports editor for Rutgers’ daily paper. Later he found himself working in public relations; one of his earliest jobs was being hired as the director of communications for the Abington Friends School. With a master’s degree in Educational Media from Temple, Kleiner wanted to incorporate more of his technical know-how into his practice.

It was then that he started his own PR website, designing sites for neighbors and local groups throughout the community. The business got him into contact with a local author, which led him to others until finally meeting up with Lois Young-Tulin, an author who would serve as his mentor in developing as a writer.

That’s jumping ahead a little. The story really begins in 1946. Michael’s father Robert was stationed in Norway to help rebuild the country after the war, falling in love with the country while there and vowing to bring back the family he would one day have. In 1969, Robert, then a sociology professor at Temple, was granted a sabbatical and made good on his promise. That trip was the start of young Michael’s life-long fascination with the country.

Sixteen years later, Michael would make the first of many trips back; over the course of his trips, he learned the language, absorbed the culture and very nearly covered the Olympics in Lillehammer. “I didn’t know what to expect when I got there,” he says. “What I found was the very strong warmth of the people.”

Subtitled An American’s Warm Portrait of Norway, Beyond the Cold is the culmination of many trips to Norway and many years spent assimilating the experience. “I wanted to share the passion that I had developed with the rest of the world.” The contacts he had made through his PR practice, as well as his membership with the Mt. Airy Business Association, gave Kleiner the idea to write a book. But how?

His first inspiration came from Mary Morris and her book, Wall to Wall: From Beijing to Berlin by Rail. That showed him that travel books didn’t have to be just about prices, where to eat, what to do. “I wanted it to be more.” And so, from memory, he began writing all that he could remember from his time in Norway, especially his year-long stay when he was 11. That, he feels, is what makes it a different sort of travel book, seeing a foreign country through the eyes of a child and the impact that had on him.

The other piece of the puzzle came when Kleiner got in touch with Infinity Publishing. The company follows a print-on-demand principle, giving authors more creative control over their projects; for Kleiner, that meant his book would truly be his, fitting his vision.

And so it was. As a PR professional, Kleiner promoted his own book, e-mailing family and friends, contacting various Norwegian and Scandinavian societies and outlets; many were only too happy to carry the book or pass the word along. At the end of May, he presented a slideshow of his trips to a small crowd at Big Blue Marble Books in Mt. Airy, speaking enough about the experience to hopefully entice people to buy the book.

Kleiner sees his book as more than just a travel book, its audience more than just Norwegian-Americans. It’s for people who want to know more about the country. It’s for people who want to see the long-term effects of living abroad as a child. It’s for people who have little more knowledge of Norway than cold weather. One day, Kleiner hopes to take his entire family there and instill in them the love he has for the land and its people. For now, they, and everyone else, can experience it between the pages of his book, finding the warmth that resides beneath a frigid exterior.

For more information, visit www.beyondthecold.com.