author
Charles O. (Charles Orrin) Solberg
1869–1944
A Lutheran minister, educator, and storyteller, this early 20th-century writer brought warmth and moral clarity to both children’s fiction and religious essays. His best-known surviving work, Blind Tim, and Other Christmas Stories Written for Children, reflects a gentle, compassionate voice shaped by years of teaching and church leadership.
1 Audiobook
Blind Tim, and other Christmas stories written for children
by Charles O. (Charles Orrin) Solberg
About the author
Born in Rushford, Minnesota, on December 24, 1869, Charles Orrin Solberg was an American clergyman, teacher, and author. Biographical records describe him as the son of Halvor Knudson and Annie Jane Solberg, and note that he studied at Beloit College and the Chicago Lutheran Theological Seminary.
Around the turn of the 20th century, Solberg was associated with Pleasant View Lutheran College in Ottawa, Illinois, where he served in an educational role. Later references also describe him as a Lutheran leader and essayist, with work connected to American Lutheran thought.
As a writer, he is remembered today chiefly for Blind Tim, and Other Christmas Stories Written for Children, preserved by Project Gutenberg, as well as for religious writing such as The Spirit of American Lutheranism; and Other Essays. He died in 1944, leaving behind a body of work that joined faith, education, and storytelling in a clear and approachable way.