Sigmund Kvaløy Setreng was born in 1934 in Trondheim, but grew up in Lom. The family’s house was close to the river Bøvra, and it is here that his love for rivers and waterfalls was built. He spent the summers at the farm Sætereng with his uncles and grandmother. As a boy he often wandered around in the Jotunheimen Mountains together with his father, and he developed an almost religious fascination with its magnificent scenery. His interest in music was also developed in his childhood under his father’s supervision.
After he graduated in 1955, he was educated and worked as an air mechanic at the Norwegian Air Force and he served as a sergeant and air mechanic at Gardermoen airport. He used his leisure time reading Sartre, Kafka and Lao Tze—his interest in philosophy was developing.
