Aasmund Olavsson Vinje (6 April 1818 – 30 July 1870) was a Norwegian

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

and

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

who is remembered for poetry,

travel writing Travel is the movement of people between distant geographical locations. Travel can be done by foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, bus, airplane, ship or other means, with or without luggage, and can be one way or round trip. Travel can ...

, and his pioneering use of Landsmål (now known as

Nynorsk Nynorsk () () is one of the two written standards of the Norwegian language, the other being Bokmål. From 12 May 1885, it became the state-sanctioned version of Ivar Aasen's standard Norwegian language ( no, Landsmål) parallel to the Dano-Nor ...

Background

Vinje was born into a poor but well-read family in Vinje,

Telemark Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...

. He had a voracious appetite for learning and supported himself in part by

teaching Teaching is the practice implemented by a ''teacher'' aimed at transmitting skills (knowledge, know-how, and interpersonal skills) to a learner, a student, or any other audience in the context of an educational institution. Teaching is closely re ...

. He earned his

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

entrance exam after attending the same school as

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

, studied law, and became an

attorney Attorney may refer to: * Lawyer ** Attorney at law, in some jurisdictions * Attorney, one who has power of attorney * ''The Attorney'', a 2013 South Korean film See also * Attorney general, the principal legal officer of (or advisor to) a gove ...

Career

In 1858 Vinje founded the periodical ''

Dølen ''Dølen'' (meaning ''The Dalesman'' in English) is a former Norwegian weekly literary magazine published in Norway between 1858 and 1870. History and profile ''Dølen'' was established by Aasmund Olavson Vinje in 1858. The first issue is dated ...

'' (''The dales-man''), in which he published travel accounts and editorial comments on art, language and politics that serve as records for the period in which he lived. ''Dølen'' ceased publication in 1870. Vinje did much to articulate the difference between urban and rural life in Norway and was among the sophisticated exponents of

Norwegian romantic nationalism Norwegian romantic nationalism ( no, Nasjonalromantikken) was a movement in Norway between 1840 and 1867 in art, literature, and popular culture that emphasized the aesthetics of Norwegian nature and the uniqueness of the Norwegian national ident ...

. But he was also known for his critical scepticism and "dual vision" ( no, tvisyn)—looking at both sides of the coin. He was politically active to the extent that the government fired him as an attorney for criticizing its foreign policy. Among his writings, the ' (''Travel memories from the summer of 1860'', translated into English as ''Travel memories from Norway 1860'') is highly esteemed in Norwegian literature, describing a journey on foot from

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

in order to cover the coronation of

King Charles King Charles may refer to: Kings A number of kings of Albania, Alençon, Anjou, Austria, Bohemia, Croatia, England, France, Holy Roman Empire, Hungary, Ireland, Jerusalem, Naples, Navarre, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Sardinia, Scotland, Sicily, Sp ...

in the Nidarosdomen cathedral for ''Dølen''. The work deals more warm-heartedly with the ordinary people he met on his journey than with the royalty he encountered at the coronation. In 1863 he wrote ''A Norseman's View of Britain and the British'', which was translated into Norwegian ten years later. Some of Vinje's poetry is still very much alive in Norway, especially ' (English: ''At Rondane'') and ' (English: ''The Last Spring''), which Edvard Grieg set to music. Grieg set many of Vinje's poems, and in 1881 published ' (English: ''Twelve melodies to Poems of A. O. Vinje, for voice and piano''), Opus 33, which includes ''The Last Spring'' and ''At Rondane''. Dying of

stomach cancer Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a cancer that develops from the lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a number of subtypes, including gastric adenocarcinomas. Lymph ...

, Vinje decided to spend his last days in the countryside. He died as a guest of his friend, minister (later bishop)

Anton Christian Bang Anton Christian Bang (18 September 1840 in Dønna, Helgeland – 29 December 1913) was a Norwegian theologian, historian and politician for the Conservative Party of Norway. Bang was one of the more prominent figures within the Church of ...

at Gran in Hadeland on 30 July 1870 and is buried nearby in the churchyard of the Sister churches at Granavollen ('). In 1873, a large monument with a bust of Vinje by

Brynjulf Bergslien Brynjulf Larsen Bergslien (12 November 1830 – 19 September 1898) was a noted Norwegian sculptor. Background Bergslien was born in Voss in Hordaland county, Norway. He was a son of Lars Bergeson Bergslien and Kirsten Knutsdotter Gjelle. He was ...

was erected at the site. Today, there are Vinje paths in several Norwegian cities and towns, including

Stavanger Stavanger (, , American English, US usually , ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the fourth largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the a ...

Moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...

Fjellhamar Fjellhamar is a village in Akershus, Norway and is about twenty minutes driving from Oslo. Famous residents * Jarle Aambø Jarle Alex Aambø (born 26 March 1960) is a Norwegian sports official. In 2013 NRK published the claim by Adresseavisen's ...

, Corby,

Hamar Hamar is a List of cities in Norway, town in Hamar Municipality in Innlandet Counties of Norway, county, Norway. Hamar is the administrative centre of Hamar Municipality. It is located in the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Hedmarken. ...

Gjøvik is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Toten. The administrative centre of the municipality is town of Gjøvik. Some of the villages in Gjøvik include Biri, Bybrua, and Hunndalen. The ...

, Rjukan, Skien and

Mandal A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

Slogan

A 2014 Dagsavisen article said that Vinje coined the most Norwegian of slogans, "'":Sommerens heteste fjellfest
"It is so important to enjoy oneself!"

Selected works

*' (1853) *' (1861) *''A Norseman's View of Britain and the British'' (1863) *' (1864) *' (1866) *' (1867) *' (1868) *' (1869)

Memorials

* In 1918, a statue of Vinje was erected in Skien * In 1947, a bronze statue in full figure by Knut Skinnarland (1909–1993) was placed at the Vinjar community hall in Vinje, near Vinjestoga * In 1959, a memorial was raised to Vinje at Eidsbugarden where he had a private hut * In 1968 for the 150th anniversary of Vinje's birth the

Posten Norge Posten Norge () is the name of the Norwegian postal service. The company, owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications had a monopoly until 2016 on distribution of letters weighing less than 50g throughout the country. There a ...

released a stamp with a portrait of Vinje * In 1968, a statue of Vinje by

Dyre Vaa Dyre Vaa (19 January 1903 – 11 May 1980) was a Norwegian sculptor and painter. Background He was born in Kviteseid, Telemark, and later lived and worked in Rauland. He was the son of Tor Aanundsson Vaa (1864–1928) and Anne Marie Roholt ...

was erected in Sogn Student Village in

* In 1984, Vinje was depicted on Norges Bank's 50-krone note

References

Other sources

* Glienke, Bernhard (1999) ''Vinje in London'' (Frankfurt: Peter Lang in ''Metropolis und nordische Moderne'') Norwegian * Vesaas, Olav (2001) '' A.O. Vinje. Ein tankens hærmann'' (Oslo: Cappelen) Norwegian *Langslet, Lars Roar; Jon H. Rydne (1993) ''Villmann, vismann og veiviser : en essaysamling om A. O. Vinje'' (Oslo, Cappelen) Norwegian *Glomnes, Eli; Øyvind T. Gulliksen; Olav Solberg (1992) ''At føle paa nationens puls : åtte artiklar om Aasmund O. Vinje'' (Oslo, Novus) Norwegian

External links

Digitized books by Vinje
in the National Library of Norway
A. O. Vinje in Tønsberg
Norwegian {{DEFAULTSORT:Vinje, Aasmund Olavsson 1818 births 1870 deaths People from Vinje Nynorsk-language writers Norwegian essayists Norwegian travel writers Norwegian language Norwegian male poets Norwegian newspaper editors Deaths from stomach cancer 19th-century journalists Male journalists 19th-century Norwegian poets Male essayists 19th-century Norwegian male writers 19th-century essayists