Alexander Lange Kielland (; 18 February 1849 – 6 April 1906) was a Norwegian realistic writer of the 19th century. He is one of the so-called "

The Four Greats Four Greats may refer to: *The Four Greats (Norwegian writers), four of the most influential Norwegian writers of the late 19th century * Four greats of Chilean poetry, four of the most important poets of Chilean literature *The four greats of the ...

" of

Norwegian literature Norwegian literature is literature composed in Norway or by Norwegian people. The history of Norwegian literature starts with the pagan Eddaic poems and skaldic verse of the 9th and 10th centuries with poets such as Bragi Boddason and Eyvindr ...

, along with

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 ...

Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson Bjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson ( , ; 8 December 1832 – 26 April 1910) was a Norwegian writer who received the 1903 Nobel Prize in Literature "as a tribute to his noble, magnificent and versatile poetry, which has always been distinguished ...

and Jonas Lie.

Background

Born in

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 ...

, Norway, he grew up in a rich merchant family. He was the son of consul

Jens Zetlitz Kielland Jens Zetlitz Kielland (Jan 05, 1816–Jan 07, 1881) was a Norwegian consul and artist. He is known as the father of novelist Alexander Kielland. Family Jens Kielland was a member of the prominent family of Kielland. He was born in Stavanger to ...

and great-grandson of

Gabriel Schanche Kielland Gabriel Schanche Kielland (4 March 1760 – 5 March 1821) was a businessman and ship owner in the city of Stavanger in Norway. In 1790 he took control of the family business ''Jacob Kielland & Søn'' and soon became one of the wealthiest and mos ...

(1760–1821). Kielland was the younger brother of Norwegian landscape painter

Kitty Lange Kielland Kitty Lange Kielland (8 October 1843 – 1 October 1914) was a Norwegian landscape painter. Early life and training Kielland was born to an affluent family in Stavanger, the older sister of Alexander Kielland. Kielland's interactions with her b ...

. His family also included his son, Jens Zetlitz Kielland, (1873–1926); uncle

Jacob Otto Lange Jacob Otto Lange (12 November 1833 – 26 May 1902) was a Norwegian politician. He was born in Stavanger, Norway. He worked for the Kongsberg Silver Mines and served as mayor of Kongsberg 1875–1876. He was a member of the Norwegian Parliament ...

(1833–1902), cousin Axel Christian Zetlitz Kielland (1853–1924), nephew

Jens Zetlitz Monrad Kielland Jens Zetlitz Monrad Kielland ( – ) was a Norwegian architect, professor and author. Personal life Jens Kielland was a member of the prominent Kielland family. He was born in Stavanger to parish priest and politician Jacob Kielland (1841� ...

(1866–1926), cousin

Anders Lange Anders Sigurd Lange (5 September 1904 – 18 October 1974) was a Norway, Norwegian political organiser, speaker and editor who led his eponymously named political party Anders Lange's Party for a Strong Reduction in Taxes, Duties and Public In ...

(1904–1974) and great nephew

Jacob Christie Kielland Jacob Christie Kielland (20 January 1897 – 19 October 1972) was a Norwegian architect. Personal life He was born in Bergen to architect Jens Zetlitz Monrad Kielland (1866–1926) and his wife Anna Magdalena Katherine (1871–1948), née Christi ...

(1897–1972). His great niece Axeliane Christiane Zetlitz Kielland (1916–1995) married

Agnar Mykle Agnar Mykle (8 August 1915 – 15 January 1994) was a Norwegian author. He became one of the most controversial figures in Norwegian literature in the 20th century. Early life Born in Norway's third largest city, Trondheim, Mykle was often ...

(1915–1994).

Career

Despite being born wealthy, he had a sincere affection for the less fortunate, treating his workers well when he was a factory owner. He remained a spokesman for the weak and a critic of society throughout his time as a writer. His best known plays were the satirical comedies ''Tre Par'' (1886) and ''Professoren'' (1888). He was also well known for his short stories. Among his most famous works are the novels ''

Gift A gift or a present is an item given to someone without the expectation of payment or anything in return. An item is not a gift if that item is already owned by the one to whom it is given. Although gift-giving might involve an expectation ...

'' (1883), ''Skipper Worse'' (1882) and ''Garman & Worse'' (1880). ''Gift'' (published in English as ''Poison '') is the first of a trilogy including ''Fortuna'' (1884) and ''St. Hans Fest'' (1887). In this trilogy, Kielland satirizes the hypocrisy of Norway's clergy. In ''Gift'', Kielland debates the preference for

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

that Norwegian teachers had during his time. The story features a young boy called Marius, lying on his deathbed while repeating Latin grammar. From 1889 to 1890, Kielland worked as a journalist for the newspaper '' Stavanger Avis''. Kielland virtually stopped writing fiction in 1891 and published only stories which had been published earlier. In 1891 he was designated the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of his hometown,

, until 1902 when he relocated to Molde as county governor of the land

Møre og Romsdal Møre og Romsdal (; en, Møre and Romsdal) is a county in the northernmost part of Western Norway. It borders the counties of Trøndelag, Innlandet, and Vestland. The county administration is located in the town of Molde, while Ålesund is the ...

. It has been debated why Kielland ended his career as a writer so early. Some believe that he was so much of a realist that he could not deal with the neo-romantic tendencies of Norwegian literature at the end of the 19th century. A more probable reason is that he chose to focus on his political career. The biography of Alexander L. Kielland by

Tor Obrestad Tor Obrestad (12 February 1938 – 25 January 2020) was a Norwegian novelist, poet and documentary writer. Early and personal life Obrestad was born in Hå on 12 February 1938. His parents were farmer Jon R. Obrestad and Sophie Riise. He studie ...

includes thoughts about Kielland dying from obesity. Already from the mid-1880s, Kielland had suffered from shortness of breath. He had several heart attacks, constantly gained weight, and couldn't control his great passion for food.

Publications

Short stories

* ''Novelletter'', 1879 * ''Nye novelletter'', 1880 * ''To Novelletter fra Danmark'', 1882

Novels

* ''Garman & Worse'', 1880 - * ''Arbeidsfolk'', 1881 * ''Else'', 1881 * ''Skipper Worse'', 1882. * ''Gift'', 1883 * ''Fortuna'', 1884 * ''Sne'', 1886 * ''Sankt Hans Fest'', 1887 * ''Jacob'', 1891

Plays

* ''Paa Hjemvejen'', 1878 * ''Hans Majestæts Foged'', 1880 * ''Det hele er Ingenting'', 1880 * ''Tre par'', 1886 * ''Bettys Formynder'', 1887 * ''Professoren'', 1888

Essays

* ''Forsvarssagen'', 1890 * ''Menneker og Dyr'', 1891 * ''Omkring Napoleon'', 1905 English translation 1907: ''Napoleon's Men and Methods''

References

External links

Digitized books and manuscripts by Kielland
in the

National Library of Norway The National Library of Norway ( no, Nasjonalbiblioteket) was established in 1989. Its principal task is "to preserve the past for the future". The library is located both in Oslo and in Mo i Rana. The building in Oslo was restored and reopened i ...

* * *
An English audiobook of story by Alexander Kielland from historyradio.org on youtube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kielland, Alexander 1849 births 1906 deaths 19th-century Norwegian novelists Norwegian male short story writers Norwegian essayists Norwegian newspaper editors County governors of Norway People from Stavanger 19th-century Norwegian people The Four Greats 19th-century Norwegian dramatists and playwrights 19th-century Norwegian short story writers 19th-century essayists Norwegian Association for Women's Rights people Norwegian male dramatists and playwrights