Didrik Arup Seip (31 August 1884 – 3 May 1963) was a professor of North Germanic languages at the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

. He earned his doctorate (

dr.philos. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

) in 1916 and was appointed professor the same year, retiring in 1954. Together with Herman Jæger, he edited and published the collected works of

Henrik Wergeland Henrik Arnold Thaulow Wergeland (17 June 1808 – 12 July 1845) was a Norwegian writer, most celebrated for his poetry but also a prolific playwright, polemicist, historian, and linguist. He is often described as a leading pioneer in the develop ...

in 23 volumes (''Samlede Skrifter : trykt og utrykt'', 1918–1940). From 1937 until 1945, he served as the

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of the university. Seip was a member of the

Administrative Council Administrative Council () was a part of Council of State of the Congress Poland. Introduced by the Constitution of the Kingdom of Poland in 1815, it was composed of 5 ministers, special nominees of the King and the Namestnik of the Kingdom of Polan ...

, the temporary civil government of Norway during German military occupation, in 1940. He was removed from his post as rector of the university in 1941. He was interned by the Nazis at

Grini concentration camp '', '' no, Grini fangeleir'', location=Bærum, Viken, Norway, location map=Viken#Norway, built by=Norway, original use=Constructed as a women's prison, operated by=Nazi Germany, notable inmates= List of Grini prisoners, liberated by= Harry Söder ...

, and was later transferred to Sachsenhausen, but was released in 1943 as a direct result of the efforts made by the Swedish explorer

Sven Hedin Sven Anders Hedin, KNO1kl RVO,Wennerholm, Eric (1978) ''Sven Hedin – En biografi'', Bonniers, Stockholm (19 February 1865 – 26 November 1952) was a Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrat ...

, using Hedin's relations with many high-ranking German Nazi officials, including

Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...

. He wrote about his life during the war in his 1946 book: At home and in enemy country. Even while being held prisoner, Seip carried out official university ceremonies, including the immatriculation of some students who also were imprisoned in Germany during the war. He was an honorary doctor at the University of Hamburg (1938) and at Sorbonne (1945). He obtained the Norwegian

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav I ...

(1945). He was also an editorial committee member of ''

Norsk biografisk leksikon is the largest Norwegian biographical encyclopedia. The first edition (NBL1) was issued between 1921 and 1983, including 19 volumes and 5,100 articles. It was published by Aschehoug with economic support from the state. bought the rights to ...

''. He was the grandfather of professor of pediatrics

Ola Didrik Saugstad Ola Didrik Saugstad (born 5 March 1947) is a Norwegian pediatrician, neonatologist and neuroscientist noted for his research on resuscitation of newborn children and his contribution to reduce child mortality. He is a Research Professor at Oslo ...

Bibliography

Tuneld, John (1981): ''Didrik Arup Seip: en bibliografi'' Det Norske Samlaget.

References

Linguists from Norway University of Oslo faculty Rectors of the University of Oslo Didrik Arup 1884 births 1963 deaths Grini concentration camp survivors Sachsenhausen concentration camp survivors Norwegian people imprisoned abroad World War II civilian prisoners 20th-century linguists {{Norway-academic-bio-stub