Hulda Garborg

Hulda Garborg (n̩e Bergersen, 22 February 1862 Р5 November 1934) was a Norwegian writer, novelist, playwright, poet, folk dancer, and theatre instructor. She was married to Arne Garborg, and is today perhaps best known for kindling interest in the bunad tradition.

Personal life

Karen Hulda Bergersen was born on the farm SÃ¥stad in Stange, Hedmark, to the lawyer Christian Frederik Bergersen (1829–1873) and his wife Marie Petrine Olsen (1835–1888). She had two elder sisters, Martha and Sophie. Her parents divorced when Hulda was two years old, and she moved to Hamar with her mother. The family later moved to Kristiania, when Hulda was twelve years old, and from she was seventeen she started working in a store, helping feed the family. During this period she was a central person among the radical youth in Kristiania. In 1887 she married writer Arne Garborg.

The couple moved to Tynset in Østerdalen, where they lived for nine years in a small cabin at the small farm "Kolbotnen", near the lake Savalen. She gave birth to a child, Arne, also called Tuften, in 1888. During the period at Kolbotn, the family often visited Kristiania, they stayed longer periods in Dießen am Ammersee, Fürstenfeldbruck and Berlin in Germany, and also lived one winter in Paris. In 1896 they left Tynset and moved to Stokke. In 1897 they moved to Labraaten in Hvalstad, which became their home for the rest of their lives. Arne Garborg later built a summer residence, ''Knudaheio'', in Time. Arne and Hulda were both buried at ''Knudaheio''.

Cultural work

Garborg was a pioneer in areas as theatre and folk dance, cooking, bunad tradition and women's rights.

She published articles about traditional cooking in the Nynorsk newspaper ''Den 17de Mai'', and these articles were later published in the book ''Heimestell'' (1899).

She wrote the play ''Mødre'' (1895, performed at the Christiania Theatre), and the comedies ''Rationelt Fjøsstell'' (1896, performed both at the ''Christiania Theatre'' and in Bergen), ''Hos Lindelands'' (1899) and ''Noahs Ark'' (1899), and the dramas ''Sovande sorg'' (1900), ''Liti Kersti'' (1903), ''Edderkoppen'' (1904, anonymously; played at Nationaltheatret), ''Sigmund Bresteson'' (1908), ''Under Bodhitræet'' (1911) and ''Den store Freden'' (1919; issued in USA as ''Hiawatha's Vision'', 1927). She founded ''Det norske spellaget'' in 1899, with its first performance in ''Eldorado Teater'', and was co-founder of Det Norske Teatret. She edited the song book ''Norske folkevisor'' in 1903, and issued the book ''Song-Dansen i Nord-Landi'', also in 1903, and ''Norske dansevisur'' (1913). She wrote the book ''Norsk klædebunad'' (1903), on the bunad tradition.

She participated in the contemporary debates both as a speaker and article writer. She wrote a series of articles in magazines and newspapers, such as ''Syn og Segn'', ''Edda'', ''Samtiden'', ''Den 17de Mai'', ''Dagbladet'' and ''Verdens Gang''. The books ''Kvinden skabt af Manden'' (Woman created by Man, 1904) and ''Fru Evas Dagbog'' (1905) were contribution to the debate on women's rights.

Her first novel, ''Et frit forhold'', was issued anonymously in 1892. Her novel ''Eli'' (1912) was translated into Dutch in 1915, and into Swedish in 1916. Other novels were ''Mot Solen'' (1915), ''Gaaden. Efter Præstedatteren Else Marie Lindes Optegnelser'' (1916), ''Mens dansen gaar'' (1920), ''I huldreskog'' (1922), ''Naar heggen blomstrer'' (1923), ''Grågubben'' (1925), ''Trollheimen'' (1927), ''Helenes historie'' (1929) and ''Hildring'' (1931). She issued the poetry collections ''Kornmoe'' (1930) and ''Symra'' (1934).

She edited the diaries of her husband Arne Garborg, which were issued after his death. Selected parts from her own diaries were issued in 1962 as ''Dagbok 1903–1914''.

Hulda Garborg also participated in politics, and represented the Liberal Left Party in Asker municipal council. She was appointed Knight, First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav in 1932.

References

Biography

*Tor Obrestad, ''Hulda'' (1992)

External links

*
Hulda Garborg
* (Norwegian
Garborgsenteret

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garborg, Hulda
1862 births
1934 deaths
People from Stange
People from Hamar
Free-minded Liberal Party politicians
20th-century Norwegian politicians
Norwegian women dramatists and playwrights
Norwegian female dancers
Asker politicians
Folk dancers
19th-century dancers
19th-century Norwegian dramatists and playwrights
19th-century Norwegian women writers
Norwegian Association for Women's Rights people