Lars Kornelius Edvard Berg (16 May 1901 – 11 January 1969) was a Norwegian teacher,

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

writer and

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

. He was born at Kvaløya as the son of fisherman and farmer Emil Larsen Berg and Olufine Johansen, and grew up at a small farm. From 1947 he was married to Aud Norvåg. He died at Kvaløya in January 1969. He graduated from the teacher's college in

Tromsø Tromsø (, , ; se, Romsa ; fkv, Tromssa; sv, Tromsö) is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Tromsø (city), city of Tromsø. Tromsø lies ...

in 1922, and worked as a teacher in Bø i Vesterålen from 1922 to 1923,

Ørsta is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Møre og Romsdal Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre Districts of Norway, region of Western Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Ørsta ( ...

from 1923 to 1924 and

Hillesøy Hillesøy is a former municipality in the old Troms county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1855 until its dissolution in 1964. It was located on both sides of the Malangen fjord in what is now the present-day municipalities of Tromsø a ...

from 1924 to 1934. He later worked as a headmaster in

Tromsøysund Tromsøysund is a former municipality in Troms county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. The municipality encompassed most of what is now Tromsø Municipality including areas on the island of Kvaløya ...

from 1940 to 1967. He made his literary debut in 1934 with the novel ''Men det var det ingen som visste'', and followed up with ''Du er den første kvinne'' in 1935. Berg was influenced by ideas from Freud's

psychoanalysis PsychoanalysisFrom Greek: + . is a set of theories and therapeutic techniques"What is psychoanalysis? Of course, one is supposed to answer that it is many things — a theory, a research method, a therapy, a body of knowledge. In what might b ...

. His candid treatment of sexuality-related problems in the first two novels led to strong reactions and initiated a spirited cultural debate in the late 1930s. His next two novels were ''Du skal svare'' (1936) and ''Fire søsken går ut'' (1937). In the late 1930s he also published a number of short stories in the periodical ''

Arbeidermagasinet ''Arbeidermagasinet'' was a Norwegian language, Norwegian weekly literary magazine established in 1927. It changed its name to ''Magasinet For Alle'' in 1953, and ceased publication in 1970. The magazine is especially noted for its literary quali ...

''. During the

occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until the ...

Berg was a member of the

resistance movement A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objective ...

in Troms. He was arrested in 1942 and incarcerated at the

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 Söderma ...

. Among his post war novels are ''Kvinna og havet'' from 1950, ''Vi må ro i natt'' from 1951, and ''Den lange vegen'' from 1967. He was an advocate for theatre in Northern Norway for many years, and is given credit for the establishing of

Hålogaland Teater Hålogaland Teater is a regional theatre serving the region of Nord-Norge, the northernmost of Norway. It got its name after the northernmost county in Norway in the Middle Ages Hålogaland. When established in 1971, it was the first regional the ...

(after his death). His first play was ''Maria'', about a rehabilitation center for young girls off the straight path. The play was staged at

Det Norske Teatret Det Norske Teatret ( en, Norwegian Theater)Moe, Jens. 2011. ''My America: The Culture of Giving''. Bloomington, IN: iUniverse, p. 133. is a theatre in Oslo. The theatre was founded in 1912, after an initiative from Hulda Garborg and Edvard Drabl� ...

in April 1959, directed by

Dagmar Myhrvold Dagmar Myhrvold (April 19, 1898 – April 21, 1972) was a Norwegian actress. After attending Sofie Bernhoft's school, Myhrvold spent a year studying theater in Copenhagen. In 1916 she was able to make her debut as a participant in Edvard Drablø ...

, with

Elisabeth Bang Elisabeth Bang (26 September 1922 – 28 September 2009) was a Norwegian actress. She was born in Skedsmo in Akershus, Norway. During World War II, she made her stage debut at Bærum Studiescene where she also met her future husband actor Pål ...

as "Maria", the headmistress, and

Liv Thorsen Liv Thorsen (31 May 1935 – 21 December 2021) was a Norwegian actress, best known for her role as Elna in the Norwegian situation comedy '' Mot i brøstet''. Thorsen died on 21 December 2021, at the age of 86. The play was also adapted into an audio play for

Radioteatret Radioteatret is a department of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation which produces audio plays for radio broadcasting. It was established in 1927. In January 2021, ''Verdens Gang'' cited a report from NTB, saying that Radioteatret ow isbeing ...

. His play ''Petter Dass'' was later performed at

. Berg was awarded

Mads Wiel Nygaards Endowment Mads Wiel Nygaard's Endowment is an annually awarded literary prize from the publishing house Aschehoug. The prize is a recognition of superior literary work. The publisher's editorial management makes the award based on their collective judgement ...

in 1968 (shared with

Kjell Heggelund Kjell Heggelund (16 December 1932 – 8 February 2017) was a Norwegian literary researcher, lecturer, editor, manager, poet, translator and literary critic. Personal life Heggelund was born in Hamar. His parents were Kristian Heggelund and Ka ...

References

External links

Family genealogy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berg, Lars People from Tromsø Norwegian resistance members Grini concentration camp survivors 1901 births 1969 deaths 20th-century Norwegian novelists 20th-century Norwegian dramatists and playwrights Norwegian male dramatists and playwrights Norwegian male novelists