Ole Amundsen Buslett (May 28, 1855 – June 5, 1924) was a Norwegian-born American author, newspaperman, and politician.

Background

Ole Amundsen Buslett was born in

Gausdal Gausdal is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Segalstad bru. Other villages in Gausdal include Follebu, Forse ...

Oppland Oppland is a former county in Norway which existed from 1781 until its dissolution on 1 January 2020. The old Oppland county bordered the counties of Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The co ...

, Norway. Buslett was the oldest of eight children born to Amund Halvorsen Buslett and Netta (Kalstad) Ringsrud. He migrated to the United States with his family in 1868 and settled in the town of Iola, in

Waupaca County, Wisconsin Waupaca County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 51,812. The county seat is Waupaca. The county was created in 1851 and organized in 1853. It is named after the Waupaca River, a Menominee la ...

Career

In 1888, Buslett opened a country store and post office in Northland, Wisconsin. He served as postmaster, justice of the peace, and town clerk. In 1893, he became editor and part owner of ''Varden'' then later served as editor of ''Folkevennen''. Both publications were Norwegian-language newspapers published in

La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population as of the 2020 census w ...

. In August 1894, he became editor of ''Normannen'' in

Stoughton, Wisconsin Stoughton is a city in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. It straddles the Yahara River about 20 miles southeast of the state capital, Madison. Stoughton is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the populati ...

. In March 1896, the publication was sold to Chicago-based ''Amerika''. He held political offices in Waupaca County and was a member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

from 1909 until 1910. Buslett wrote in

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

. His writings included novels, stories, poems, and plays. His works primarily portrayed the lives of Norwegian immigrants in Wisconsin. He also wrote a history of the 15th Wisconsin Volunteer Regiment. ''Det Femtende Regiment Wisconsin Frivillige'' was published in 1894. It was translated into English and published as ''The Fifteenth Wisconsin'' in 1999. He died at his home in Northland on June 5, 1924.

Selected works

*''Fram'' (1882) *''Leilighets digte'' (1882) *''Skaars skjæbne'' (1882) *''Øistein og Nora'' (1884) *''De to veivisere, et dramatisk digt i seks handlinger'' (1885) *''Snip-Snap-Snude'' (1889) *''Et dødens døgn, sørgespill'' (1890) *''Rolf Hagen'' ( 1893) *''Torstein i nybygden'' (1897) *''Sagastolen, fortælling fra det norske Amerika'' (1908) *''I Parnassets lunde'' (1911) *''Amerika-Paul'' (1913) *''Veien til Golden Gate'' (1915) *''Benediktus og Jacobus'' (1920)

References

Primary sources

*Øverland, Orm ''The Western Home : A Literary History of Norwegian America'' (Chapter 10, Ole Amundsen Buslett, Romantic Idealist. Norwegian American Historic Association. 1996) * Hustvedt, Lloyd ''Ole Amundsen Buslett, 1855-1924'' (from "Makers of an American Immigrant Legacy: Essays in Honor of Kenneth O. Bjork",

Odd S. Lovoll Odd Sverre Lovoll (born October 6, 1934) is a Norwegian-American author, historian and educator. Background Odd Sverre Lovoll was born in Sande, in Møre og Romsdal, Norway. He immigrated to the United States in 1946 and is a naturalized United S ...

, editor, Norwegian-American Historical Association, 2001)

External links

Portrait of Ole Amundsen BuslettThe Road to the Golden Gate by Hustvedt, LloydVeien til Golden Gate Jul i Vesterheimen (Minneapolis, 1913)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buslett, Ole Amundsen 1855 births 1924 deaths People from Gausdal Norwegian emigrants to the United States Wisconsin state court judges Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Novelists from Wisconsin 19th-century American novelists People from Iola, Wisconsin 20th-century American novelists American male novelists 19th-century American male writers 20th-century American male writers