''Synnøve Solbakken'' is a Norwegian peasant novel by

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 distinguishe ...

published in 1857. The story was first published in the newspaper '' Illustreret Folkeblad'' in 1857, and it was then issued in book form by Johan Fjeldsted Dahl that same year.

Summary

The main characters are Torbjørn Granlien and Synnøve Solbakken. Torbjørn lives at the Granlien farm, which is in the shade, and Synnøve Solbakken lives at the Solbakken farm, where there is always sunshine. In the Granlien family, the eldest sons in each generation are always named Torbjørn and Sæmund, in alternation. It always goes well for those named Sæmund and badly for those named Torbjørn. Torbjørn's father, Sæmund, tries to stifle Torbjørn's wild nature by being strict and having Torbjørn do hard physical work. The book is about Torbjørn's struggle to win Synnøve Solbakken, his journey from the shadow side to the sunny side. Synnøve is also in love with Torbjørn, but her parents, especially her mother, do not think that Torbjørn is good enough for her. Finally, Torbjørn proves that he has changed by forgiving a man that stabbed him, almost killing him. The story ends with Torbjørn finally at the Solbakken farm, looking back at the Granlien farm.

Film adaptations

The novel has been adapted for film four times: * 1919: '' Synnöve Solbakken'' (Sweden, directed by John W. Brunius) * 1934: '' Synnöve Solbakken'' (Sweden, directed by

Tancred Ibsen Tancred Ibsen (11 July 1893 – 4 December 1978) was a Norwegian military officer, aviator, film director and screenwriter. Background Ibsen was the son of Sigurd Ibsen and Bergljot Bjørnson. He was the grandson of both Henrik Ibsen and No ...

) * 1934: ''Synnøve Solbakken'' (Norway, directed by Tancred Ibsen) * 1957: '' Synnöve Solbakken'' (Sweden, directed by Gunnar Hellström)

References

External links

''Synnøve Solbakken''
at Wikikilden * 19th-century Norwegian novels 1857 novels {{Norway-stub