Amalie Skram
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Amalie Skram (22 August 1846 – 15 March 1905) was a Norwegian author and feminist who gave voice to a woman's point of view with her naturalist writing. In Norway, she is frequently considered the most important female writer of the
Modern Breakthrough The Modern Breakthrough ( no, Det moderne gjennombrudd, da, Det moderne gennembrud, sv, Det moderna genombrottet) is the common name of the strong movement of naturalism and debating literature of Scandinavia which replaced romanticism near the ...
(''Det moderne gjennombrudd''). Her more notable works include a
tetralogy A tetralogy (from Greek τετρα- '' tetra-'', "four" and -λογία ''-logia'', "discourse") is a compound work that is made up of four distinct works. The name comes from the Attic theater, in which a tetralogy was a group of three tragedie ...
, ''Hellemyrsfolket'' (1887–98) which portray relations within a family over four generations.


Biography


Early life

Berthe Amalie Alver was born in Bergen, Norway. Her parents were Mons Monsen Alver (1819–98) and Ingeborg Lovise Sivertsen (1821–1907). She was the only daughter in a family of five children. Her parents operated a small business, which went bankrupt when Amalie was 17 years old. Her father emigrated from Norway to the United States to avoid a term of imprisonment. Her mother was left with five children to care for. Her mother pressured Amalie into a marriage with an older man, Bernt Ulrik August Müller (1837–1898), a ship captain and later mill owner. Following thirteen years of marriage and the birth of two sons she suffered a nervous breakdown, in part attributed to his infidelity. After several years in a mental hospital, she was divorced from Müller. Together with her two sons, Jacob Müller (born 1866) and
Ludvig Müller Ludvig Müller (29 February 1868 – 1 October 1922) was a Norwegian actor and theatre director. Although he started in his hometown Bergen as a local businessman in 1884 having his own business in operation from 1892, Ludvig made his stage debut ...
(born 1868), she moved to Kristiania (now
Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population ...
) and began her literary activities. There she met the
bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...
community, including writers
Arne Garborg Arne Garborg (born Aadne Eivindsson Garborg) (25 January 1851 – 14 January 1924) was a Norwegian writer. Garborg championed the use of Landsmål (now known as Nynorsk, or New Norwegian), as a literary language; he translated the Odyssey into ...
and
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 ...
, with whom she remained in contact for many years.


Denmark

In 1884 Amalie Müller married again, this time the Danish writer Asbjørn Oluf Erik Skram (1847–1923), a son of railroad director
Gustav Skram Johan Christian Gustav Skram (13 July 1802 – 7 April 1865) was a Danish railroad director. He was the father of danish writer Erik Skram, the second husband of Norwegian writer Amalie Skram. Career Skram was the first managing director of the Ra ...
. She moved to
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
, Denmark with her new husband. They had a daughter, Ida Johanne Skram (born 1889), from this union. Her obligations as housewife, mother and author as well as the public's limited acceptance for her then-radical work, led to a further breakdown in 1894, after which Amalie lived in a psychiatric hospital near
Roskilde Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 51,916 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...
. In 1900 her second marriage was dissolved. She died six years later in Copenhagen and was buried at
Bispebjerg Cemetery Bispebjerg Cemetery ( Danish: Bispebjerg Kirkegård), established in 1903 on the moderately graded north slope of Bispebjerg Hill, is the newest of five municipal cemeteries in Copenhagen, Denmark. The main entrance to the cemetery is located nex ...
.


Literary career

In 1882 Amalie Skram debuted (as Amalie Müller) with the short story " Madam Høiers leiefolk", published in the magazine ''
Nyt Tidsskrift ''Nyt Tidsskrift'' is a former Norwegian literary, cultural and political periodical issued from 1882 to 1887, and with a second series from 1892 to 1895. The periodical had contributions from several of the leading intellectuals of the time, includ ...
''. An excerpt from her first novel, '' Constance Ring'', was first published in the magazine ''
Tilskueren ''Tilskueren'' (Danish: ''The Spectator'') was a monthly cultural and literary magazine published in Copenhagen, Denmark, between 1884 and 1939. It was continuation of another magazine, ''Det nittende Aarhundrede'' (Danish: ''the Nineteenth Cent ...
'' in 1885. Her works continued until her death. She dealt with topics she knew well. Her work can be divided into three categories: *Novels concerning marriage, which explored taboo topics such as female sexuality, and the subservient status of women in that period. These works were perceived by many as overly provocative and resulted in open hostility from some segments of society. *Multi-generation novels, which dealt with the fate of a family over several generations. With these she explored the social institutions and conditions of the time and campaigned for change. *Mental hospital works such as ''Professor Hieronimus'' and ''Paa St. Jørgen'', which dealt with the primitive and brutal conditions of such institutions of the period. Her novels created a major stir in Denmark and precipitated improvements in these institutions. She is recognized as an early and strong proponent of what has come to be known as the
women's movement The feminist movement (also known as the women's movement, or feminism) refers to a series of social movements and political campaigns for radical and liberal reforms on women's issues created by the inequality between men and women. Such is ...
, setting the early European trend. Her works, which had been generally forgotten with her death, were rediscovered and received strong recognition in the 1960s. Several of her works are currently available in recent translations to English.


Legacy

The Amalie Skram prize is a travel stipend that has been awarded annually since 1994 to Norwegian authors who show exceptional skill in addressing women's issues. The street Amalie Skrams Allé in the
Valby Valby () is one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is in the southwestern corner of Copenhagen Municipality, and has a mixture of different types of housing. This includes apartment blocks, terraced housing, areas with single ...
district of Copenhagen is named after her. A statue of Skram by
Maja Refsum Maja Refsum (23 September 1897 – 11 January 1986) was a Norwegian sculptor and teacher. She grew up in Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway. She was the daughter of Harald Refsum (1866-1950) and Hanna Ovidia Yssen (1863-1944). She was the aunt of ...
(1897–1986) was unveiled at Convent Garden (''Klosterhaugen'') in Bergen 1949. A bronze bust by
Per Ung Per Ung (5 June 1933 – 20 June 2013) was a Norwegian sculptor and graphic artist. Biography Ung was born in Oslo, Norway. He was the son of Per Ohlsen (1907–85) and Randi Tangen (1905-89). He was schooled in the conservative sculptural ...
was installed in
Bispebjerg Cemetery Bispebjerg Cemetery ( Danish: Bispebjerg Kirkegård), established in 1903 on the moderately graded north slope of Bispebjerg Hill, is the newest of five municipal cemeteries in Copenhagen, Denmark. The main entrance to the cemetery is located nex ...
in Copenhagen in 1996. A marble bust by
Ambrosia Tønnesen Ambrosia Tønnesen (28 January 1859 – 21 January 1948) was a Norwegian sculptor. She is regarded as the first professional female sculptor in Norway, and is best known for her many portraits, including statues, busts, and reliefs. Personal ...
(1859–1948) is in
Bergen Public Library Bergen Public Library ( no, Bergen Offentlige Bibliotek) is a library building and public library institution in Bergen, Norway. Founded in 1872, it is the second largest public library in Norway. In addition to the main building in Bergen's city ...
. She was also honored with a Norwegian postage stamp in 1996.
Amalie Skram Upper Secondary School Amalie may refer to: People * Amalie (given name), a female given name, derived from Amalia Places * Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands, capital of the territory * Amalie Arena, a hockey stadium in Tampa, Florida Businesses * Amalie Oil Com ...
is named after the author.


Works

*'' Madam Høiers leiefolk'' (Madam Høier's Lodgers), 1882. *'' Constance Ring'', 1885. English translation by Katherine Hanson and Judith Messick (1988), .
''Karens Jul''
1885.
''Lucie''
1888. English translation by Katherine Hanson and Judith Messick (2001), .
''Fru Inés''
1891. English translation by Judith Messick and Katherine Hanson (2014).
''Forraadt''
(Betrayed), 1892. Translated into English by Aileen Hennes and published by Pandora Press, Routledge & Kegan Paul (1986); and by Katherine Hanson and Judith Messick (2018). *Hellemyrsfolket (The People of Hellemyr), a
tetralogy A tetralogy (from Greek τετρα- '' tetra-'', "four" and -λογία ''-logia'', "discourse") is a compound work that is made up of four distinct works. The name comes from the Attic theater, in which a tetralogy was a group of three tragedie ...
of the following four works:
''Sjur Gabriel''
1887. **''To venner'' (Two Friends), 1888. **''S.G. Myre'', 1890.
''Afkom''
1898.
''Børnefortellinger''
short stories, 1890.
''Kjærlighed i Nord og Syd''
(Love in the North and South), short stories, 1891. *'' Agnete'', play, 1893.
''Professor Hieronimus''
1895. Translated (with ''Paa St. Jørgen'') into English by Katherine Hanson and Judith Messick as ''Under Observation'' (1992).

(At St. Jørgen), 1895. Translated (with ''Professor Hieronimus'') into English by Katherine Hanson and Judith Messick as ''Under Observation'' (1992).
''Mellom Slagene''
(Between Conflicts), letters, 1895.
''Sommer''
(Summer), short stories, 1899.
''Julehelg''
(Christmas Season), novel, 1900.
''Mennesker''
(People), 1905 (unfinished).


References


Other sources

*Engelstad, Irene; Køltzow, Liv; Staalesen, Gunnar (1996
''Amalie Skrams Verden''
(Oslo: Gyldendal) * Køltzow, Liv (1992
unge Amalie Skram : et portrett fra det nittende århundre''
(Oslo : Gyldendal norsk forlag) *Engelstad, Irene (1978
''Amalie Skram : kjærlighet og kvinneundertrykking''
(Oslo: Pax)


External links


Digitized books and manuscripts by Skram
in the
National Library of Norway The National Library of Norway ( no, Nasjonalbiblioteket) was established in 1989. Its principal task is "to preserve the past for the future". The library is located both in Oslo and in Mo i Rana. The building in Oslo was restored and reopened ...

About her life and works Material from the University in Tromsø
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Skram, Amalie 1846 births 1905 deaths Writers from Oslo Norwegian feminists Norwegian women novelists 19th-century Norwegian writers 19th-century Norwegian novelists 19th-century Norwegian women writers Norwegian emigrants to Denmark