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 distinguished by both the freshness of its inspiration and the rare purity of its spirit". The first Norwegian Nobel laureate, he was a prolific polemicist and extremely influential in Norwegian public life and Scandinavian cultural debate. Bjørnson is considered to be one of the four great Norwegian writers, alongside

Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...

, Lie, and Kielland. He is also celebrated for his lyrics to the Norwegian national anthem, "

Ja, vi elsker dette landet "" (; ) is the national anthem of Norway. Originally a patriotic song, it became commonly regarded as the ''de facto'' national anthem of Norway in the early 20th century after being used alongside "" since the 1860s. It was officially adopted in ...

". The composer

Fredrikke Waaler Fredrikke Amalie Holtemann Rynning Waaler (7 May 1865 – 2 February 1952) was a Norwegian composer, violinist, and proponent for women's rights. Waaler was born in Eidsvoll to Paul Emil Rynning and Anne Margrethe Holtermann. She married physici ...

based a composition for voice and piano () on a text by Bjørnson, as did Anna Teichmüller ().

Childhood and education

Bjørnson was born at the farmstead of Bjørgan in Kvikne, a secluded village in the

Østerdalen Østerdalen () is a valley and Districts of Norway, traditional district in Innlandet county, in Eastern Norway. This area typically is described as the large Glåma river valley as well as all its tributary valleys. Østerdalen is often subdivide ...

district, some south of

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...

. In 1837, Bjørnson's father Peder Bjørnson, who was the

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

of Kvikne Municipality, was transferred to the parish of

Nesset Municipality Nesset is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2020. The area is now part of Molde Municipality in the traditional district of Romsdal. The administrative centre ...

, outside

Molde Molde () is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town and the seat of Molde Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Romsdal. It is located on the Romsdal Pen ...

Romsdal Romsdal is a Districts of Norway, traditional district in the Norwegian county Møre og Romsdal, located between Nordmøre and Sunnmøre. The district of Romsdal traditional comprises the areas that are part of Aukra Municipality, Molde Municipal ...

. It was in this scenic district that Bjørnson spent his childhood, living at the Nesset Parsonage. After a few years studying in the neighbouring city Molde, Bjørnson was sent at the age of 17 to () in Christiania to prepare for university. This was the same school that trained

, Lie, and

Vinje Vinje is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Vest-Telemark which is part of Øvre Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Åmot. Other villages in the muni ...

. Bjørnson had realized that he wanted to pursue his talent for poetry (he had written verses since age eleven). He matriculated at the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo (; ) is a public university, public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation#Europe, oldest university in Norway. Originally named the Royal Frederick Univ ...

in 1852, soon embarking upon a career as a journalist, focusing on criticism of drama.

Early production

In 1857, Bjørnson published '' Synnøve Solbakken'', the first of his peasant novels. In 1858, this was followed by '' Arne'', in 1860 by '' En glad Gut'' (A Happy Boy), and in 1868 by ' (The Fisher Girl). These are the most important specimens of his or peasant tales.. A biographical essay, 1910, by William Morton Payne, a translator of various works by Bjørnson. At least seven Danish composers wrote music based on ''Arne'': Morten Eskesen, C. J. Frydensberg, Peter Heise, Anton Nielsen, Oluf Ring, Henrik Rung, and Sigrid Henriette Wienecke. Bjørnson was anxious "to create a new saga in the light of the peasant," as he put it, and he thought this should be done, not merely in prose fiction, but in national dramas or . The earliest of these was a one-act piece set in the 12th century, '' Mellem Slagene'' (Between the Battles), written in 1855 and produced in 1857. He was especially influenced at this time by the study of Jens Immanuel Baggesen and Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger, during a visit to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

. was followed by ' (Lame Hulda) in 1858, and '' Kong Sverre'' (King Sverre) in 1861. His most important work to date was the poetic trilogy of '' Sigurd Slembe'' (Sigurd the Bad), which Bjørnson published in 1862.

The mature author

At the close of 1857 Bjørnson had been appointed director of the theatre at

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

, a post which he held for two years, when he returned to Christiania. From 1860 to 1863 he travelled widely throughout Europe. Early in 1865 he undertook the management of the Christiania Theatre, and brought out his popular comedy of ' (The Newly Married) and his romantic tragedy of Mary Stuart in Scotland. In 1870 he published ''Poems and Songs'' and the epic cycle ''Arnljot Gelline''; the latter volume contains the ode ''Bergliot'', one of Bjørnson's finest contributions to

lyrical poetry Modern lyric poetry is a formal type of poetry which expresses personal emotions or feelings, typically spoken in the first person. The term for both modern lyric poetry and modern song lyrics derives from a form of Ancient Greek literature, ...

. Between 1864 and 1874, Bjørnson displayed a slackening of the intellectual forces very remarkable in a man of his energy; he was mainly occupied with politics and with his business as a theatrical manager. This was the period of Bjørnson's most fiery propaganda as a radical agitator. In 1871 he began to supplement his journalistic work by delivering lectures throughout Scandinavia. From 1874 to 1876, Bjørnson was absent from Norway, and in the peace of voluntary exile he recovered his imaginative powers. His new departure as a dramatic author began with (A Bankruptcy) and (The Editor) in 1874, social dramas of an extremely modern and realistic cast.

Collaborations with Grieg

In the 1870's Bjørnson and the composer

Edvard Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the leading Romantic music, Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwid ...

, who shared his interests in Norwegian self-government, became friends. Grieg set several of his poems to music, including and ''Sigurd Jorsalfar''. Eventually they decided on an opera based on ''King Olav Trygvason'', but a dispute as to whether music or lyrics should be created first led to Grieg being diverted to working on incidental music for

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...

's play ''

Peer Gynt ''Peer Gynt'' (, ) is a five-Act (drama), act play in verse written in 1867 by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen. It is one of Ibsen's best known and most widely performed plays. ''Peer Gynt'' chronicles the journey of its title character fr ...

'', which naturally offended Bjørnson. Eventually their friendship was resumed.

The "national poet"

Bjørnson settled on his estate of Aulestad in Gausdal Municipality. In 1877 he published another novel, '' Magnhild'', in which his ideas on social questions were seen to be in a state of fermentation, and gave expression to his republican sentiments in the polemical play (The King). In a later edition of the play, he prefixed an essay on "

Intellectual Freedom Intellectual freedom encompasses the freedom to hold, receive and disseminate ideas without restriction. Viewed as an integral component of a democratic society, intellectual freedom protects an individual's right to access, explore, consider, and ...

" in further explanation of his position. '' Kaptejn Mansana'' (Captain Mansana), an episode of the war of Italian independence, was written in to 1878. Extremely anxious to obtain full success on the stage, Bjørnson concentrated his powers on a drama of social life, ''Leonarda'' (1879), which raised a violent controversy. A satirical play, (The New System), was produced a few weeks later. Although these plays of Bjørnson's second period were greatly discussed, few were financially successful. Bjørnson produced a social drama, (A Gauntlet), in 1883, but was unable to persuade any manager to stage it except in a modified form. In the autumn of the same year, Bjørnson published a mystical or symbolic drama, ' (Beyond Powers), dealing with the abnormal features of religious excitement with extraordinary force; this was not acted until 1899, when it achieved a great success.

Political interests

From his youth and forwards, Bjørnson admired Henrik Wergeland, and became a vivid spokesman for the Norwegian left-wing movement. In this respect, he supported

Ivar Aasen Ivar Andreas Aasen (; 5 August 1813 – 23 September 1896) was a Norwegian philologist, lexicographer, playwright, and poet. He is best known for having assembled one of the two official written versions of the Norwegian language, Nynorsk, from ...

, and joined forces in the political struggles in the 1860s and 1870s. When the great monument over Henrik Wergeland was to be erected in 1881, it came to political struggle between left and right, and the left wing got the upper hand. Bjørnson presented the speech on behalf of Wergeland, and also honouring the constitution and the farmers. Bjørnson's political opinions had brought upon him a charge of high treason, and he took refuge for a time in Germany, returning to Norway in 1882. Convinced that the theatre was practically closed to him, he turned back to the novel, and published in 1884 (Flags are Flying in Town and Port), embodying his theories on heredity and education. In 1889 he printed another long and still more remarkable novel, ' (On God's Path), which is chiefly concerned with the same problems. The same year saw the publication of a comedy, '' Geografi og Kærlighed'' (Geography and Love), which met with success. A number of short stories, of a more or less

didactic Didacticism is a philosophy that emphasises instructional and informative qualities in literature, art, and design. In art, design, architecture, and landscape, didacticism is a conceptual approach that is driven by the urgent need to explain. ...

character, dealing with startling points of emotional experience, were collected and published 1894. Later plays were a political tragedy called ' (1898), a second part of (Beyond Powers II) (1895), (1901), (At Storhove) (1902), and (Dag's Farm) (1904). In 1899, at the opening of the National Theatre, Bjørnson received an ovation, and his saga-drama of King

Sigurd the Crusader Sigurd the Crusader (; ; 1089 – 26 March 1130), also known as Sigurd Magnusson and Sigurd I, was King of Norway from 1103 to 1130. His rule, together with his half-brother Øystein (until Øystein died in 1123), has been regarded by historian ...

was performed at the opening of

Nationaltheatret The National Theatre in Oslo () is one of Norway's largest and most prominent venues for performance of dramatic arts. History The theatre had its first performance on 1 September 1899 but can trace its origins to Christiania Theatre, which was ...

in Oslo. Bjørnson was one of the contributors of the anti-Union magazine ''

Ringeren ''Ringeren'' was a Norwegian weekly political magazine which existed between 1898 and 1899. The magazine was founded by Sigurd Ibsen and was headquartered in Oslo, Kristiania, Norway. History and profile ''Ringeren'' was established as a weekly ...

'', edited by

Sigurd Ibsen Sigurd Ibsen (23 December 1859 – 14 April 1930) was a Norwegian writer, lawyer and statesman, who served as the prime minister of Norway in Stockholm (1903–1905) and played a central role in the dissolution of the union between Norway an ...

in 1898. A subject which interested him greatly was the question of the , the adopting of a national language for Norway distinct from the (

Dano-Norwegian Dano-Norwegian (Danish language, Danish and ) was a Koine language, koiné/mixed language that evolved among the urban elite in Norwegian cities during the later years of the union between the Denmark–Norway, Kingdoms of Denmark and Norway (1 ...

), in which most Norwegian literature had hitherto been written. At an early stage, before 1860, Bjørnson had himself experimented with at least one short story written in

landsmål Nynorsk (; ) is one of the two official written standards of the Norwegian language, the other being Bokmål. From 12 May 1885, it became the state-sanctioned version of Ivar Aasen's standard Norwegian language (''Landsmål''), parallel to the Da ...

. The interest, however, did not last, and he soon abandoned this enterprise altogether. Afterwards, he regretted that he never felt he gained the mastery of this language. Bjørnson's strong and sometimes rather narrow patriotism did not blind him to what he considered the fatal folly of such a proposal, and his lectures and pamphlets against the 'language strife' in its extreme form were very effective. His attitude towards this must have changed sometime after 1881, as he still spoke on behalf of the farmers at this point. Although he seems to have been supportive of

and friendly towards farmers (in the peasant novels), he later denounced this, and stated in 1899 that there was limits to a farmer's cultivation. "I can draw a line on the wall. The farmer can cultivate himself to this level, and no more", he wrote in 1899. Rumour has it that he had been insulted by a farmer at some point, and uttered the statement in sheer anger. In 1881, he spoke of the farmer's clothing borne by Henrik Wergeland, and his opinion then states that this garment, worn by Wergeland, was "of the most influential things" in the initiation of the national day. Bjørnson's attitude towards the farmers remain ambiguous. His father himself was a farmer's son. During the last twenty years of his life he wrote hundreds of articles in major European papers. He attacked the French justice in the Dreyfus Affair, and he fought for the rights of children in Slovakia to learn their own mother tongue. "To detach children from their mother tongue is identical to tearing them away from their mothers breasts," he wrote. Bjørnson wrote in multiple newspapers about the

Černová massacre The Černová massacre (or Černová tragedy, , or Csernova Affair) was a shooting that took place in Csernova, Kingdom of Hungary (1867–1918), Kingdom of Hungary (today Černová, part of Ružomberok, Slovakia) on 27 October 1907 in which 15 ...

under the title ''The greatest industry of Hungary'' – which was supposedly " to produce Magyars". He took part in the sexual morality debate () of the time, arguing that free love did not allow for the development of positive traits such as self-restraint and a focus on virtue. Bjørnson held some 60 lectures in the Nordic countries on the issue; his strongly held views led to a rift with

Georg Brandes Georg Morris Cohen Brandes (4 February 1842 – 19 February 1927) was a Danish critic and scholar who greatly influenced Scandinavian and European literature from the 1870s through the turn of the 20th century. He is seen as the theorist behind ...

Last years

Bjørnson was, from the beginning of the Dreyfus Affair, a staunch supporter of

Alfred Dreyfus Alfred Dreyfus (9 October 1859 – 12 July 1935) was a French Army officer best known for his central role in the Dreyfus affair. In 1894, Dreyfus fell victim to a judicial conspiracy that eventually sparked a major political crisis in the Fre ...

, and, according to a contemporary, wrote "article after article in the papers and proclaimed in every manner his belief in his innocence". Bjørnson was one of the original members of the

Norwegian Nobel Committee The Norwegian Nobel Committee () selects the recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize each year on behalf of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel's estate, based on instructions of Nobel's will. Five members are appointed by the Norwegian Parliament. ...

, that awards the

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...

, where he sat from 1901 to 1906. In 1903 he was awarded the

Nobel Prize in Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in ...

. In 1901, Bjørnson proclaimed, "I'm a Pan-Germanist, I'm a

Teuton The Teutons (, ; ) were an ancient northern European tribe mentioned by Roman authors. The Teutons are best known for their participation, together with the Cimbri and other groups, in the Cimbrian War with the Roman Republic in the late seco ...

, and the greatest dream of my life is for the South Germanic peoples and the

North Germanic peoples North Germanic peoples, Nordic peoples and in a medieval context Norsemen, were a Germanic peoples, Germanic linguistic group originating from the Scandinavian Peninsula. They are identified by their cultural similarities, common ancestry and com ...

and their brothers in

diaspora A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of birth, place of origin. The word is used in reference to people who identify with a specific geographic location, but currently resi ...

to unite in a fellow

confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

." Bjørnson had done as much as any other man to rouse Norwegian nationalistic feeling, but in 1903, on the verge of the rupture between Norway and Sweden, he preached conciliation and moderation to the Norwegians. However, in 1905 he largely remained silent. When Norway was attempting to dissolve the forced union with Sweden, Bjørnson sent a telegram to the Norwegian Prime minister stating, "Now is the time to unite." The minister replied, "Now is the time to shut up." This was in fact a satirical illustration published in '' Vikingen'', but the story got so popular and widespread that Bjørnson had to deny it, claiming that "Michelsen has never asked me to shut up; it would not help if he did". He died on 26 April 1910 in Paris, where for some years he had spent his winters, and was buried at home with every mark of honour. The Norwegian

coastal defence ship Coastal defence ships (sometimes called coastal battleships or coast defence ships) were warships built for the purpose of coastal defence, mostly during the period from 1860 to 1920. They were small, often cruiser-sized warships that sacrifi ...

was sent to convey his remains back to his own land.

Family and relationships

Bjørnson was the son of the Reverend Mr. Peder Bjørnson and Inger Elise Nordraach. He married Karoline Reimers (1835–1934) in 1858. They had six children, five of whom lived to adulthood:

Bjørn Bjørnson Bjørn Bjørnson (15 November 1859 – 14 May 1942) was a Norwegian stage actor and theatre director. Biography He was born in Christiania, the son of author Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson Bjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson ( , ; 8 December 1 ...

(1859–1942), Einar Bjørnson (1864–1942), Erling Bjørnson (1868–1959), Bergliot Bjørnson (1869–1953), Dagny Bjørnson (1871–1872), Dagny Bjørnson (1876–1974). In 1860, Bjørnson met and began an affair with Magda von Dolcke while he was in

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. Just two years after he had been married, his wife Karoline was in Norway at the time, recovering from a fever she had contracted after the birth of their first son in November 1859. Even after he returned to Norway, Bjørnson continued to exchange intimate letters with Dolcke and described their relationship as a "Pagt med en Sjel" (English: ''Pact with a Soul''). His affair with Dolcke ended after he reconciled with Karoline in late 1861. In his early fifties, Bjørnson had an affair with 17-year-old Guri Andersdotter (died 1949), which resulted in the birth of their son, Anders Underdal (1880–1973). The affair was kept a secret, though early on Anders Underdal, a poet, would talk about his origins with his children. Later in life he stopped discussing the matter, no reason was given. Anders was the father of Norwegian-Swedish author Margit Sandemo. Audun Thorsen has written a book about Bjørnson's affair, () (Genesis forlag, Oslo 1999). Karoline Bjørnson remained at Aulestad until her death in 1934.

Bibliography

*''Mellem Slagene'', (Between the Battles) saga drama, 1857 *'' Synnøve Solbakken'', peasant story, 1857 *'' Arne'', 1859 *'' En glad Gut'', (A Happy Boy) 1860 *''Halte-Hulda'', (Lame Hulda) 1858 *''Kong Sverre'', (King Sverre) 1861 *'' Sigurd Slembe'', (Sigurd the Bad) 1862 *''Maria Stuart i Skotland'', (Mary Stuart in Scotland) 1863 *''De Nygifte'', (The Newly Married) 1865 *''Fiskerjenten'', 1868 *''Arnljot Gelline'', epic cycle 1870 *''Digte og Sange'', (Poems and Songs) 1880 *''Brudeslåtten'', peasant story, 1872 *''Sigurd Jorsalfar'', saga drama, 1872 *'' En fallit'', (The Bankrupt) drama, 1875 *''Redaktøren'', (The Editor) drama, 1875 *''Kaptejn Mansana'', (Captain Mansana) novel, 1875 *''Kongen'', (The King) 1877 *''Magnhild'', 1877 *''Det ny system'', (The New System) 1879 *''Leonarda'', 1879 *''En hanske'' (A Gauntlet), 1883 *''Støv'' (Dust), 1882 *''Over ævne, første stykke'', (Beyond Human Power – I) 1883 *''Det flager i byen og på havnen'', (translated as "The Heritage of the Kurts") 1884 *''På guds veje'', (In God's Way) 1889 *''Fred'', oratorium, 1891 *''Over ævne, annet stykke'', (Beyond Human Power – II) 1895 *''Paul Lange og Tora Parsberg'', 1898 *''Daglannet'', 1904 *''Når den ny vin blomstrer'', (When the New Wine Blooms) 1909 *''Norges Vel'', cantata, 1909

References

Sources

* Brandes, Georg (1899)
''Henrik Ibsen. Björnstjerne Björnson. Critical Studies''
London: William Heinemann. * Payne, William Morton (1910)
''Björnstjerne Björnson, 1832–1910''
Chicago: A.C. McClurg & Co. * Collin, Christen (1907)
''Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson hans Barndom og Ungdom''
Kristiania: H. Aschehoug & Co. * Larson, Harold (1944)
''Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson: A Study in Norwegian Nationalism''
New York: King's Crown Press. * Haugen, Eva Lund; and

Einar Haugen Einar Ingvald Haugen (; April 19, 1906 – June 20, 1994) was an American linguist and writer known for his influential work in American sociolinguistics and Norwegian-American studies, including Old Norse studies. Haugen was a professor at ...

(1978). ''Bjørnson: Land of the Free. Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson's American Letters 1880–1881''. Northfield, Minn.: Norwegian-American Historical Association. * Haugen, Einar (1978). ''The Vocabulary of Bjørnson's Literary Works''. N.Y.: Columbia University Press. * Amdam, Per (1978). ''Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson''. J.W. Cappelen. *

External links

Digitized books and manuscripts by Bjørnson
in the

National Library of Norway The National Library of Norway () 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 in 2005. Prior to the e ...