Dorthea Dahl
Encyclopedia
Dorthea Dahl was a Norwegian-born American writer. She wrote numerous short stories for magazines, wrote and published collections of short stories and wrote a novel. Dahl has been recognized for her great contributions to Norwegian-American literature.
in Sør-Trøndelag
county, Norway
. She came to America during 1883 at the age of two along with her parents and six older siblings. Her family initially lived in a homestead in Day County, South Dakota
. In 1900, Dahl began at the State Normal School in Madison, Wisconsin
, but the signs of tuberculosis
prevented a future as a teacher. She briefly attended St. Olaf College
but starting during 1903 would spend her adult life in Kootenai County, near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
. She worked as an accountant for a grain firm, in various trading companies and insurance companies.
Poor health thwarted her hopes of becoming a missionary, but she found consolation in taking part in temperance work. Religious by nature, Dahl was active within Lutheran Church organizations, including Daughters of the Reformation
and the Rocky Mountain Women's Missionary
Federation.
. Dahl worked as a staff writer for both Jul i Vesterheimen and Lutheraneren; two Norwegian language publications.
She published two collections of short stories. The first, Fra Hverdagslivet, was written in Norwegian and translated as From Everyday Life. For her second, Returning Home, she wrote in English. Byen paa Berget, her first novel was published in 1925 and was written in Norwegian. That book was later translated as The City Upon A Hill. Dahl continued to write short stories for the rest of her life. Woven into Dahl's immigrant theme is always the conflict between service to others and pursuit of personal success. Dahl showed a pragmatic attitude to the many questions of Norwegian American assimilation and she was an early advocate of the use of English as a church language.
She was honored by the Norwegian Society in America (Det Norske Selskab i Amerika) with its annual literary prize in 1918. She was a representative from the state of Idaho at the Norse-American Centennial
in Minneapolis in June 1925.
Biography
Dahl was born in OsenOsen
is a municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Fosen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Steinsdalen...
in Sør-Trøndelag
Sør-Trøndelag
- References :...
county, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. She came to America during 1883 at the age of two along with her parents and six older siblings. Her family initially lived in a homestead in Day County, South Dakota
Day County, South Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,267 people, 2,586 households, and 1,688 families residing in the county. The population density was 6 people per square mile . There were 3,618 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile...
. In 1900, Dahl began at the State Normal School in Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
, but the signs of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
prevented a future as a teacher. She briefly attended St. Olaf College
St. Olaf College
St. Olaf College is a coeducational, residential, four-year, private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, United States. It was founded in 1874 by a group of Norwegian-American immigrant pastors and farmers, led by Pastor Bernt Julius Muus. The college is named after Olaf II of Norway,...
but starting during 1903 would spend her adult life in Kootenai County, near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Coeur d'Alene is the largest city and county seat of Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. It is the principal city of the Coeur d'Alene Metropolitan Statistical Area. Coeur d'Alene has the second largest metropolitan area in the state of Idaho. As of the 2010 census the population of Coeur...
. She worked as an accountant for a grain firm, in various trading companies and insurance companies.
Poor health thwarted her hopes of becoming a missionary, but she found consolation in taking part in temperance work. Religious by nature, Dahl was active within Lutheran Church organizations, including Daughters of the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
and the Rocky Mountain Women's Missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
Federation.
Writing career
Dorthea Dahl was equally competent in Norwegian and English. She began writing her many stories of small-town and farm immigrant life exclusively in Norwegian, publishing in a variety of periodicals. Dahl wrote several books and a number of short stories published in the Norwegian-American press, most notably in the The Friend, published in Minneapolis by Nils Nilsen RonningNils Nilsen Ronning
Nils Nilsen Ronning was an American author, journalist and editor.-Background:Nils Nilsen Ronning was born in Bø in Telemark, Norway. After he emigrated to America in 1887, he attended the Faribault public school...
. Dahl worked as a staff writer for both Jul i Vesterheimen and Lutheraneren; two Norwegian language publications.
She published two collections of short stories. The first, Fra Hverdagslivet, was written in Norwegian and translated as From Everyday Life. For her second, Returning Home, she wrote in English. Byen paa Berget, her first novel was published in 1925 and was written in Norwegian. That book was later translated as The City Upon A Hill. Dahl continued to write short stories for the rest of her life. Woven into Dahl's immigrant theme is always the conflict between service to others and pursuit of personal success. Dahl showed a pragmatic attitude to the many questions of Norwegian American assimilation and she was an early advocate of the use of English as a church language.
She was honored by the Norwegian Society in America (Det Norske Selskab i Amerika) with its annual literary prize in 1918. She was a representative from the state of Idaho at the Norse-American Centennial
Norse-American Centennial
The Norse-American Centennial celebration was held at the Minnesota State Fair from June 7–9, 1925.The event served to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the arrival during 1825 of the Norwegian immigrant ship Restauration. The arrival of this ship is generally considered the first organized...
in Minneapolis in June 1925.
Selected bibliography
- Fra Hverdagslivet (Augsburg Publishing. Minneapolis, MN. 1915)
- Returning Home (Augsburg Publishing. Minneapolis, MN. 1920)
- Byen paa Berget ( Augsburg Publishing. Minneapolis, MN. 1925)
Other sources
- Brungot, Hilde Petra. Dorthea Dahl: Norwegian American Author of Everyday Experience (University of Oslo thesis, 1977, Norwegian American Historic Association)
- Øverland, Orm. The Western Home: A Literary History of Norwegian America (Norwegian American Historical Association. University of Illinois Press. 1996. Chapter 19)