Lille Graah
Encyclopedia
Anne Knudsdatter "Lille" Graah (22 January 1908 – 19 January 2001) was a Norwegian journalist, radio announcer and reporter. She worked for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation for more than thirty years, and is particularly known from the popular radio program Ønskekonserten
.
as the daughter of Knud Andreas Graah (1866–1908) and nurse Marie Blehr. She was the granddaughter of industrialist Knud Graah
.
. She then worked as a governess in Moscow
. In Moscow she also studied theatre with Vsevolod Meyerhold
at the Vakhtangov Theatre. From 1937 she was a journalist for the Oslo magazine Hallo-Hallo!, and worked for Norsk Lovtidend
from 1940.
During World War II she was a member of an underground newspaper group, was arrested by the Gestapo in 1942 and imprisoned at Grini, and sent to the Ravensbrück concentration camp
in 1943. From 1945 she worked for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, as a radio program announcer. Among her responsibilities was the program Ønskekonserten
, the most popular radio show in Norway ever. She worked for the Norwegian Broadcasting corporation for more than thirty years, from 1961 as a reporter for the local chapter Østlandssendingen. She founded the organization Norsk-Tsjekkoslovakisk Hjelpeforening in 1948, helping refugees after the Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948
. She received the Medal of St. Hallvard
in 1977.
Ønskekonserten
Ønskekonserten is a radio program produced by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation . It has been broadcasted weekly since January 1950. The signature tune is Entry March of the Boyars, composed by Johan Halvorsen. Ønskekonserten is regarded as the most popular radio program in Norway ever....
.
Personal life
Graah was born in KristianiaOslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
as the daughter of Knud Andreas Graah (1866–1908) and nurse Marie Blehr. She was the granddaughter of industrialist Knud Graah
Knud Graah
Knud Graah was a Norweigan industral pioneer, born in Thisted, Denmark. He founded the cotton mill Vøiens Bomuldsspinderi in Nydalen, near the river Akerselva, after buying waterfall rights of the rivers Akerselva in 1844. Vøiens Bomuldsspinderi started production from 1846, and became one of the...
.
Career
Graah finished her secondary education in 1927, and then spent some years helping her mother who was running a children's pensionary in EidsvollEidsvoll
is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the Romerike traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sundet.-Name:...
. She then worked as a governess in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. In Moscow she also studied theatre with Vsevolod Meyerhold
Vsevolod Meyerhold
Vsevolod Emilevich Meyerhold was a great Russian and Soviet theatre director, actor and theatrical producer. His provocative experiments dealing with physical being and symbolism in an unconventional theatre setting made him one of the seminal forces in modern international theatre.-Early...
at the Vakhtangov Theatre. From 1937 she was a journalist for the Oslo magazine Hallo-Hallo!, and worked for Norsk Lovtidend
Norsk Lovtidend
Norsk Lovtidend is a Norwegian periodical published by the Ministry of Justice and the Police. The magazine is regulated by a law from 1969 , which replaced an earlier law from 1876. From 2001 official publication of new laws or revisions are made on Lovdatas website, while a printed version is...
from 1940.
During World War II she was a member of an underground newspaper group, was arrested by the Gestapo in 1942 and imprisoned at Grini, and sent to the Ravensbrück concentration camp
Ravensbrück concentration camp
Ravensbrück was a notorious women's concentration camp during World War II, located in northern Germany, 90 km north of Berlin at a site near the village of Ravensbrück ....
in 1943. From 1945 she worked for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, as a radio program announcer. Among her responsibilities was the program Ønskekonserten
Ønskekonserten
Ønskekonserten is a radio program produced by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation . It has been broadcasted weekly since January 1950. The signature tune is Entry March of the Boyars, composed by Johan Halvorsen. Ønskekonserten is regarded as the most popular radio program in Norway ever....
, the most popular radio show in Norway ever. She worked for the Norwegian Broadcasting corporation for more than thirty years, from 1961 as a reporter for the local chapter Østlandssendingen. She founded the organization Norsk-Tsjekkoslovakisk Hjelpeforening in 1948, helping refugees after the Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948
Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948
The Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948 – in Communist historiography known as "Victorious February" – was an event late that February in which the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, with Soviet backing, assumed undisputed control over the government of Czechoslovakia, ushering in over four decades...
. She received the Medal of St. Hallvard
Medal of St. Hallvard
The Medal of St. Hallvard is the highest award of the city of Oslo. It is named after the city's patron, Saint Hallvard . The medal has been awarded since 1956.-Recipients:The following people have received the medal:...
in 1977.