Mikkjel Fønhus
Encyclopedia
Mikkjel Fønhus was a Norwegian
journalist, novelist and short story writer. Fønhus' stories are often set in the wilderness, featuring animals and animal behavior.
, Oppland
, Norway to merchant Arne Mikkelsen Fønhus (1860-96) and Olava Olsdatter Storsveen (1867-1948). After six years of primary school he was sent to four years of middle school in Aurdalsbyen and to three years of secondary school in Oslo
. He initially started studying law at the University of Oslo
. He was married to teacher Helga Karlsgot from 1926, and to Margrethe Frøshaug from 1934.
in 1917, a story about an outlaw. His breakthrough came with the next book, Der Vildmarken suser
(1919), inspired by Jack London
's The Call of the Wild
. His next books were Det skriker fra Kverrvilljuvet
(1920) and Troll-Elgen
(1921). These three books were all set in the wilderness, featuring animals and animal behavior. In 1922 he published a novel from Spitsbergen
, Under polarlyset.
The stories of Fønhus also made frequent references to folk tales. Among his many qualities as a writer was his ability to develop the oral storytelling tradition. An example is the story "Ropet fra Helvetesjuvet" in the collection Raudalsdansen from 1924. In 1926 he wrote the novel Reinsbukken på Jotunfjell, in 1927 the collection Vandringen mot nord, and in 1929 Skogenes eventyrer, stories about a fox. He wrote stories about animals such as beaver
, marten
, wolves and lynx
. He wrote about birds such as goose
and eagle owl.
Fønhus concentrated in about writing about life in nature itself. His books sold well and with the growing ecology movement, Mikkjel Fønhus appeared as a pioneer in the fight for preserving nature. He published 43 books on these themes during his life. Another 34 were published after his death. He work has been translated into Swedish, Danish, Finnish, German, French, English, Dutch, Czech and Polish. There is an exhibit of his work at Bagn Bygdesamling
, a small museum located in Sør-Aurdal, 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...
journalist, novelist and short story writer. Fønhus' stories are often set in the wilderness, featuring animals and animal behavior.
Personal life
Mikkel Arnesen Fønhus was born on the family farm Nordre Fønhus in the valley of Valdres in Sør-AurdalSør-Aurdal
Sør-Aurdal is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Valdres. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bagn....
, Oppland
Oppland
is a county in Norway, bordering Sør-Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The county administration is in Lillehammer. Oppland is, together with Hedmark, one of the only two landlocked counties of Norway....
, Norway to merchant Arne Mikkelsen Fønhus (1860-96) and Olava Olsdatter Storsveen (1867-1948). After six years of primary school he was sent to four years of middle school in Aurdalsbyen and to three years of secondary school in Oslo
Oslo
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...
. He initially started studying law at the University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
. He was married to teacher Helga Karlsgot from 1926, and to Margrethe Frøshaug from 1934.
Career
Fønhus made his literary debut with the novel SkoggangsmandSkoggangsmand
Skoggangsmand is a novel from 1917, the debut novel of Norwegian writer Mikkjel Fønhus.-Plot:The story is set in rural Norway. The main character is a wild tempered young boy "Hans Trefothaugen", who gets involved in fights and a stabbing, and ends up as an outlaw living in the forests...
in 1917, a story about an outlaw. His breakthrough came with the next book, Der Vildmarken suser
Der Vildmarken suser
Der Vildmarken suser is a story collection from 1919 by Norwegian writer Mikkjel Fønhus.One of the stories, about the large killer bear "Rugg" in the Vassfaret forests, was published as a children's book in 1965, Fortellingen om slagbjønnen Rugg...
(1919), inspired by Jack London
Jack London
John Griffith "Jack" London was an American author, journalist, and social activist. He was a pioneer in the then-burgeoning world of commercial magazine fiction and was one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide celebrity and a large fortune from his fiction alone...
's The Call of the Wild
The Call of the Wild
The Call of the Wild is a novel by American writer Jack London. The plot concerns a previously domesticated dog named Buck, whose primordial instincts return after a series of events leads to his serving as a sled dog in the Yukon during the 19th-century Klondike Gold Rush, in which sled dogs...
. His next books were Det skriker fra Kverrvilljuvet
Det skriker fra Kverrvilljuvet
Det skriker fra Kverrvilljuvet is a novel first published in 1920 by Norwegian writer Mikkjel Fønhus.His story collection Der Vildmarken suser and the follow-up novels Det skriker fra Kverrvilljuvet and Troll-Elgen, gave Fønhus a wide reputation for his ability to picture animal life....
(1920) and Troll-Elgen
Troll-Elgen
Troll-Elgen is a novel from 1921 by Norwegian writer Mikkjel Fønhus. The story is about the large elk "Rauten" and the hunter "Gaupe", and ends up with both the hunter and the hunted losing their lives...
(1921). These three books were all set in the wilderness, featuring animals and animal behavior. In 1922 he published a novel from Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen is the largest and only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway. Constituting the western-most bulk of the archipelago, it borders the Arctic Ocean, the Norwegian Sea and the Greenland Sea...
, Under polarlyset.
The stories of Fønhus also made frequent references to folk tales. Among his many qualities as a writer was his ability to develop the oral storytelling tradition. An example is the story "Ropet fra Helvetesjuvet" in the collection Raudalsdansen from 1924. In 1926 he wrote the novel Reinsbukken på Jotunfjell, in 1927 the collection Vandringen mot nord, and in 1929 Skogenes eventyrer, stories about a fox. He wrote stories about animals such as beaver
Beaver
The beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...
, marten
Marten
The martens constitute the genus Martes within the subfamily Mustelinae, in family Mustelidae.-Description:Martens are slender, agile animals, adapted to living in taigas, and are found in coniferous and northern deciduous forests across the northern hemisphere. They have bushy tails, and large...
, wolves and lynx
Lynx
A lynx is any of the four Lynx genus species of medium-sized wildcats. The name "lynx" originated in Middle English via Latin from Greek word "λύγξ", derived from the Indo-European root "*leuk-", meaning "light, brightness", in reference to the luminescence of its reflective eyes...
. He wrote about birds such as goose
Goose
The word goose is the English name for a group of waterfowl, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family also includes swans, most of which are larger than true geese, and ducks, which are smaller....
and eagle owl.
Fønhus concentrated in about writing about life in nature itself. His books sold well and with the growing ecology movement, Mikkjel Fønhus appeared as a pioneer in the fight for preserving nature. He published 43 books on these themes during his life. Another 34 were published after his death. He work has been translated into Swedish, Danish, Finnish, German, French, English, Dutch, Czech and Polish. There is an exhibit of his work at Bagn Bygdesamling
Bagn Bygdesamling
Bagn Bydesamling is a small museum located in the hamlet of Dolven, south of Bagn in Sør-Aurdal, Norway.-History:The museum was founded in 1920 on the Islandsmoen farm. It includes the farm itself, a saw mill, a flour mill and other furnished buildings. The museum consisting of 12 log buildings...
, a small museum located in Sør-Aurdal, Norway.
Awards
- Gyldendal's EndowmentGyldendal's EndowmentGyldendal's Endowment was a literature prize which was awarded in the period 1934–1995 by the Norwegian publisher Gyldendal Norsk Forlag. The prize was awarded to significant authors, regardless of which publisher the author was associated with...
1952 - Royal Norwegian Order of Merit, 1963
- Kloster-medaljen, 1963
- Mads Wiel Nygaards EndowmentMads Wiel Nygaards EndowmentMads Wiel Nygaard's Endowment is an annually awarded literary prize from the publishing house Aschehoug. The prize is a recognition of superior literary work. The publisher's editorial management makes the award based on their collective judgement of merit. Applications are not accepted.The...
, 1965 - Språklig samlings litteraturpris, 1966
Other sources
- Brandrud, Rolf Drømmejegeren - en biografi om Mikkjel Fønhus (Aschehoug forlag, Oslo: 1993) ISBN-10: 8203169678
- Stensrud, Gudbjørg Fønhus Mikkjel, far min (Aschehoug forlag, Oslo: 1985) ISBN-10: 8203151965
- Brenne, Tom Mikkjel Fønhus: En bibliografi (Universitetsbiblioteket. Oslo: 1993) ISBN-10: 8270002240
- Børte, Torbjørn Mikkjel Fønhus: --fra Nissebakken til Thika River (Aschehoug forlag, Oslo: 1972) ISBN-10: 8203051405