Riksmålsforbundet
Encyclopedia
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
(see Norwegian language struggle
Norwegian language struggle
The Norwegian language struggle is an ongoing controversy within Norwegian culture and politics related to spoken and written Norwegian. From the 16th to the 19th centuries, Danish was the standard written language of Norway due to Danish rule...
).
The society was founded by subsequent Nobel
Nobel Prize in Literature
Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"...
laureate Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
Bjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson was a Norwegian writer and the 1903 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. Bjørnson is considered as one of The Four Greats Norwegian writers; the others being Henrik Ibsen, Jonas Lie, and Alexander Kielland...
on April 7, 1907.
History
Although Riksmålsforbundet was founded in 1907 by the poet Bjørnstjerne BjørnsonBjørnstjerne Bjørnson
Bjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson was a Norwegian writer and the 1903 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. Bjørnson is considered as one of The Four Greats Norwegian writers; the others being Henrik Ibsen, Jonas Lie, and Alexander Kielland...
, the efforts to organize in support of riksmål goes back to 1899, and served as opposition to efforts by those Norwegians who had organized to promote landsmål
Landsmål
Landsmål, meaning "language of the land/country", was the name Ivar Aasen gave the Norwegian orthography he created in the 19th century. In 1885 it was adopted as an official language in Norway alongside Danish. In 1929, Landsmål was renamed Nynorsk...
as the single language for the country.
Riksmålsforbundet worked to preserve and promote riksmål, the traditional written language in Norway, and has consistently opposed the government samnorsk policy as well as opposing compulsory education in the English.
Prominent members of the riksmål movement included the author Jens Bjørneboe
Jens Bjørneboe
Jens Ingvald Bjørneboe was a Norwegian writer whose work spanned a number of literary formats. He was also a painter and a waldorf school teacher. Bjørneboe was a harsh and eloquent critic of Norwegian society and Western civilization on the whole...
, his cousin André Bjerke
André Bjerke
Jarl André Bjerke was a Norwegian writer and poet. His debut was in 1940 with a collection of poems, Syngende Jord . He has written a wide range of material: poems , mystery novels , essays, and articles...
, Terje Stigen
Terje Stigen
-Career:Terje Stigen was born on Magerøya in Finnmark, Norway but spent part of his childhood in Tromsø. After his final exams at Nordstrand school in Aker during 1941, he studied philology at the University of Oslo, cand.philol. English majors in 1947.)...
, Carl Keilhau, Agnar Mykle
Agnar Mykle
Agnar Mykle was a Norwegian author. He became one of the most controversial figures in Norwegian literature in the 20th century.-Early life:...
, Arnulf Øverland
Arnulf Øverland
Ole Peter Arnulf Øverland was a Norwegian author born in Kristiansund and raised in Bergen. His works include Berget det blå and Hustavler .-Life:...
, Sigurd Hoel
Sigurd Hoel
Sigurd Hoel was a Norwegian author and publishing consultant, born in Nord-Odal. He debuted with the collection of short stories Veien vi gaar in 1922...
, Johan Bernhard Hjort, Knut Wigert
Knut Wigert
Knut Wigert was a Norwegian actor, known for his many Ibsen roles and the establishment of an Ibsen museum in Oslo.-Personal life:...
, Margrethe Aamot Øverland, Sofie Helene Wigert and Varg Vikernes
Varg Vikernes
Varg Vikernes is a Norwegian black metal musician, writer, philosopher, religious and political activist, arsonist and convicted murderer.Vikernes was born near Bergen, Norway. In 1991, he founded the one-man music project Burzum, which quickly became popular within the early Norwegian black metal...
. Among other spokespersons for the riksmål cause we find authors such as Claes Gill
Claes Gill
Claes Gill was a Norwegian author, poet and actor.Born in Odda, but spent his childhood years in Bergen, before moving to Oslo permanently....
, Nils Kjær
Nils Kjær
Nils Kjær was a Norwegian playwright, short story writer, essayist, literary critic and theatre critic.-Personal life:Kjær was born in Holmestrand as the son of Nils Henrik Kjær and Christine Smestad...
, Knut Hamsun
Knut Hamsun
Knut Hamsun was a Norwegian author, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920. He was praised by King Haakon VII of Norway as Norway's soul....
, Gabriel Scott
Gabriel Scott
Gabriel Scott was a Norwegian poet, novelist, playwright and children's writer.-Personal life:Gabriel Scott Jensen was born in Leith in Scotland as the son of sailors' priest Svend Holst Jensen and his wife writer and composer Caroline Mathilde Schytte...
and Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of prose drama" and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre...
.
In recent years the language reforms, particularly those of the 1981 and 2005, mean that many of the Riksmålsforbundet goals have been achieved. The Samnorsk policy has been officially abandoned. Officially modern bokmål allows most riksmål forms. In addition, there is now a political majority in favor of discontinuing mandatory speech policy in Norway.
The Riksmålsforbundet publishes the magazine Ordet (The Word).
Leaders
- 1907–1910 Bjørnstjerne BjørnsonBjørnstjerne BjørnsonBjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson was a Norwegian writer and the 1903 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. Bjørnson is considered as one of The Four Greats Norwegian writers; the others being Henrik Ibsen, Jonas Lie, and Alexander Kielland...
- 1910–1911 Ragna NielsenRagna NielsenRagna Vilhelmine Nielsen was a Norwegian pedagogue, school headmistress, publicist, organizer, politician and feminist.-Personal life:...
- 1911–1916 Alfred EriksenAlfred EriksenAlfred Eriksen was a Norwegian priest, politician, newspaper editor and non-fiction writer.-Personal life:...
- 1916–1918 I. M. Platou
- 1918–1919 Jens Jørgen Mørland
- 1919–1929 Gerhard Holm
- 1929–1936 Ragnar Ullmann
- 1936–1937 Alf HarbitzAlf HarbitzAlf Harbitz was a Norwegian journalist, writer, critic and translator.He was born in Flekkefjord. During his career he worked in newspapers such as Verdens Gang, Aftenposten, Morgenbladet and Drammens Tidende. He also published several novels, plays and works of prose...
- 1939–1945 Harald Bakke
- 1945–1947 Jonas Hestnes
- 1947–1956 Arnulf ØverlandArnulf ØverlandOle Peter Arnulf Øverland was a Norwegian author born in Kristiansund and raised in Bergen. His works include Berget det blå and Hustavler .-Life:...
- 1956–1959 Sigurd HoelSigurd HoelSigurd Hoel was a Norwegian author and publishing consultant, born in Nord-Odal. He debuted with the collection of short stories Veien vi gaar in 1922...
- 1959–1961 Ernst Sørensen
- 1961–1969 Johan Bernhard Hjort
- 1969–1974 Aksel LydersenAksel LydersenAksel Lydersen was a Norwegian engineer and professor in chemical engineering at the Norwegian Institute of Technology from 1965 to 1987. He was born in Flosta. Among his publications are Fluid flow and heat transfer from 1979, Mass transfer in engineering practice from 1983, and Dictionary of...
- 1974–1983 Knut WigertKnut WigertKnut Wigert was a Norwegian actor, known for his many Ibsen roles and the establishment of an Ibsen museum in Oslo.-Personal life:...
- 1983–1988 Jan Willoch
- 1988–1990 Erling Granholt
- 1990– Trond Vernegg