Tarjei Vesaas
Encyclopedia
[Tarjei Vesaas was a Norwegian
poet and novelist. Born in Vinje
, Telemark
, Vesaas is widely considered to be one of Norway's greatest writers of the twentieth century and perhaps its most important since World War II
.
Vesaas spent much of his youth in solitude, seeking comfort and solace in nature. He was guilt-ridden by his refusal to take over the family farm, and this guilt permeates much of his authorship. The destruction he witnessed after World War I
made a deep impression on him. He married the writer Halldis Moren Vesaas
and moved back to his home town of Vinje in 1934.
His authorship covers almost 50 years, from 1923 to 1970. Written in Nynorsk
, his work is characterized by simple, terse, and symbolic prose. His stories are often about simple rural people that undergo a severe psychological drama and who according to critics are described with immense psychological insight. Commonly dealing with themes such as death
, guilt
, angst
, and other deep and intractable human emotions, the Norwegian natural landscape is a prevalent feature in his works. His debut was in 1923 with Children of Humans (Menneskebonn), but he had his breakthrough in 1934 with The Great Cycle (Det store spelet). His mastery of the nynorsk
language, landsmål
(see Norwegian language
), has contributed to its acceptance as a medium of world class literature.
The most famous of his works are Is-slottet
(The Ice Palace), a story of two girls who build a profoundly strong relationship that ultimately ends tragically; and The Birds, a story of an adult of a simple childish mind, which through his tenderhearted empathy and imagination bears the role of a seer or writer.
A prolific author, he won a number of awards, including the Gyldendal's Endowment
in 1943, The Nordic Council's Literature Prize
in 1963 for his novel The Ice Palace and the Venice Prize in 1953 for The Winds. He was mentioned as being considered for the Nobel Prize for Literature on three separate occasions (1964, 1968 and 1969). Several of his books have been translated into English, among them The Birds, Through Naked Branches, and The Ice Palace.
His books are available in English solely from Peter Owen, an independent English publisher based in London.
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...
poet and novelist. Born in Vinje
Vinje
Vinje is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Vest-Telemark. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Åmot.-Name:...
, Telemark
Telemark
is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:...
, Vesaas is widely considered to be one of Norway's greatest writers of the twentieth century and perhaps its most important since World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Vesaas spent much of his youth in solitude, seeking comfort and solace in nature. He was guilt-ridden by his refusal to take over the family farm, and this guilt permeates much of his authorship. The destruction he witnessed after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
made a deep impression on him. He married the writer Halldis Moren Vesaas
Halldis Moren Vesaas
Halldis Moren Vesaas was a Norwegian poet, translator and writer of children's books. She established herself as one of the leading female Norwegian writer of her generation.-Biography:...
and moved back to his home town of Vinje in 1934.
His authorship covers almost 50 years, from 1923 to 1970. Written in Nynorsk
Nynorsk
Nynorsk or New Norwegian is one of two official written standards for the Norwegian language, the other being Bokmål. The standard language was created by Ivar Aasen during the mid-19th century, to provide a Norwegian alternative to the Danish language which was commonly written in Norway at the...
, his work is characterized by simple, terse, and symbolic prose. His stories are often about simple rural people that undergo a severe psychological drama and who according to critics are described with immense psychological insight. Commonly dealing with themes such as death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
, guilt
Guilt
Guilt is the state of being responsible for the commission of an offense. It is also a cognitive or an emotional experience that occurs when a person realizes or believes—accurately or not—that he or she has violated a moral standard, and bears significant responsibility for that...
, angst
Angst
Angst is an English, German, Danish, Norwegian and Dutch word for fear or anxiety . It is used in English to describe an intense feeling of apprehension, anxiety or inner turmoil...
, and other deep and intractable human emotions, the Norwegian natural landscape is a prevalent feature in his works. His debut was in 1923 with Children of Humans (Menneskebonn), but he had his breakthrough in 1934 with The Great Cycle (Det store spelet). His mastery of the nynorsk
Nynorsk
Nynorsk or New Norwegian is one of two official written standards for the Norwegian language, the other being Bokmål. The standard language was created by Ivar Aasen during the mid-19th century, to provide a Norwegian alternative to the Danish language which was commonly written in Norway at the...
language, 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...
(see Norwegian language
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...
), has contributed to its acceptance as a medium of world class literature.
The most famous of his works are Is-slottet
The Ice Palace (novel)
The Ice Palace is a novel by the Norwegian author Tarjei Vesaas, first published in 1963. The original novel is written in nynorsk and considered a classic of Norwegian literature. It has been translated to English...
(The Ice Palace), a story of two girls who build a profoundly strong relationship that ultimately ends tragically; and The Birds, a story of an adult of a simple childish mind, which through his tenderhearted empathy and imagination bears the role of a seer or writer.
A prolific author, he won a number of awards, including the Gyldendal's Endowment
Gyldendal's Endowment
Gyldendal'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...
in 1943, The Nordic Council's Literature Prize
The Nordic Council's Literature Prize
The Nordic Council Literature Prize is awarded for a work of literature written in one of the languages of the Nordic countries, that meets "high literary and artistic standards". Established in 1962, the prize is awarded every year, and is worth 350,000 Danish kroner...
in 1963 for his novel The Ice Palace and the Venice Prize in 1953 for The Winds. He was mentioned as being considered for the Nobel Prize for Literature on three separate occasions (1964, 1968 and 1969). Several of his books have been translated into English, among them The Birds, Through Naked Branches, and The Ice Palace.
Selected works
- The Great Cycle, Det store spelet, novel 1934
- Women Call Home, Kvinnor ropar heim, novel 1935 (sequel to The great cycle)
- The Seed, Kimen, novel 1940
- House in the Darkness, Huset i mørkret, novel 1945
- The Winds, Vindane, short stories 1952
- Land of Hidden Fires, Løynde eldars land, poetry 1953
- Spring Night, Vårnatt, novel 1954
- The BirdsThe Birds (novel)The Birds, original Nynorsk title Fuglane, is a novel by Norwegian author Tarjei Vesaas. It was first released in 1957, and has been translated into several languages.-Synopsis:...
, Fuglane, novel 1957 - The Ice PalaceThe Ice Palace (novel)The Ice Palace is a novel by the Norwegian author Tarjei Vesaas, first published in 1963. The original novel is written in nynorsk and considered a classic of Norwegian literature. It has been translated to English...
, Is-slottet, novel 1963 - The Bridges, Bruene, novel 1966
- Through Naked Branches: Selected Poems of Tarjei Vesaas, 2000
His books are available in English solely from Peter Owen, an independent English publisher based in London.