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Bjornstjerne BjernsonNorwegian poet, playwright, novelist and journalist, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1903.
Date of Birth: 08.12.1832
Country:  Norway |
Content:
- Bj&248;rnstjerne Bj&248;rnson: A Literary Titan
- Education and Journey to Literary Prominence
- Theatrical Critic and Cultural Luminary
- Historical Inspiration and National Pride
- Personal Life and Multifaceted Career
- Liberal Politics and Newspaper Leadership
- Literary Output and Historical Focus
- Triumphant Poetic Output and Critical Acclaim
- Social Criticism and Literary Evolution
- Societal Issues and Moral Dilemmas
- Political Satire and Problem Plays
- Realistic Novels and Psychological Insight
- Nobel Prize Laureate and Literary Legacy
- Critical Acclaim and Enduring Influence
Bj&248;rnstjerne Bj&248;rnson: A Literary Titan
Background and Early LifeBjørnstjerne Martinus Bjørnson, born on December 8, 1832, was the eldest of six sons born to Lutheran pastor Peder Bjørnson and Eliza Bjørnson, the daughter of a merchant. At age five, his family relocated from the mountainous parish of Kvikne to the picturesque Romsdal district in Western Norway, where he attended school in the coastal town of Molde.
Education and Journey to Literary Prominence
Despite his young age, Bjørnson displayed precocious literary talent. He wrote poetry, published a handwritten newspaper, and exhibited a keen interest in politics. In 1849, he moved to Christiania (now Oslo) to prepare for university entrance exams, where he encountered fellow giants of Norwegian literature, including Henrik Ibsen. He entered university in 1852 but abandoned classes the following year and immersed himself in the city's political, theatrical, and literary circles.
Theatrical Critic and Cultural Luminary
For two years, Bjørnson wrote theater reviews and critical articles in various newspapers. He also championed the creation of a Norwegian national theater, solidifying his position as a leading cultural figure in the country. In 1854, he became theater critic for Oslo's morning newspaper 'Morgenbladet.' Two years later, he launched 'Illustreret Folkebladet,' a magazine where he first published his collected folktales.
Historical Inspiration and National Pride
Inspired by a student gathering in Sweden in 1856, Bjørnson pledged to create a 'gallery of ancestors' through historical plays, aiming to rekindle a sense of national pride among Norwegians. To fulfill this obligation, he became director of the new 'Norske Theater' in Bergen in 1857.
Personal Life and Multifaceted Career
In 1858, Bjørnson married actress Karoline Reimers, with whom he had several children. One of their sons, Bjørn, became a renowned actor and director, while their daughter Bergljot married Ibsen's son Sigurd. Concurrently with his theatrical work, Bjørnson continued to write poems, plays, and short stories and published a newspaper while engaging in political activism. His poem 'Ja, vi elsker dette Landet,' written in 1859 and later set to music, became the Norwegian national anthem.
Liberal Politics and Newspaper Leadership
Returning to Oslo in 1859, Bjørnson established the daily evening newspaper 'Aftenbladet,' which he used as a platform for the new liberal party. However, his liberal and reformist editorials proved unpopular, leading to his departure as editor. From 1860 to 1863, he lived abroad, primarily in Italy. Upon his return to Oslo, he became director of 'Christiania Theater' (1865-1867).
Literary Output and Historical Focus
Until 1873, Bjørnson primarily wrote poems, songs, tales, short stories, and plays on historical themes. Like Ibsen, he often depicted peasants and medieval heroes from Norwegian sagas as his protagonists. His lyrical tales, such as 'Synneve Solbakken' (1857), 'Arne' (1859), and 'En Glad Gut' (1860), captured the lives of rural Norwegians in contemporary society and typically ended on a positive note. Danish critic Georg Brandes praised 'En Glad Gut' for its 'freshness which, like a gust of wind, banishes the oppressive melancholy that weighed upon the Norwegian spirit.'
Triumphant Poetic Output and Critical Acclaim
The late 1860s marked the height of Bjørnson's poetic output. In 1870, he published 'Digte og Sange,' many of which were set to music. His fifteen-song epic poem 'Arnljot Gelline' (1870) drew high praise from Brandes, who hailed it as 'unsurpassed in its magnificent descriptions of nature.' However, influenced by Charles Darwin, John Stuart Mill, and others, Brandes encouraged Bjørnson to shift his literary focus.
Social Criticism and Literary Evolution
From 1873 to 1876, Bjørnson resided in Rome. During this period, he abandoned folkloric and historical subjects in favor of social critique. As a passionate advocate for Norway's political and cultural independence, he embraced 'pan-Scandinavianism' and championed peace and international civil rights. Despite his professed Christian faith, he rejected Christ's divinity and criticized the Lutheran Church for its denial of evolutionary science and emphasis on sin and eternal punishment.
Societal Issues and Moral Dilemmas
Bjørnson's social criticism found expression in his plays. 'En fallit' (1875) exposed the machinations of stock market speculators, a taboo subject for serious drama at the time. 'Redakteren' (1875) examined the consequences of journalistic sensationalism. In the dramatic poem 'Kongen' (1877), he critiqued monarchy and ecclesiastical dogma.
Political Satire and Problem Plays
During the 1880s, Bjørnson produced his most celebrated 'problem' plays. 'En handske' (1883) provoked the double standards of bourgeois morality regarding gender. 'Over Evne' (1886) portrayed a fanatical priest who lets his wife die rather than save her, emphasizing the supremacy of universal human values over blind religious belief. 'Geografi og kjaerlighed' (1885) satirized his own passion for political campaigns.
Realistic Novels and Psychological Insight
In 1884, Bjørnson published his uneven but acclaimed realistic novel 'Det Flager i Buen og pa havnen,' which explored sex education in girls' schools. Another work of realism, 'Pa Guds Veje' (1889), depicted the conflict between science and religion. According to Edmund Gosse, these novels 'excel in observation and fidelity of detail.'
Nobel Prize Laureate and Literary Legacy
In 1903, Bjørnson was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature 'for his noble, magnificent, and versatile poetry, which has always been distinguished by both freshness of inspiration and rare purity of spirit' and 'for his epic and dramatic tales.' In his Nobel Lecture, he emphasized the writer's moral obligation to differentiate between good and evil. He died in Paris on April 26, 1910, at the age of 77.
Critical Acclaim and Enduring Influence
Bjørnson's nine-volume collected works were published in 1919. Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen, a Norwegian-American critic, declared that Bjørnson 'found in the ragged Norwegian peasant a national grandeur, and, laying his ear to the heart of the nation, sounded its hitherto hidden emotions. And when he spoke and sang, it seemed to every Scandinavian that it was their own voice which was heard.' While once considered on par with Ibsen, Bjørnson is today more widely known and appreciated as a poet and storyteller than a dramatist. James Walter McFarlane wrote that the 'true strength' of Bjørnson's poetry lies in its 'single-hearted devotion, its simplicity and naturalness of feeling,' as well as its lyricism and patriotic fervor. Brian W. Downs, contrasting Bjørnson with Ibsen (who never received the Nobel Prize), noted that 'the future lies with Ibsen, who remains a great power in the literary world, whereas Björnson does not; yet, at the same time, his work as a whole deserves attention.'
