Aasmund Olavsson Vinje
Encyclopedia
Aasmund Olavsson Vinje was a famous Norwegian
poet
and journalist
who is remembered for poetry
, travel writing
, and his pioneering use of Landsmål
(now known as Nynorsk
).
, Telemark
. He had a voracious appetite for learning and supported himself in part by teaching. He earned his university
entrance exam after attending the same school as Henrik Ibsen
, studied law
, and became an attorney
.
(The dales-man) in 1858, in which he published travel accounts, and editorial comments on art, language and politics that serve as records for the period in which he lived. Dølen ceased publication in 1870.
Vinje did much to articulate the difference between city and rural
life in Norway and was among the sophisticated exponents of Norwegian romantic nationalism
. Despite this, he was also known for his critical scepticism and double views (No: tvisyn) - that is, he advocated to embrace both pro and contra arguments to avoid confirmation bias
. He was politically active to the extent that the government fired him from his work as an attorney for criticizing its foreign policy.
Among his writings, the Ferdaminni fraa Sumaren 1860 (A remembrance of a voyage in the summer 1860, not translated), rank in high esteem in Norwegian literature
, describing a journey from Oslo
to Trondheim
in order to cover the coronation of King Charles
in the Nidarosdomen cathedral for his periodical. It can be seen as a program for Vinje and the Dølen that the description deals more warm-hearted with his meetings with ordinary people along the journey, than with the royalties he encountered at the coronation.
In 1863 he wrote A Norseman's View of Britain and the British, which was translated into Norwegian ten years later. Some of Vinje's poetry is still very much alive in Norway, especially the poem Ved Rundarne (English: At Rondane), with its tune by Edvard Grieg
.
Dying from stomach cancer
, Vinje decided to spend his last days in the countryside. He died as a guest of his friend, minister
(later bishop
) Anton Christian Bang
at Gran in Hadeland
on 30 July 1870 and is buried nearby in the churchyard of the Sister churches at Granavollen (Søsterkirkene). In 1873, a large monument with a bust of Vinjes by Brynjulf Bergslien
was erected at the site.
Today Aasmund Vinje paths exist in several Norwegian cities and towns including Oslo
, Stavanger
, Trondheim
, Moss
, Fjellhamar
, Corby
, Hamar
, Gjøvik
, Rjukan
, Skien
and Mandal
.
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
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
who is remembered for poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, travel writing
Travel writing
Travel writing is a genre that has, as its focus, accounts of real or imaginary places. The genre encompasses a number of styles that may range from the documentary to the evocative, from literary to journalistic, and from the humorous to the serious....
, and his pioneering use of 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...
(now known as 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...
).
Background
Vinje was born into a poor but well-read family in VinjeVinje
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:...
. He had a voracious appetite for learning and supported himself in part by teaching. He earned his university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
entrance exam after attending the same school as 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...
, studied law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, and became an attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
.
Career
Vinje founded the periodical DølenDølen
Dølen is a former Norwegian weekly magazine, issued by Aasmund Olavson Vinje from 1858 to 1870. Several of Vinje's literary works were first published in Dølen. The first issue is dated 10 October 1858. It came out weekly, but there were shorter and longer periods when the magazine did not appear....
(The dales-man) in 1858, in which he published travel accounts, and editorial comments on art, language and politics that serve as records for the period in which he lived. Dølen ceased publication in 1870.
Vinje did much to articulate the difference between city and rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
life in Norway and was among the sophisticated exponents of Norwegian romantic nationalism
Norwegian romantic nationalism
Norwegian romantic nationalism was a movement in Norway between 1840 and 1867 in art, literature, and popular culture that emphasized the aesthetics of Norwegian nature and the uniqueness of the Norwegian national identity...
. Despite this, he was also known for his critical scepticism and double views (No: tvisyn) - that is, he advocated to embrace both pro and contra arguments to avoid confirmation bias
Confirmation bias
Confirmation bias is a tendency for people to favor information that confirms their preconceptions or hypotheses regardless of whether the information is true.David Perkins, a geneticist, coined the term "myside bias" referring to a preference for "my" side of an issue...
. He was politically active to the extent that the government fired him from his work as an attorney for criticizing its foreign policy.
Among his writings, the Ferdaminni fraa Sumaren 1860 (A remembrance of a voyage in the summer 1860, not translated), rank in high esteem in Norwegian literature
Norwegian literature
Norwegian literature is literature composed in Norway or by Norwegian people. The history of Norwegian literature starts with the pagan Eddaic poems and skaldic verse of the 9th and 10th centuries with poets such as Bragi Boddason and Eyvindr Skáldaspillir...
, describing a journey from 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...
to Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
in order to cover the coronation of King Charles
Charles XV of Sweden
Charles XV & IV also Carl ; Swedish and Norwegian: Karl was King of Sweden and Norway from 1859 until his death....
in the Nidarosdomen cathedral for his periodical. It can be seen as a program for Vinje and the Dølen that the description deals more warm-hearted with his meetings with ordinary people along the journey, than with the royalties he encountered at the coronation.
In 1863 he wrote A Norseman's View of Britain and the British, which was translated into Norwegian ten years later. Some of Vinje's poetry is still very much alive in Norway, especially the poem Ved Rundarne (English: At Rondane), with its tune by Edvard Grieg
Edvard Grieg
Edvard Hagerup Grieg was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is best known for his Piano Concerto in A minor, for his incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt , and for his collection of piano miniatures Lyric Pieces.-Biography:Edvard Hagerup Grieg was born in...
.
Dying from stomach cancer
Stomach cancer
Gastric cancer, commonly referred to as stomach cancer, can develop in any part of the stomach and may spread throughout the stomach and to other organs; particularly the esophagus, lungs, lymph nodes, and the liver...
, Vinje decided to spend his last days in the countryside. He died as a guest of his friend, minister
Minister of religion
In Christian churches, a minister is someone who is authorized by a church or religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spiritual guidance to the community...
(later bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
) Anton Christian Bang
Anton Christian Bang
Anton Christian Bang was a Norwegian theologian, historian and politician for the Conservative Party of Norway....
at Gran in Hadeland
Gran, Norway
is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hadeland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Jaren. There is also a village of Gran located within the municipality....
on 30 July 1870 and is buried nearby in the churchyard of the Sister churches at Granavollen (Søsterkirkene). In 1873, a large monument with a bust of Vinjes by Brynjulf Bergslien
Brynjulf Bergslien
Brynjulf Larsen Bergslien was a noted Norwegian sculptor.-Background:Bergslien was born in Voss in Hordaland county, Norway. He was a son of Lars Bergeson Bergslien and Kirsten Knutsdotter Gjelle. He was a brother of noted painter and master artist Knud Bergslien...
was erected at the site.
Today Aasmund Vinje paths exist in several Norwegian cities and towns including 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...
, Stavanger
Stavanger
Stavanger is a city and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.Stavanger municipality has a population of 126,469. There are 197,852 people living in the Stavanger conurbation, making Stavanger the fourth largest city, but the third largest urban area, in Norway...
, Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
, Moss
Moss, Norway
is a coastal city and a municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Moss. The city of Moss was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...
, Fjellhamar
Fjellhamar
Fjellhamar is a village in Akershus, Norway and is about twenty minutes driving from Oslo....
, Corby
Corby
Corby Town is a town and borough located in the county of Northamptonshire. Corby Town is 23 miles north-east of the county town, Northampton. The borough had a population of 53,174 at the 2001 Census; the town on its own accounted for 49,222 of this figure...
, Hamar
Hamar
is a town and municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hedmarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Hamar. The municipality of Hamar was separated from Vang as a town and municipality of its own in 1849...
, Gjøvik
Gjøvik
is a town and a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Gjøvik.In 1861, the village of Gjøvik in the municipality of Vardal was granted town status and was separated from Vardal to form a separate municipality...
, Rjukan
Rjukan
Rjukan is a town and the administrative center of Tinn municipality in Telemark . It is situated in Vestfjorddalen, between Møsvatn and Tinnsjå, and got its name after Rjukanfossen west of the town. The Tinn municipality council granted township status for Rjukan in 1996. The town has 3 386...
, Skien
Skien
' is a city and municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Skien. Skien is also the administrative centre of Telemark county....
and Mandal
Mandal
is a town and municipality in Vest-Agder county, Norway. The administrative center of the municipality is the town of Mandal.The town of Mandal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...
.
Selected works
- En Ballade om Kongen og Kongehuset (1853)
- Ferdaminni fraa Sumaren 1860 (1861)
- A Norseman's View of Britain and the British (1863)
- Diktsamling (1864)
- Storegut (1866)
- Blandkorn (1867)
- Dølen i eiget Hus atter (1868)
- Um vaart nationale Stræv (1869)
Memorials
- In 1918, a statue of Vinje was erected in SkienSkien' is a city and municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Skien. Skien is also the administrative centre of Telemark county....
- In 1947, a bronze statue in full figure by Knut Skinnarland (1909-1993) was placed at the Vinjar community hall in Vinje, near Vinjestoga
- In 1959, a memorial was raised to Vinje at EidsbugardenEidsbugardenEidsbugarden is a tourist center which lies at the western end of Lake Bygdin in the Jotunheimen mountain range on the outskirts of Jotunheim National Park in Oppland, Norway. Eidsbugarden lies to the southeast in Jotunheim....
where he had a private hut. - In 1968 for the 150th anniversary of Vinje's birth the Posten Norge released a stamp with a portrait of Vinje
- In 1968, a statue of Vinje by Dyre VaaDyre VaaDyre Vaa was a Norwegian sculptor and painter.-Background:He was born in Kviteseid, Telemark, and later lived and worked in Rauland. Vaa grew up the youngest of five siblings in a wealthy home. His father was one of the largest forest owners in Telemark...
was erected in Sogn Student VillageSogn StudentbySogn Studentby is a residential area for students located in the north of Oslo.The buildings are managed and maintained by the student welfare organization Foundation for Student Life in Oslo. Sogn Studentby consists mostly of about 1288 single rooms. It is one of the cheapest housing areas for...
in OsloOsloOslo 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... - In 1984, Vinje was depicted on Norges Bank's 50-krone
Other sources
- Glienke, Bernhard (1999) Vinje in London (Frankfurt: Peter Lang in Metropolis und nordische Moderne) Norwegian
- Vesaas, Olav (2001) A.O. Vinje. Ein tankens hærmann (Oslo: Cappelen) Norwegian
- Langslet, Lars Roar; Jon H. Rydne (1993) Villmann, vismann og veiviser : en essaysamling om A. O. Vinje (Oslo, Cappelen) ISBN 82-02-14070-6 Norwegian
- Glomnes, Eli; Øyvind T. Gulliksen; Olav Solberg (1992) At føle paa nationens puls : åtte artiklar om Aasmund O. Vinje (Oslo, Novus) ISBN 82-7099-196-1 Norwegian
External links
- A. O. Vinje in Tønsberg Norwegian