Gunnar Reiss-Andersen
Encyclopedia
Gunnar Reiss-Andersen was a Norwegian
lyric poet
and author.
Born in southern Norway in Larvik
municipality, Reiss-Andersen went to sea at 17 years of age, sailing the Baltic
and North Sea
s for a year in the brig
“Baron von Holberg", which was commanded by his uncle, Knut Knutsen. After completing the Examen artium
with emphasis in Latin
in 1916 he went into the military and trained, becoming a non-commissioned officer
. There he followed his inclination towards the arts, painting portraits. He subsequently studied painting in Copenhagen
(1917–1919) and Paris
(1919–1921). For several years he worked as an artist, illustrator
, and the art reviewer for the Arbeiderbladet newspaper in Oslo
.
In 1921 he debuted as a lyric poet with his poetry collection titled Indvielsens aar.
He participated in the Norwegian resistance movement
beginning in 1940 and during the early years of the Second World War, writing clandestinely distributed anti-war poetry to express opposition to the German occupation
. In 1942 he was forced to flee to Sweden
to avoid arrest by the Gestapo
. He achieved a wide following in Norway by serving as one of the voices for the resistance, along with Nordahl Grieg and Arnulf Øverland
. His contributions included several resistance-oriented collections of poetry including a collection written primarily in Norway titled Kampdikt fra Norge 1940-43 (“War Poetry from Norway 1940-43”) which was published in Stockholm
in 1943 and Norsk røst (“Norwegian Voice of Conscience”) which was published in Stockholm in 1944. His poetry written during the war, which had previously circulated illegally, was published in Norway as a collection in the spring of 1945, and enjoyed popularity.
During his stay in Sweden, he was exposed to modernistic Swedish poetry and the influence of this genre became obvious in his post-war work.
Reiss-Andersen was awarded the Norwegian state’s artist salary in 1945; this is a substantial recognition which had previously been awarded to well-recognized writers, poets, playwrights and composers including Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
, Henrik Ibsen
, Edvard Grieg
, Olav Duun
and Johan Falkberget
. In 1962, King Haakon
awarded him the rank Knight, First Class in the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav. After 1963 he also received an honorary salary from the publishing house, Gyldendal
in recognition for his contributions.
, who is known both for her work as a State Secretary
and as a mystery author.
Reiss-Andersen died on 30 July 1964 and is buried in Larvik.
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...
lyric poet
Lyric poetry
Lyric poetry is a genre of poetry that expresses personal and emotional feelings. In the ancient world, lyric poems were those which were sung to the lyre. Lyric poems do not have to rhyme, and today do not need to be set to music or a beat...
and author.
Born in southern Norway in Larvik
Larvik
is a city and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Larvik. Larvik kommune - has about 41 364 inhabitants and covers 530 km2....
municipality, Reiss-Andersen went to sea at 17 years of age, sailing the Baltic
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
and North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
s for a year in the brig
Brig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
“Baron von Holberg", which was commanded by his uncle, Knut Knutsen. After completing the Examen artium
Examen artium
Examen artium was the name of the academic certification conferred in Denmark and Norway, qualifying the student for admission to university studies. Examen artium was originally introduced as the entrance exam of the University of Copenhagen in 1630...
with emphasis in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
in 1916 he went into the military and trained, becoming a non-commissioned officer
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
. There he followed his inclination towards the arts, painting portraits. He subsequently studied painting in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
(1917–1919) and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
(1919–1921). For several years he worked as an artist, illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
, and the art reviewer for the Arbeiderbladet newspaper 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...
.
In 1921 he debuted as a lyric poet with his poetry collection titled Indvielsens aar.
He participated in the Norwegian resistance movement
Norwegian resistance movement
The Norwegian resistance to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms:...
beginning in 1940 and during the early years of the Second World War, writing clandestinely distributed anti-war poetry to express opposition to the German occupation
Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany started with the German invasion of Norway on April 9, 1940, and ended on May 8, 1945, after the capitulation of German forces in Europe. Throughout this period, Norway was continuously occupied by the Wehrmacht...
. In 1942 he was forced to flee to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
to avoid arrest by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
. He achieved a wide following in Norway by serving as one of the voices for the resistance, along with Nordahl Grieg and 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:...
. His contributions included several resistance-oriented collections of poetry including a collection written primarily in Norway titled Kampdikt fra Norge 1940-43 (“War Poetry from Norway 1940-43”) which was published in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
in 1943 and Norsk røst (“Norwegian Voice of Conscience”) which was published in Stockholm in 1944. His poetry written during the war, which had previously circulated illegally, was published in Norway as a collection in the spring of 1945, and enjoyed popularity.
During his stay in Sweden, he was exposed to modernistic Swedish poetry and the influence of this genre became obvious in his post-war work.
Reiss-Andersen was awarded the Norwegian state’s artist salary in 1945; this is a substantial recognition which had previously been awarded to well-recognized writers, poets, playwrights and composers including 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...
, 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...
, 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...
, Olav Duun
Olav Duun
Olav Duun was a noteworthy author of Norwegian fiction. He is generally recognized to be one of the more outstanding writers in Norwegian literature. He once lacked only one vote to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature...
and Johan Falkberget
Johan Falkberget
Johan Falkberget, born Johan Petter Lillebakken, was a Norwegian author.-Life and career:Johan Falkberget was born on the Falkberget farm in the Rugldal valley in the Norwegian copper mining municipality of Røros.In 1891, he began to write his Christianus Sextus trilogy, though it was not...
. In 1962, King Haakon
Haakon VII of Norway
Haakon VII , known as Prince Carl of Denmark until 1905, was the first king of Norway after the 1905 dissolution of the personal union with Sweden. He was a member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg...
awarded him the rank Knight, First Class in the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav. After 1963 he also received an honorary salary from the publishing house, Gyldendal
Gyldendal
Gyldendal may refer to:*Gyldendal, a Danish publishing house*Gyldendal Norsk Forlag, a Norwegian publishing house founded as a demerger from the Danish one*Søren Gyldendal, the founder of the Danish publishing house...
in recognition for his contributions.
Personal life
Reiss-Andersen married Elizabeth Waage (1898-1962) in 1921, and in 1925 he married Tordis Castberg Anker (1899–1967). They had a son, Helge Reiss-Andersen. Gunnar Reiss-Andersen was also the father of Dag Halvorsen (1934–2007), who was a journalist and foreign correspondent, and of Gry Waage (1922-), a Norwegian journalist. He is the paternal grandfather to another well-known Norwegian, Berit Reiss-AndersenBerit Reiss-Andersen
Berit Reiss-Andersen is a Norwegian lawyer, author and former politician for the Norwegian Labour Party. She is currently the President of the Norwegian Bar Association and a member of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, the 5-member committee that awards the Nobel Peace Prize.Reiss-Andersen served as...
, who is known both for her work as a State Secretary
State Secretary (Norway)
In Norway, a State Secretary is a partisan political position within the executive branch of government. Contrary to the position Secretary of State in many other countries, the Norwegian State Secretary does not head his or her Ministry, rather, they are second in rank to a Minister...
and as a mystery author.
Reiss-Andersen died on 30 July 1964 and is buried in Larvik.
Radio plays
- Mannen fra havet (Broadcast 11 March 1939)
- Scener fra Henrik Wergelands liv (Broadcast 17 June 1945)
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...
1941 - Dobloug PrizeDobloug PrizeThe Dobloug Prize is a literature prize awarded for Swedish and Norwegian fiction. The prize is named after Norwegian businessman and philanthropist Birger Dobloug pursuant to his bequest. The prize sum is . The Dobloug Prize is awarded annually by the Swedish Academy.-Prize winners:...
1955 - Knight, First Class in the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav 1962
- Nominated for the Nordic Council's Literature Prize 1962
- Norwegian Academy of Literature and Freedom of Expression Litteraturpris fra Det norske akademi for sprog og litteratur 1963
- A bust of Reiss-Andersen, carved by Stinius Fredriksen, stands in the Jegersborg market square at Larvik city center