Harald Berntsen
Encyclopedia
Harald Berntsen is a national historian and is active in the radical left in Norway.
, an area with a strong industrial working class, in which Berntsen first entered politics. Berntsen was himself the son of a Hydro
worker. The working environment at Norsk Hydro was very sosialist and Berntsen later became politically engaged.
Berntsen later became a leader in the extreme left environment at Blindern
. He joined Kjell Hovden in the Kommunistisk Arbeiderforbund
in 1971, and was named to the central council of the Kommunistisk Universitetslag (KUL) during the 1970s, when KUL grew to become the student branch of the Kommunistisk Arbeiderforbund
. Berntsen was one of the leading lights in the KUL, together with Jørgen Sandemose. On the radical left, Harald Berntsen was one of the AKP's
bitterest critics. Berntsen was formerly married to Gerd-Liv Valla
.
Berntsen has written two historical autobiographies: Det lange friminuttet from 1998 which documents the growth of the radical student movement in Norway in the 1960s, and the autobiographical novel Ut from 2001, which describes his childhood and youth in Eidanger
and Herøya
until he moved to Oslo to be a student.
Background, upbringing and work
Berntsen was born and brought up in EidangerEidanger
Eidanger is a rural parish and former municipality of Porsgrunn, in Telemark County, Norway.-History:Eidanger was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . It was merged with Porsgrunn on 1 January 1964....
, an area with a strong industrial working class, in which Berntsen first entered politics. Berntsen was himself the son of a Hydro
Norsk Hydro
Norsk Hydro ASA is a Norwegian aluminium and renewable energy company, headquartered in Oslo. Hydro is the fourth largest integrated aluminium company worldwide. It has operations in some 40 countries around the world and is active on all continents. The Norwegian state holds a 43.8 percent...
worker. The working environment at Norsk Hydro was very sosialist and Berntsen later became politically engaged.
Berntsen later became a leader in the extreme left environment at Blindern
Blindern
Blindern is the main campus of the University of Oslo, located in Nordre Aker in Oslo, Norway.-The campus:Most of the departments of the University of Oslo are located at Blindern; other, smaller campuses include Sentrum , Gaustad , St...
. He joined Kjell Hovden in the Kommunistisk Arbeiderforbund
Communist Workers League (Norway)
Communist Workers League , was a small communist group in Norway. It was formed in 1972 by a group of Communist Party of Norway militants, who had either been expelled or left voluntarily...
in 1971, and was named to the central council of the Kommunistisk Universitetslag (KUL) during the 1970s, when KUL grew to become the student branch of the Kommunistisk Arbeiderforbund
Communist Workers League (Norway)
Communist Workers League , was a small communist group in Norway. It was formed in 1972 by a group of Communist Party of Norway militants, who had either been expelled or left voluntarily...
. Berntsen was one of the leading lights in the KUL, together with Jørgen Sandemose. On the radical left, Harald Berntsen was one of the AKP's
Workers' Communist Party (Norway)
The Workers' Communist Party was a Norwegian communist party . AKP was a maoist party and one of two communist parties in Norway; the other was the older Communist Party of Norway which has remained pro-Soviet. The relationship between the two parties was characterized by strong hostility.AKP was...
bitterest critics. Berntsen was formerly married to Gerd-Liv Valla
Gerd-Liv Valla
Gerd-Liv Valla was the leader of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions . She took over in 2001 and resigned in 2007. In 1997 she was the Norwegian Minister of Justice....
.
Berntsen has written two historical autobiographies: Det lange friminuttet from 1998 which documents the growth of the radical student movement in Norway in the 1960s, and the autobiographical novel Ut from 2001, which describes his childhood and youth in Eidanger
Eidanger
Eidanger is a rural parish and former municipality of Porsgrunn, in Telemark County, Norway.-History:Eidanger was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . It was merged with Porsgrunn on 1 January 1964....
and Herøya
Herøya
Herøya is a peninsula in the municipality of Porsgrunn, Norway. It is located between the fjords of Frierfjord to the west and Gunneklevfjord to the east, at the mouth of Telemarksvassdraget...
until he moved to Oslo to be a student.
Books
(selected)- Staurberaren: Per BortenPer Bortenwas a Norwegian politician from the Centre Party and Prime Minister of Norway from 1965 to 1971. Per Borten is credited for leading the modernization of what was then named Bondepartiet into today's Centre Party...
(2007) - Statsministerkuppet: GerhardsenEinar Gerhardsenwas a Norwegian politician from the Labour Party of Norway. He was Prime Minister for three periods, 1945–1951, 1955–1963 and 1963–1965. With 17 years in office, he is the longest serving Prime Minister in Norway since the introduction of parliamentarism...
mot NygaardsvoldJohan NygaardsvoldJohan Nygaardsvold was a Norwegian politician from the Labour Party. He was Prime Minister of Norway from 1935 to 1945 , as head of the cabinet Nygaardsvold.-Political career:...
: en politisk thriller om maktkampen i mai–junidagene 1945 som skulle endre Norge (2006) - Fagbevegelsens grunnlag og historie (2004)
- Bukken til havresekken: den bedrøvelige historien om Den norske fagorganisasjons pensjonskasse (2002)
- Ut: fra en oppvekst i forrige århundre (2001)
- Universitetet i samfunnet (2001)
- O: Fra sekstienere til sekstiåttere (1999)
- Det lange friminuttet: et essay om ungdom i 1960-åra (1998)
- To liv – én skjebne: Viggo HansteenViggo HansteenHarald Viggo Hansteen was a Norwegian lawyer who was executed by the Nazis during the five-year Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany. -Biography:...
og Rolf WickstrømRolf WickstrømRolf Wickstrøm was a Norwegian labour activist and a victim of the German occupation of Norway during World War II.-Biography:...
(1995) - Hvem bygde landet – for hvem? Norsk bygningsindustriarbeiderforbund fra gjenreisning til krise 1945–1988, with Lill-Ann Jensen (1993)
- I malstrømmen: Johan NygaardsvoldJohan NygaardsvoldJohan Nygaardsvold was a Norwegian politician from the Labour Party. He was Prime Minister of Norway from 1935 to 1945 , as head of the cabinet Nygaardsvold.-Political career:...
1879–1952 (1991) - Fagorganisasjonens høyskole: Sørmarka 1939–1989 (1989)
- 100 år med Folkets hus (1987)
- Borgerskapet og fascismen: de borgerlige samfunns utvikling fra den klassiske liberalisme til våre dager, with Reinhard Kühnl (1974)
External links
- Interview with Berntsen in KlassekampenKlassekampenKlassekampen is a Norwegian daily newspaper, which styles itself as "the daily left-wing newspaper".Klassekampen was founded in 1969 with a Marxist-Leninist-Maoist platform. Until recently, it was owned by The Workers' Communist Party...
2005-01-25 Klassens mann – Jeg er ikke optimist, altså, sier Harald Berntsen. Mer radikal enn noen gang.