Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen
Encyclopedia
Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen was a Norwegian-American
author and college professor.
in Vestfold
County, Norway
. Boyesen grew up in Fredriksvern, then in Kongsberg
, and, from 1854, at Systrand in Sogn
. From 1860, he went to Drammen
Latin School, and, after his final exams, he took another exam at the university in 1868. Boyesen was well-schooled in both German and Scandinavian literature
, graduating from the University of Leipzig
and the University of Oslo
.
during 1869 and initially became assistant editor of Fremad
, a Norwegian language
weekly published in Chicago. The multi-lingual Boyesen subsequently taught Greek
and Latin
classes at Urbana University
. Boyesen was a professor of North European Languages at Cornell University
from 1874 to 1880. Boyesen became a professor of Germanic languages at Columbia University
in 1881. His scholarly works included Goethe and Schiller, Essays on German Literature, A Commentary on the Works of Henrik Ibsen and Essays on Scandinavian Literature.
Through his public lectures, Boyesen won a reputation as an excellent lecturer. He was a prolific writer, and, over 20 years, he published 25 books including novels, short stories, poems, and literary criticism. He also published short stories, essays, and book reviews in periodicals. Boyesen is more commonly known for his works of popular fiction. His most successful books have remained those based upon Norwegian culture and habits. He wrote many books of fiction for adults and children and some poetry. He is best remembered for his novel Gunnar: A Tale of Norse Life, which is generally considered to have been the first novel by a Norwegian immigrant in America.
People of the United States
The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
author and college professor.
Biography
He was born at the Norwegian naval base Fredriksvern, near the village of StavernStavern
Stavern is a small Norwegian town located in the municipality of Larvik, south of the city of Larvik in Vestfold.The port and naval base of Stavern was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 . Even though it was an important port it was first given its status as a town July 1, 1942...
in Vestfold
Vestfold
is a county in Norway, bordering Buskerud and Telemark. The county administration is in Tønsberg.Vestfold is located west of the Oslofjord, as the name indicates. It includes many smaller, but well-known towns in Norway, such as Larvik, Sandefjord, Tønsberg and Horten. The river Numedalslågen runs...
County, Norway
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...
. Boyesen grew up in Fredriksvern, then in Kongsberg
Kongsberg
is a town and municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is located at the southern end of the traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kongsberg....
, and, from 1854, at Systrand in Sogn
Sogn
Sogn is a traditional district in Western Norway . It is located in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, surrounding the Sognefjord. Sogn consists of the municipalities of Aurland, Balestrand, Hyllestad, Høyanger, Gulen, Leikanger, Luster, Lærdal, Sogndal, Solund, Vik, and Årdal. The district covers ...
. From 1860, he went to Drammen
Drammen
Drammen is a city in Buskerud County, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the eastern and most populated part of Norway.-Location:...
Latin School, and, after his final exams, he took another exam at the university in 1868. Boyesen was well-schooled in both German and Scandinavian literature
Scandinavian literature
Scandinavia literature or Nordic literature is the literature in the languages of the Nordic countries of Northern Europe. The Nordic countries include Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway , Sweden and associated autonomous territories .The majority of these nations and regions use North Germanic...
, graduating from the University of Leipzig
University of Leipzig
The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
and the University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
.
Career
Boyesen immigrated to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
during 1869 and initially became assistant editor of Fremad
Fremad
Fremad was a Norwegian-language weekly newspaper published from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA, between 1894 and 1935. During its first two years of publishing, the socialist Olav Kringen edited the paper....
, a 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...
weekly published in Chicago. The multi-lingual Boyesen subsequently taught Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
and 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...
classes at Urbana University
Urbana University
Urbana University is a private university specializing in liberal arts education. Urbana is located in Urbana, Ohio, approximately one hour west of Columbus and one hour northeast of Dayton.-History:...
. Boyesen was a professor of North European Languages at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
from 1874 to 1880. Boyesen became a professor of Germanic languages at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1881. His scholarly works included Goethe and Schiller, Essays on German Literature, A Commentary on the Works of Henrik Ibsen and Essays on Scandinavian Literature.
Through his public lectures, Boyesen won a reputation as an excellent lecturer. He was a prolific writer, and, over 20 years, he published 25 books including novels, short stories, poems, and literary criticism. He also published short stories, essays, and book reviews in periodicals. Boyesen is more commonly known for his works of popular fiction. His most successful books have remained those based upon Norwegian culture and habits. He wrote many books of fiction for adults and children and some poetry. He is best remembered for his novel Gunnar: A Tale of Norse Life, which is generally considered to have been the first novel by a Norwegian immigrant in America.
Selected bibliography
- Gunnar: A Tale of Norse Life (1874)
- A Norseman's Pilgrimage (1875)
- Falconberg (1879)
- Goethe and Schiller (1879)
- Ilka on the Hill Top (1881)
- A Daughter of the Philistines (1883)
- Vagabond Tales (1889)
- Against Heavy Old (1890)
- The Mammon of Unrighteousness (1891)
- Idyls of Norway and Other Poems (1892)
- Boyhood in Norway: stories of boy-life in the Land of the Midnight Sun (1892)
- Essays on German Literature (1892)
- The Social Strugglers (1893)
- A Commentary on the Works of Henrik Ibsen (1894)
- Against heavy odds: a tale of Norse heroism, and a fearless trio (1894)
- Norse Tales (1894)
- Essays on Scandinavian Literature (1895)
External links
Further reading
- Glasrud, Clarence A. Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen (Norwegian-American Historical Association. 1963)
- Fredrickson, Robert S Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen (Twayne's United States Authors. 1980)
- Seyersted, Per From Norwegian Romantic to American Realist: Studies in Life and Writings of Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen (Publications of the American Institute, University of Oslo. 1984)
- Eckstein, Neil Truman Marginal Man As Novelist: The Norwegian-American Writers H.H Boyesen and O.E. Rolvaag (Taylor & Francis. 1990)