Ivar Kleiven
Encyclopedia
Ivar Kleiven was a Norwegian
politician, historian and poet. He is most remembered as a collector of local folklore.
, Oppland
. Kleven grew up on the small farm Kleven (Søre Kleivi) in Ottadalen. His parents were Jacob Ivarsson Snerle (later Kleven) (1803–1984) and Brit Knutsdotter Svarvarhaugen (1824–1916). Kleven attended one year at Seljord Folkehøgskule (1885–1986), when Viggo Ullmann
was the headmaster. Kleven joined the local council board where he served from 1888 to 1905. From 1892, he served as chairman of the school board and from 1900-03 he was a deputy to the Parliament of Norway from the Norwegian Liberal Party.
. Ivar Kleven lived through the many changes that eventually would come to transform the rural communities. It was the folk tradition from his home community that was the subject of his first book, Segner from Vågå (1894). From 1909 he received state support for cultural and historical works. Gamal bondekultur i Gudbrandsdalen, his main work in the stylish and expressive Gudbrandsdal dialect, concerned the old peasant culture in Lillehammer
: Lom and Skjåk (1915), Lesja og Dovre (1923), Østre og Vestre Gausdal (1926), Ringebu (1928) and Fronsbygdin (1930). An extensive collection of his work and correspondence can be found at the Norddalsarkivet in Vågå
.
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...
politician, historian and poet. He is most remembered as a collector of local folklore.
Background
Ivar Jakobsson Kleven was born in VågåVågå
Vågå is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vågåmo....
, Oppland
Oppland
is a county in Norway, bordering Sør-Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The county administration is in Lillehammer. Oppland is, together with Hedmark, one of the only two landlocked counties of Norway....
. Kleven grew up on the small farm Kleven (Søre Kleivi) in Ottadalen. His parents were Jacob Ivarsson Snerle (later Kleven) (1803–1984) and Brit Knutsdotter Svarvarhaugen (1824–1916). Kleven attended one year at Seljord Folkehøgskule (1885–1986), when Viggo Ullmann
Viggo Ullmann
Johan Christian Viggo Ullmann was a Norwegian educator and politician of Venstre, the Norwegian social-liberal party....
was the headmaster. Kleven joined the local council board where he served from 1888 to 1905. From 1892, he served as chairman of the school board and from 1900-03 he was a deputy to the Parliament of Norway from the Norwegian Liberal Party.
Career
His writing often reflects the nationalistic mood of the time. He has been called the Snorri Sturlason of GudbrandsdalGudbrandsdal
The Gudbrandsdalen is a valley and traditional district in the Norwegian county of Oppland. The valley is oriented in a north-westerly direction from Lillehammer at Mjøsa, extending 230 km toward Romsdal...
. Ivar Kleven lived through the many changes that eventually would come to transform the rural communities. It was the folk tradition from his home community that was the subject of his first book, Segner from Vågå (1894). From 1909 he received state support for cultural and historical works. Gamal bondekultur i Gudbrandsdalen, his main work in the stylish and expressive Gudbrandsdal dialect, concerned the old peasant culture in Lillehammer
Lillehammer
is a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. As of May 2011, the population of the town of Lillehammer was...
: Lom and Skjåk (1915), Lesja og Dovre (1923), Østre og Vestre Gausdal (1926), Ringebu (1928) and Fronsbygdin (1930). An extensive collection of his work and correspondence can be found at the Norddalsarkivet in Vågå
Vågå
Vågå is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vågåmo....
.
Selected works
- I gamle Daagaa. Forteljingo og Bygda-Minne fraa Vaagaa (1908)
- I Heimegrendi. Minne fraa Seksti-Aarom (1908)
- Frå skotteåre (1935)
- Elvesøg (1937)
Other sources
- Forfang, H. G.Halvard Grude ForfangHalvard Grude Forfang was a Norwegian educator.He was born in Bærum as a son of chemical engineer Einar Forfang and Agnes Grude . He was a nephew of Karen Grude Koht...
Ivar Kleiven 1854–1934 (1945) - Svare, O. Ivar Kleiven (1934)
- Bjørkvik, Halvard : Ivar Kleiven (in Norsk biografisk leksikonNorsk biografisk leksikonNorsk biografisk leksikon is the largest Norwegian biographical encyclopedia.The first edition was issued between 1921 and 1983, including 19 volumes and 5,100 articles...