Inger Hagerup (b. 14 April 1905 – 6 February 1985) was a Norwegian author, playwright and poet. She is considered one of the greatest Norwegian poets of the 20th century.[1]
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Inger Johanne Halsør was born in Bergen, Norway. Her father died when she was five years old. For several years, her family moved around, until they settled in Nordfjord and later in Volda. In 1931, she married Anders Askevold Hagerup (1904-1979), who was a teacher, translator and children's book author. They were the parents of two distinguished Norwegian authors, Klaus Hagerup and Helge Hagerup. Her son, Klaus Hagerup wrote extensively about his mother in Alt er sa nær meg: Om Inger Hagerup. [2]
Inger Hagerup is mostly known for her lyric poetry, but has also been recognized for writing many important theatrical pieces. Hagerup published her first poetry collection, "Jeg gikk meg vill i skogene", in 1939.
Both Inger Hagerup and her husband Anders participated in illegal activities during the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany and 1943 they fled to Sweden. She was known for opposing the German occupation, writing many aggressive lyrics against what she saw as a brutal and careless enemy, such as in "Aust Vågøy". The latter was inspired by the Telavåg tragedy during World War II in the spring of 1942. (This is incorrect, the poem actually deals with an incident that occurred in 1941. The Nazis retaliated against locals after a successful British raid-attack in March 1941 in the island in Lofoten. Description of the event can be found in Kathleen Stokker, Folklore fights the Nazis: humor in occupied Norway, 1940-1945, (University of Wisconsin Press: 1997) 84-85.) Many Norwegians can recite from memory the first lines, De brente våre gårder. De drepte våre menn. La våre hjerter hamre det om og om igjen. ("They burned our houses. They killed our men. Let our hearts pounding it over and over again).
In 1944 she was awarded the Gyldendal's Endowment, the Sarpsborg Prize in 1955 and in 1962 Inger Hagerup was recognized with the Dobloug Prize.