Olaf Skavlan (25 January 1838 – 30 May 1891) was a Norwegian literary historian and playwright.
He was born as Ole Skavlan in Stranda as a son of vicar and politician Aage Schavland (1806–1876) and his wife Gerhardine Pauline Bergh (1817–1884). He was a brother of Sigvald Skavlan, Einar Skavlan, Sr., Aage Skavlan and Harald Skavlan.[1]
In August 1879 in Stavanger he married Dagmar Kielland (1855–1931). Through this marriage he was a son-in-law of Jens Zetlitz Kielland, a brother-in-law of Ludvig Daae, Elling Holst, Kitty Lange Kielland, Alexander Kielland,[1] Jacob Kielland and Tycho Kielland. He was the father of Einar Skavlan, father-in-law of Arnstein Arneberg and grandfather of Merete Skavlan.[1]
He debuted as a fiction writer as a student. In 1871 he took the doctorate on the thesis Holberg som Komedieforfatter, about Ludvig Holberg as a comedy writer. In the periodical Nyt norsk Tidsskrift he published a study of Henrik Wergeland's work Skabelsen, Mennesket og Messias.[2] This contributed to an understanding of Wergeland as a liberal political figure, not following the politically conservative tradition that branded Wergelenad as an apolitical wordsmith.[3] Skavlan was appointed as a professor at the Royal Frederick University in 1877. He also co-founded and edited the satirical magazine Vikingen, and published the periodical Nyt tidsskrift, between 1882 and 1887 and together with Ernst Sars.[2]
Skavlan died in May 1891 in Kristiania.[1]