Alexander Kielland
| Alexander L. Kielland | |
|---|---|
|
Kielland in later years | |
| Born |
Alexander Lange Kielland 18 February 1849 Stavanger, Norway |
| Died |
6 April 1906 (aged 57) Bergen, Norway |
| Occupation | Novelist, short story writer, playwright, essayist, businessman, and politician. |
| Nationality | Norwegian |
| Literary movement | Realism |
Alexander Lange Kielland (Norwegian: [ɑlɛˈksɑndər ˈlɑŋːə ˈçɛlːɑn]; 18 February 1849 – 6 April 1906) was one of the most famous Norwegian realistic writers of the 19th century. He is one of the so-called "The Four Greats" in Norwegian literature, along with Henrik Ibsen, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson and Jonas Lie.
Background
Born in Stavanger, Norway, he grew up in a rich merchant family. He was the son of Consul Jens Zetlitz Kielland and great-grandson of Gabriel Schanche Kielland (1760–1821). Kielland was the younger brother of Norwegian landscape painter Kitty Lange Kielland, and their mutual interactions were important to shaping both as artists.[1][2]
His family also included his son, Jens Zetlitz Kielland, (1873–1926); uncle Jacob Otto Lange (1833–1902), cousin Axel Christian Zetlitz Kielland (1853–1924), nephew Jens Zetlitz Monrad Kielland (1866–1926), cousin Anders Lange (1904–1974) and great nephew Jacob Christie Kielland (1897–1972). His great niece Axeliane Christiane Zetlitz Kielland (1916–1995) married Agnar Mykle (1915–1994).
Career
Despite being born into wealth, he had a sincere affection for the less fortunate, treating his workers well when he was a factory owner. He remained a spokesman for the weak and a critic of society throughout his time as a writer. His best known plays were the satirical comedies Tre Par (1886) and Professoren (1888). He was also well known for his short stories.[3]
Among his most famous works are the novels Gift (1883), Skipper Worse (1882) and Garman & Worse (1880). Gift (published in English as Poison ) is the first in a trilogy including Fortuna (1884) and St. Hans Fest (1887). In this trilogy, Kielland satirizes the hypocrisy of Norway's clergy. In Gift, Kielland debates the hunger for Latin which Norwegian teachers had at this period of time. The story has its peak when a young boy called Marius, is lying on his deathbed, repeating Latin grammar.[4]
It has been debated why Kielland ended his career as a writer so early. Some believe that he was so much of a realist that he could not deal with new-romantic tendencies in Norwegian literature at the end of the 19th century. A more probable reason is that he chose to focus on his political career. The biography of Alexander L. Kielland by Tor Obrestad opens up thoughts about Kielland dying from obesity. Already from the mid-1880s, Kielland had suffered from shortness of breath, and he could not put his full energy into writing. He had several heart-attacks, he constantly gained weight and he couldn't control his great passion for food.[5]
From 1889 to 1890, Kielland worked as a journalist at Stavanger Avis. Kielland virtually stopped writing fiction in 1891 and published only stories which had appeared earlier. In 1891 he was designated the mayor of his hometown, Stavanger, until in 1902 he moved on to Molde as county governor of Møre og Romsdal.[6]
Publications
Short stories
- Novelletter, 1879
- Nye novelletter, 1880
- To Novelletter fra Danmark, 1882
Novels
- Garman & Worse, 1880 - [7][8]
- Arbeidsfolk, 1881
- Else, 1881
- Skipper Worse, 1882.[9][10]
- Gift, 1883
- Fortuna, 1884
- Sne, 1886
- Sankt Hans Fest, 1887
- Jacob, 1891
Plays
- Paa Hjemvejen, 1878
- Hans Majestæts Foged, 1880
- Det hele er Ingenting, 1880
- Tre par, 1886
- Bettys Formynder, 1887
- Professoren, 1888
Essays
- Forsvarssagen, 1890
- Menneker og Dyr, 1891
- Omkring Napoleon, 1905 [11]
References
- ↑ Alexander Lange Kielland (Ancestry.com)
- ↑ Kitty Lange Kielland (A Mirror Of Nature: Nordic Landscape Painting 1840-1910. Minneapolis Institute of Arts)
- ↑ Alexander L. Kielland, utdypning (Store norske leksikon)
- ↑ Alexander L. Kielland-ulykken (Store norske leksikon)
- ↑ Alexander (Lange) Kielland (Kuusankosken kaupunginkirjasto)
- ↑ Alexander Lange Kielland (Edvard Beyer / Morten Moi. Store norske leksikon)
- ↑ Garman and Worse is available on Wikisource
- ↑ Garman & Worse is available in the original Norwegian on Project Runeberg at Garman og Worse (Norwegian)
- ↑ Skipper Worse was published in English translation in 1885 and later as one of the Harvard Classic collection. A 2009 translation into English of Skipper Worse by Christopher Fauske is published by Cross-Cultural Communications, Merrick, NY.
- ↑ . Skipper Worse is also available in the original Norwegian on Project Runeberg at Skipper Worse
- ↑ English translation 1907: Napoleon's Men and Methods
Further reading
- Gran, Gerhard von Lippe Alexander L. Kielland og hans samtid (P.T. Dreyer. 1992)
- Grøndahl, Carl Henrik and Nina Tjomsland (editors) The Literary Masters of Norway, with Samples of Their Works (Tanum-Norli. 1978)
- Hallgren, Bengt Skitt eller kanel: Omkring Alexander L. Kielland, aren 1878-1906 (Alba. 1987)
- Lunde, Johannes Liv og kunst i konflikt: Alexander L. Kielland 1883-1906 : fra Gift til Jacob ; Omkring Napoleon (Gyldendal. 1975)
- Nag, Martin Omkring samfunnsrefseren Alexander L. Kielland: Essays (Kvekerforlaget. 1999)
- Obrestad, Tor To Par: Brevvekslingen Mellom Alexander L. Kielland Og Louise Og Viggo Drewsen (J.W. Cappelen. 1998)
- Risa, Einar O. Mannen i speilet: Alexander L. Kielland i Stavanger 1888-1902 : en nedtur (Tiden Norsk. 1999)
External links
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Wikisource has original works written by or about: Alexander Lange Kielland |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alexander Kielland. |
- Digitized books and manuscripts by Kielland in the National Library of Norway
- Works by Alexander Kielland at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about Alexander Kielland at Internet Archive
- Works by Alexander Kielland at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
| Government offices | ||
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| Preceded by Ludvig Arnoldus Leth |
County Governor of Møre og Romsdal 1902–1906 |
Succeeded by Birger Kildal |
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