Johannes Heggland

Johannes Martin Heggland
Born (1919-06-29)29 June 1919
Died 24 January 2008(2008-01-24) (aged 88)
Occupation novelist, playwright, short story and children's literature writer, politician,

Johannes Heggland (29 June 1919 – 24 January 2008) was a Norwegian novelist, short story and children's literature writer, playwright, and politician.[1][2]

Biography

Johannes Andreas Martin Heggland was born at Tysnes in Hordaland, Norway. Heggland grew up as the youngest of 11 children in a family with a living oral tradition. His home region of Sunnhordland is a traditional district, consisting of the southern, coastal regions of the county of Hordaland, near the mouth of the Hardangerfjord.[3]

He participated in local politics for nearly 30 years. Heggland was mayor in Tysnes from 1956 to 1959, and again from 1968 to 1971. He was chairman of Norwegian Authors' Union from 1982 to 1985 and member of the Nordic Council's literary prize committee from 1983 to 1986. He was also a member of the Norwegian Language Council and board member for Riksteatret.[4][5]

Heggland made his literary debut in 1941 with Folk under fjell, and later wrote more than sixty books. Nearly half of his books are based on extensive historical studies, from the Bronze Age to the present time, with emphasis on the time around the Black Death. His prose is in the broad epic tradition with a Sunnhordland dialect and great insight into Norwegian rural society. Heggland stood outside modernism, social realism and metaphysical literature. He insisted all along on epic realism and traditionalism.[6]

Mostraspelet is a play in three acts with music by Kjell Habbestad. It had its world premiere in 1984. Set on the island of Moster in Sunnhordland during the years 995, 997 and 1024, the play deals with the introduction of Christianity in Norway by King Olaf Tryggvason. 'Mostraspelet is performed annually at the open-air theatre in Bømlo.[7][8]

Håkonarspelet – Kongen med gullhjelmen is a series of historic plays he wrote based upon the reign of King Håkon I of Norway. The plays are performed annual as part of the Håkonarspelet summer festival. They have been performed since 1997 at the Royal Norwegian Navy at Haakonsvern, at Fitjar and Seim in Hordaland and at Eivindvik in Sogn og Fjordane.[9]

Johannes Heggland received a number of literary awards for during his career, including the Nynorsk litteraturpris in 1988, Doblougprisen in 1990 and Emmausprisen in 2001. He was proclaimed a Knight, First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav for his cultural work.[10]

Awards

Selected works

Novels

Plays

References

  1. ↑ Johannes Heggland, Poet and historian of Sunnhordland (Johannes Heggland på nettet)
  2. ↑ Johannes Heggland (lokalhistoriewiki.no)
  3. ↑ Johannes Martin Heggland (Hans H. Skei. Store norske leksikon)
  4. ↑ "Johannes Heggland er død" (in Norwegian). Norwegian News Agency. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
  5. ↑ Johannes Heggland (Aftenposten)
  6. ↑ Johannes Heggland – utdypning (Kåre Glette. Store norske leksikon)
  7. ↑ Kjell Habbestad - Biography (MIC Listen to Norway)
  8. ↑ Mostraspelet (visitnorway.com)
  9. ↑ Håkonarspelet (Kongen med gullhjelmen)
  10. ↑ Johannes Heggland, Biografi (Johannes Heggland på nettet)

External links

Awards
Preceded by
Finn Bjørnseth		 Recipient of the Gyldendal's Endowment
1961
(shared with Per Bronken) 		Succeeded by
Bergljot Hobæk Haff
Cultural offices
Preceded by
Camilla Carlson		 Chair of the Norwegian Authors' Union
1982–1985 		Succeeded by
Karsten Alnæs
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