Olav Duun
Olav Duun was a Norwegian novelist and dramatist born on November 21, 1876, in the Namdalen region of northern Norway. Initially a schoolteacher, Duun began his literary career after the age of thirty, drawing inspiration from the local traditions and the struggles of peasant freeholders against nature. His most significant work, *The People of Juvik*, published between 1918 and 1923, is a six-volume saga that chronicles the journey of a family from the late eighteenth century to the early twentieth century, highlighting themes of brutality and altruism. Duun celebrated the independent peasant as a vital figure, showcasing the importance of the land and rural life. He was notable for being one of the first prominent writers to use landsmål, a language spoken by rural communities in Norway, which was previously considered less dignified than riksmål, the language of urban and official contexts. Through his works, Duun played a crucial role in elevating landsmål as a legitimate literary language, effectively capturing the voice and traditions of his people. He passed away on September 13, 1939, leaving behind a legacy that continues to resonate in Norwegian literature.
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Subject Terms
Olav Duun
Norwegian novelist
- Born: November 21, 1876
- Birthplace: Fosnes, Namdalen, Norway
- Died: September 13, 1939
- Place of death: Botne by Holmestrand, Norway
Biography
Olav Duun (doon), a schoolteacher in northern Norway in the vicinity of Trondheim, did not begin to write until after he was thirty years old. He then began to draw on the traditions of the Namdalen region, where he had been born on November 21, 1876. In his novels he presents a vivid picture of peasant freeholders fiercely battling against nature for survival.
Duun’s first notable achievement was his long saga The People of Juvik, published between 1918 and 1923. This work consists of six volumes dealing with one family from the end of the eighteenth century to the beginning of the twentieth, and it traces the gradual rise of the family from grim brutality to an altruistic sense of ideals. Duun glorified the independent peasant, the man of the land who represented purpose and importance. The People of Juvik became well known, and Duun followed it with other novels depicting the solid people and traditions of northern Norway, until his death in Botne by Holmestrand, on September 13, 1939.
Duun was also distinguished as one of the first and most able Norwegian writers to write in landsmål, the language of the people, particularly those in rural areas in the north. Until his time, most Norwegians believed landsmål to be crude and undignified, and most literature was written in riksmål, the language of government, officialdom, and the cities (riksmål is very close to modern Danish). By his example Duun, with an enormous talent for conveying the speech of his people, accomplished a great deal for the growing cause of landsmål as both a national and a literary language. The qualities of landsmål—its tradition, its simplicity, its closeness to the people and the land—served as the perfect instrument for Duun’s work.
Bibliography
Carleton, P. D. “Olav Duun, a Spokesman of Peasants.” American-Scandinavian Review 16 (1928).
Hageberg, Otto. Olav Duun: Biografiske og litteraturhistoriske streiflys. Oslo, Norway: Det Norske Samlaget, 1996.
Øverland, A. Olav Duun. Oslo, Norway: Norli, 1926.
Schjelderup, Alv Grimseth. Dikteren Olav Duun. Oslo, Norway: Norli, 1945.
Thesen, Rolv. Mennesket Og Maktene. Oslo, Norway: Norli, 1941.
Thesen, Rolv. Olav Duun. Oslo, Norway: Noregs Boklag, 1946.
Thesen, Rolv. Seks Unge om Olav Duun. Oslo, Norway: Norli, 1950.