Norwegian Literature

As a Norwegian American, the literature and folktales of Norway have always fascinated me. I joined Sons of Norway when I was in college and am now working towards a Cultural Skills Pin in Norwegian Literature. This lens was developed as an elective activity. It is my hope that it will provide others with a springboard from which to explore Norway and the other countries of Scandinavia.

• Astrid Lindgren :: Writes about a strong willed, yet charming little five year old, Lotta. Ilon Wikland illustrates this series capturing the charm of a Swedish village and culture. Of course everyone has heard of the high spirited nine year old Pippi, another character created by Astrid Lindgren.
• Jan Brett :: Beautiful landscapes filled with snow-laden trees reveal the underground home of a mischievous troll family.
• Tove Jansson :: Creates a world full of adventure for the Finnish trolls in the Moomintroll series.
• Elsa Beskow :: Choose from several of her beautifully illustrated children's books.
• Maj Lindman :: Flicka, Ricka and Dicka series.

Swedish author and artist Maj Lindman created several books about the triplet sisters and also several about triplet brothers, Snipp, Snapp, anmd Snurr. Using brightly colored, very animated illustrations she brings to life a simple story and always perfectly captures the innocent heart of childhood.

Folktales (or folk tales) are stories passed down through generations, mainly by telling. Different kinds of folktales include fairy tales (or fairytales), tall tales, trickster tales, myths, and legends. You’ll find all of those here.

Fiction is any form of narrative which deals, in part or in whole, with events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary and invented by its author(s). Although fiction often describes a major branch of literary work, it is also applied to theatrical, cinematic, documental, and musical work. In contrast to this is non-fiction, which deals exclusively in factual events (e.g.: biographies, histories).

Non-fiction is an account or representation of a subject which is presented as fact. This presentation may be accurate or not; that is, it can give either a true or a false account of the subject in question. However, it is generally assumed that the authors of such accounts believe them to be truthful at the time of their composition. Note that reporting the beliefs of others in a nonfiction format is not necessarily an endorsement of the ultimate veracity of those beliefs, it is simply saying that it is true that people believe that (for such topics as mythology, religion).

A biography is a description or account of someone's life and the times, which is usually published in the form of a book or an essay, or in some other form, such as a film. An autobiography (auto meaning "self," giving "self-biography") is a biography of a person's life written or told by that same person. A biography is more than a list of impersonal facts (education, work, relationships, and death), it also portrays the subject's experience of those events.

Notable Norwegians you may be interested in reading about include: Edvard Grieg, Edvard Munch, Erik the Red, and Sonja Henie.

Reading is a passion that is best when shared with others. Leave a note and tell us about your favorite Norwegian or Norwegian-American writers.