Along with Henrik Ibsen, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, and Alexander Kielland, Jonas Lie was considered one of "the four great ones" of the 19th century Norwegian literature figures. According to popular reviews of his works, ‘Jonas Lie stands out for his impressionistic style, picking out only significant details of setting, atmosphere, mood, and speech.’
Born in southern Norway, but moving to a more coastal region of the country later on, he was deeply fascinated by the seafarers, winter storms, coastal life and people, Russian traders, Lapps and Finns.
His first novel, The Visionary in 1870 had these impressions and the storytelling folklore inherited from his mother’s Romani ancestry.
Next was The Barque Future published in 1872 was a story of sea and of business life, as well as Lodsen og hans Hustru (1874) with the same sea stories.
One of Lie's central works is Familjen paa Gilje (The Family at Gilje), a classic novel that deals with the position of women. He went on to write about his observances of women's life especially dealing with poverty and impoverishment. Kommandørens Døtre (1886) also portrayed the constraints on women and problems of Norway's upper class, but with a more satirical edge. Maisa Jons (1888) was about a poor seamstress.
Lie's popular short story 'The Fisherman and the Draugh' was included in a collection originally published by Gyldendal Norsk Forlag, and was selected by Roald Dahl in his famous Book of Ghost Stories (1983) collection.
Weird Tales from Northern Seas
Toward the end of his life Jonas Lie became depressed and bitter from some failed writings, debts and broken friendships. This would have been the reason for more naturalism and mystic views in his future writing. He wrote two volumes of fairy tales called Trold 1891-92, translated as Weird Tales from Northern Seas, which draw on his knowledge of the folklore of the far North and Lapp magic.
Strange Finns, mythical creatures, sorcery and idolatry, mermaids, lusty women, seafaring ghosts, and sea demons haunt the coastal lands of Norway - the basis for this popular collection from 1892. The reader is transported to a strange, salty world of maelstroms and maleficent spirits, boat builders and dream-wreckers. Based in northern Norway, the stories have folklore, superstitions and grandmother’s tales all mixed in.
Adapted from Norwegian society blog.
No comments:
Post a Comment