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Ole Edvart Rølvaag

April 15, 2024

Ole Edvart Rølvaag (Urban East Norwegian: [ˈûːlə ˈɛ̀dːvɑʈ ˈrø̂ːlvoːɡ]; Rølvåg in modern Norwegian, Rolvaag in English orthography) (April 22, 1876 – November 5, 1931) was a Norwegian-American novelist and professor who became well known for his writings regarding the Norwegian American immigrant experience. Ole Rolvaag is most frequently associated with Giants in the Earth, his award-winning, epic novel of Norwegian immigrant homesteaders in Dakota Territory.[1]

Ole Edvart Rølvågen
1920s (?), Minnesota Historical Society
Born(1876-04-22)22 April 1876
Dønna, Norway
Died5 November 1931(1931-11-05) (aged 55)
Northfield, Minnesota, United States
NationalityNorwegian-American
Occupation(s)Novelist and professor
Known forGiants in the Earth
O. E. Rolvaag House at 311 Manitou in Northfield, MN

Biography edit

Rølvåg was born in the family's cottage in a small fishing village on the island of Dønna, in Nordland county, Norway. Dønna, one of the largest islands on the northern coast of Norway, is situated about five miles from the Arctic Circle. He was born with the name Ole Edvart Pedersen, one of seven children of Peder Benjamin Jakobsen and Ellerine Pedersdatter Vaag. The settlement where he was born had no official name, but was referred to as Rølvaag, the name of a narrow bay on the northwestern point of the island where the fishermen kept their boats. At 14 years of age Rølvaag joined his father and brothers in the Lofoten fishing grounds. Rølvaag lived there until he was 20 years of age, and the impressions he received during the days of his childhood and his young manhood endured with him throughout his life.[2][3]

An uncle who had emigrated to America sent him a ticket in the summer of 1896, and he traveled to Union County, South Dakota to work as a farmhand. He settled in Elk Point, South Dakota, working as a farmhand until 1898. With the help of his pastor, Rølvaag enrolled in Augustana Academy in Canton, South Dakota where he graduated in 1901. He earned a bachelor's degree from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota in 1905, and a master's degree from the same institution in 1910. He also had studied for some time at the University of Oslo.[4]

Career edit

In 1906, Rølvaag was recruited as a professor by St. Olaf College president John N. Kildahl. Rølvaag was made head of the Norwegian Department at St. Olaf in 1916. In 1925, Ole E. Rolvaag became the first secretary and archivist of Norwegian-American Historical Association. He held both positions for the rest of his life.

Personal life edit

In 1908, he became a United States citizen and married Jennie Marie Berdahl, the daughter of Andrew James Berdahl and Karen Oline Otterness. They had four children: Olaf, Ella, Karl and Paul. Their son, Karl Fritjof Rolvaag, served as the 31st Governor of Minnesota.[5] Ole Rolvaag died November 5, 1931, in Northfield, Minnesota.[6]

Literary style and themes edit

Ole Rølvaag wrote in the Norwegian language, but his novels have a distinct American flavor and theme. Rolvaag was deeply influenced by earlier American writers who, writing in Norwegian, had faithfully portrayed the experiences of so many Norwegian immigrant pioneers. In this he was strongly influenced by Hans Andersen Foss and Peer Stromme, both of whom had written novels which provided realistic aspects of the homesteader's experience. The Emigrants by Norwegian author Johan Bojer, first published in 1925, follows many of these same themes. Rølvaag in turn provided an equally strong influence on future Scandinavian writers. Rølvaag attracted a number of gifted young Norwegian-Americans to St. Olaf College, among them Einar Haugen. Written decades later, Vilhelm Moberg's novels would depict the experience of Swedish-American immigrants.[7][8]

Giants in the Earth edit

Rølvaag's authorship and scholarship focused on the pioneer experience on the Dakota plains in the 1870s. His most famous book was Giants in the Earth (Norwegian: I de dage), part of a trilogy. It features the story of a Norwegian pioneer family's struggles with the land and the elements of the Dakota Territory, as they try to make a new life in America. It was based partly upon Rolvaag's personal experiences as a settler and as well of the experiences of his wife's family who had been immigrant homesteaders. The novel realistically treats the lives and trials of Norwegian pioneers in the Midwest, emphasizing their battles with the elements. The book also portrays the trials of loneliness, separation from family, longing for the old country, and the difficulty of fitting into a new culture.[9]

The book was written in Norwegian and then translated into English. The book reads as an American novel but stems from an Old World literary tradition. It provides dramatic contrast between Per Hansa and his wife, Beret.

Per is a natural pioneer who sees promise flooding the windswept plains. Beret hungers for the ways of her homeland, and in her heart, loneliness gathers and penetrates the deeper reality of life lived on the American frontier.

Giants in the Earth served as the basis for an opera by Douglas Moore and Arnold Sundgaard that won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1951.[10]

Honors and awards edit

Rølvaag was appointed Knight of the Order of St Olav by King Haakon VII in 1926.[11][12] Also, St. Olaf College has created a literary award named for Rolvaag, the Ole E. Rolvaag Award for Fiction, the "award honors the memory of St. Olaf’s greatest writer, Ole Rolvaag".[13]

Memorials edit

 
Berdahl–Rølvaag House in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Selected bibliography edit

  • Amerika-breve fra P.A. Smevik til hans far og bror i Norge – American Letters (1912)
  • Paa Glemte Veie – On Forgotten Paths (1914)
  • To Tullinger: Et Billede frå idag – Two Fools: A Portrait of Our Times (1920)
  • Længselens Baat – The Boat of Longing (1921)
  • Omkring fædrearven – Concerning Our Heritage (1922)
  • I de Dage – In Those Days (1923)
  • Riket Grundlægges – Founding the Kingdom (1924)

The following three books form a trilogy:

  • Giants in the Earth (combined version of I de Dage and Riket Grundlægges – translated and published in 1927)
  • Peder Seier – Peder Victorious (translated in 1929)
  • Den Signede Dag – Their Father's God (translated in 1931)

Last release:

  • Pure Gold (translated in 1930)
  • The Boat of Longing (1933)

References edit

  1. ^ Heitmann, John. "Edvart Rølvaag". Norwegian-American Historical Association. p. 144. from the original on 2009-07-04. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  2. ^ Olson, Julius E. "Edvart Rølvaag, 1876–1931 In Memoriam". Norwegian-American Historical Association. p. 121. from the original on 2014-02-04. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  3. ^ "Ole Edvart Rølvaag". Nordland Fylkeskommune. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  4. ^ Haugen, Einar I. "E. Rølvaag: Norwegian-American". Norwegian-American Historical Association. p. 53. from the original on 2014-03-06. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  5. ^ "Jennie Marie Berdahl (My Genealogy)". from the original on 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2010-05-06.
  6. ^ "Ole E. Rolvaag". Minnesota Historical Society. from the original on January 17, 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  7. ^ Rølvaag and Krause, Two Novelists of the Northwest Prairie Frontier by Arthur R. Huseboe, Augustana College 2009-03-25 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ The Viking Invasion: An Historiography of Norwegian-American Literature And Its Role In Norwegian Immigration And The Founding of Vesterheimen Within America (W. Scott Nelson. Humboldt State University May, 2005) 2009-03-25 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ to the text edition of Giants in the Earth. Copyright 1929 by Harper and Brothers.[permanent dead link]
  10. ^ "Giants in the Earth, Libretto by Arnold Sundgaard after Rolvaag. March 28, 1951 {US Opera". from the original on February 4, 2009. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
  11. ^ Bjørk, Kenneth. "Unknown Rølvaag: Secretary in the Norwegian-American Historical Association". Norwegian-American Historical Association. p. 114. from the original on 2009-07-04. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  12. ^ The Main Factors in Rølvaag's Authorship. (Theodore Jorgenson. Norwegian-American Historical Association.Volume X: Page 135 2009-07-04 at the Wayback Machine)
  13. ^ "Rolvaag Award for Fiction". from the original on 2019-01-29. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
  14. ^ . Archived from the original on 2013-02-20. Retrieved 2009-03-11.
  15. ^ "Rolvaag Memorial Library". St. Olaf College. from the original on January 17, 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  16. ^ "Berdahl–Rolvaag House". from the original on 2013-02-20. Retrieved 2009-03-11.

Additional sources edit

  • Jorgenson, Theodore and Solum, Nora O. Ole Edvart Rölvaag: A Biography (Harper and Brothers, 1939)
  • Reigstad, Paul. Rolvaag: His Life and Art (University of Nebraska Press, 1972)
  • Thorson, Gerald. Ole Rolvaag, Artist and Cultural Leader (St. Olaf College Press, 1975)
  • Simonson, Harold P. Prairies Within: The Tragic Trilogy of Ole Rolvaag (University of Washington Press, 1987)
  • Moseley, Ann. Ole Edvart Rolvaag (Boise State University Bookstore, 1987)
  • Eckstein, Neil Truman. Marginal Man As Novelist: The Norwegian-American Writers H.H Boyesen and O.E. Rolvaag (Taylor & Francis, 1990)
  • Haugen, Einar Ingvald Ole Edvart Rölvaag (Boston: Twayne Publishers,1983)
  • Moose, Nancy Gwen, Religion, Women and Culture in the Works of Ole E. Rølvaag. (1989). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. South Dakota State University. https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd/4610
  • Zempel, Solveig. 1999. Ole Edvart Rolvaag: Novelist. St. Olaf and the Vocation of a Church College, Pamela Schwandt, Gary De Krey, and L. DeAne Lagerquist, eds. pp. 89-96. Northfield, MN: St. Olaf College.

External links edit

  • Ole Rølvåg
  • Norwegian-American Historical Association - O.E. Rølvaag papers
  • Rolvaag's Search for Soria Moria by Raychel A. Haugrud (Norwegian-American Historical Association. Volume 26: Page 103)
  • Dear Sara Alelia: An Episode in Rølvaag's Life by Einar Haugen (Norwegian-American Historical Association. Volume 31: Page 269)
  • The Social Criticism of Ole Edvart Rølvaag by Neil T. Eckstein (Norwegian-American Historical Association. Volume 24: Page 112)
  • Rølvaag’s Lost Novel by Einar Haugen (Norwegian-American Historical Association. Volume 32: Page 209)
  • The Scandinavian Immigrant Writer in America by Dorothy Burton Skardal (Norwegian-American Historical Association. Volume 21: Page 14)

April 15, 2024
edvart, rølvaag, urban, east, norwegian, ˈûːlə, ˈɛ, dːvɑʈ, ˈrø, ːlvoːɡ, rølvåg, modern, norwegian, rolvaag, english, orthography, april, 1876, november, 1931, norwegian, american, novelist, professor, became, well, known, writings, regarding, norwegian, americ. Ole Edvart Rolvaag Urban East Norwegian ˈuːle ˈɛ dːvɑʈ ˈro ːlvoːɡ Rolvag in modern Norwegian Rolvaag in English orthography April 22 1876 November 5 1931 was a Norwegian American novelist and professor who became well known for his writings regarding the Norwegian American immigrant experience Ole Rolvaag is most frequently associated with Giants in the Earth his award winning epic novel of Norwegian immigrant homesteaders in Dakota Territory 1 Ole Edvart Rolvagen1920s Minnesota Historical SocietyBorn 1876 04 22 22 April 1876Donna NorwayDied5 November 1931 1931 11 05 aged 55 Northfield Minnesota United StatesNationalityNorwegian AmericanOccupation s Novelist and professorKnown forGiants in the EarthO E Rolvaag House at 311 Manitou in Northfield MN Contents 1 Biography 2 Career 3 Personal life 4 Literary style and themes 5 Giants in the Earth 6 Honors and awards 7 Memorials 8 Selected bibliography 9 References 10 Additional sources 11 External linksBiography editRolvag was born in the family s cottage in a small fishing village on the island of Donna in Nordland county Norway Donna one of the largest islands on the northern coast of Norway is situated about five miles from the Arctic Circle He was born with the name Ole Edvart Pedersen one of seven children of Peder Benjamin Jakobsen and Ellerine Pedersdatter Vaag The settlement where he was born had no official name but was referred to as Rolvaag the name of a narrow bay on the northwestern point of the island where the fishermen kept their boats At 14 years of age Rolvaag joined his father and brothers in the Lofoten fishing grounds Rolvaag lived there until he was 20 years of age and the impressions he received during the days of his childhood and his young manhood endured with him throughout his life 2 3 An uncle who had emigrated to America sent him a ticket in the summer of 1896 and he traveled to Union County South Dakota to work as a farmhand He settled in Elk Point South Dakota working as a farmhand until 1898 With the help of his pastor Rolvaag enrolled in Augustana Academy in Canton South Dakota where he graduated in 1901 He earned a bachelor s degree from St Olaf College in Northfield Minnesota in 1905 and a master s degree from the same institution in 1910 He also had studied for some time at the University of Oslo 4 Career editIn 1906 Rolvaag was recruited as a professor by St Olaf College president John N Kildahl Rolvaag was made head of the Norwegian Department at St Olaf in 1916 In 1925 Ole E Rolvaag became the first secretary and archivist of Norwegian American Historical Association He held both positions for the rest of his life Personal life editIn 1908 he became a United States citizen and married Jennie Marie Berdahl the daughter of Andrew James Berdahl and Karen Oline Otterness They had four children Olaf Ella Karl and Paul Their son Karl Fritjof Rolvaag served as the 31st Governor of Minnesota 5 Ole Rolvaag died November 5 1931 in Northfield Minnesota 6 Literary style and themes editOle Rolvaag wrote in the Norwegian language but his novels have a distinct American flavor and theme Rolvaag was deeply influenced by earlier American writers who writing in Norwegian had faithfully portrayed the experiences of so many Norwegian immigrant pioneers In this he was strongly influenced by Hans Andersen Foss and Peer Stromme both of whom had written novels which provided realistic aspects of the homesteader s experience The Emigrants by Norwegian author Johan Bojer first published in 1925 follows many of these same themes Rolvaag in turn provided an equally strong influence on future Scandinavian writers Rolvaag attracted a number of gifted young Norwegian Americans to St Olaf College among them Einar Haugen Written decades later Vilhelm Moberg s novels would depict the experience of Swedish American immigrants 7 8 Giants in the Earth editRolvaag s authorship and scholarship focused on the pioneer experience on the Dakota plains in the 1870s His most famous book was Giants in the Earth Norwegian I de dage part of a trilogy It features the story of a Norwegian pioneer family s struggles with the land and the elements of the Dakota Territory as they try to make a new life in America It was based partly upon Rolvaag s personal experiences as a settler and as well of the experiences of his wife s family who had been immigrant homesteaders The novel realistically treats the lives and trials of Norwegian pioneers in the Midwest emphasizing their battles with the elements The book also portrays the trials of loneliness separation from family longing for the old country and the difficulty of fitting into a new culture 9 The book was written in Norwegian and then translated into English The book reads as an American novel but stems from an Old World literary tradition It provides dramatic contrast between Per Hansa and his wife Beret Per is a natural pioneer who sees promise flooding the windswept plains Beret hungers for the ways of her homeland and in her heart loneliness gathers and penetrates the deeper reality of life lived on the American frontier Giants in the Earth served as the basis for an opera by Douglas Moore and Arnold Sundgaard that won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1951 10 Honors and awards editRolvaag was appointed Knight of the Order of St Olav by King Haakon VII in 1926 11 12 Also St Olaf College has created a literary award named for Rolvaag the Ole E Rolvaag Award for Fiction the award honors the memory of St Olaf s greatest writer Ole Rolvaag 13 Memorials edit nbsp Berdahl Rolvaag House in Sioux Falls South DakotaThe O E Rolvaag House in Northfield Minnesota is listed as a National Historic Landmark 14 Rolvaag Memorial Library at St Olaf College is named in honor of O E Rolvaag 15 Berdahl Rolvaag House where Rolvaag wrote Giants in the Earth is located in the Heritage Park of the Augustana University campus in Sioux Falls South Dakota 16 The Ole Rolvaag Collection is maintained in the Norwegian American Historical Association Archives at St Olaf College Selected bibliography editAmerika breve fra P A Smevik til hans far og bror i Norge American Letters 1912 Paa Glemte Veie On Forgotten Paths 1914 To Tullinger Et Billede fra idag Two Fools A Portrait of Our Times 1920 Laengselens Baat The Boat of Longing 1921 Omkring faedrearven Concerning Our Heritage 1922 I de Dage In Those Days 1923 Riket Grundlaegges Founding the Kingdom 1924 The following three books form a trilogy Giants in the Earth combined version of I de Dage and Riket Grundlaegges translated and published in 1927 Peder Seier Peder Victorious translated in 1929 Den Signede Dag Their Father s God translated in 1931 Last release Pure Gold translated in 1930 The Boat of Longing 1933 References edit Heitmann John Edvart Rolvaag Norwegian American Historical Association p 144 Archived from the original on 2009 07 04 Retrieved 2009 01 21 Olson Julius E Edvart Rolvaag 1876 1931 In Memoriam Norwegian American Historical Association p 121 Archived from the original on 2014 02 04 Retrieved 2009 03 04 Ole Edvart Rolvaag Nordland Fylkeskommune Retrieved January 1 2018 Haugen Einar I E Rolvaag Norwegian American Norwegian American Historical Association p 53 Archived from the original on 2014 03 06 Retrieved 2009 03 04 Jennie Marie Berdahl My Genealogy Archived from the original on 2011 06 06 Retrieved 2010 05 06 Ole E Rolvaag Minnesota Historical Society Archived from the original on January 17 2018 Retrieved January 1 2018 Rolvaag and Krause Two Novelists of the Northwest Prairie Frontier by Arthur R Huseboe Augustana College Archived 2009 03 25 at the Wayback Machine The Viking Invasion An Historiography of Norwegian American Literature And Its Role In Norwegian Immigration And The Founding of Vesterheimen Within America W Scott Nelson Humboldt State University May 2005 Archived 2009 03 25 at the Wayback Machine to the text edition of Giants in the Earth Copyright 1929 by Harper and Brothers permanent dead link Giants in the Earth Libretto by Arnold Sundgaard after Rolvaag March 28 1951 US Opera Archived from the original on February 4 2009 Retrieved August 21 2010 Bjork Kenneth Unknown Rolvaag Secretary in the Norwegian American Historical Association Norwegian American Historical Association p 114 Archived from the original on 2009 07 04 Retrieved 2009 03 04 The Main Factors in Rolvaag s Authorship Theodore Jorgenson Norwegian American Historical Association Volume X Page 135 Archived 2009 07 04 at the Wayback Machine Rolvaag Award for Fiction Archived from the original on 2019 01 29 Retrieved 2019 01 28 Rolvaag O E House Archived from the original on 2013 02 20 Retrieved 2009 03 11 Rolvaag Memorial Library St Olaf College Archived from the original on January 17 2018 Retrieved January 1 2018 Berdahl Rolvaag House Archived from the original on 2013 02 20 Retrieved 2009 03 11 Additional sources editJorgenson Theodore and Solum Nora O Ole Edvart Rolvaag A Biography Harper and Brothers 1939 Reigstad Paul Rolvaag His Life and Art University of Nebraska Press 1972 Thorson Gerald Ole Rolvaag Artist and Cultural Leader St Olaf College Press 1975 Simonson Harold P Prairies Within The Tragic Trilogy of Ole Rolvaag University of Washington Press 1987 Moseley Ann Ole Edvart Rolvaag Boise State University Bookstore 1987 Eckstein Neil Truman Marginal Man As Novelist The Norwegian American Writers H H Boyesen and O E Rolvaag Taylor amp Francis 1990 Haugen Einar Ingvald Ole Edvart Rolvaag Boston Twayne Publishers 1983 Moose Nancy Gwen Religion Women and Culture in the Works of Ole E Rolvaag 1989 Electronic Theses and Dissertations South Dakota State University https openprairie sdstate edu etd 4610 Zempel Solveig 1999 Ole Edvart Rolvaag Novelist St Olaf and the Vocation of a Church College Pamela Schwandt Gary De Krey and L DeAne Lagerquist eds pp 89 96 Northfield MN St Olaf College External links editOle Rolvag Norwegian American Historical Association O E Rolvaag papers Minnesota Historic Society Minnesota Author Biographies Project St Olaf College Rolvaag Memorial Library Two Novelists of the Northwest Prairie Frontier Texas Christian University Press 1998 Rolvaag s Search for Soria Moria by Raychel A Haugrud Norwegian American Historical Association Volume 26 Page 103 Dear Sara Alelia An Episode in Rolvaag s Life by Einar Haugen Norwegian American Historical Association Volume 31 Page 269 The Social Criticism of Ole Edvart Rolvaag by Neil T Eckstein Norwegian American Historical Association Volume 24 Page 112 Rolvaag s Lost Novel by Einar Haugen Norwegian American Historical Association Volume 32 Page 209 The Scandinavian Immigrant Writer in America by Dorothy Burton Skardal Norwegian American Historical Association Volume 21 Page 14 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ole Edvart Rolvaag amp oldid 1176328305, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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