Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson | |
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Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson in 1909
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Born | Bjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson 8 December 1832 Kvikne, Norway |
Died | 26 April 1910 Paris, France |
(aged 77)
Occupation | Poet, novelist, playwright, lyricist |
Nationality | Norwegian |
Notable awards |
Nobel Prize in Literature 1903 |
Spouse | Karoline Reimers |
Children | Bjørn Bjørnson, Bergljot Ibsen, Erling Bjørnson |
Relatives | Peder Bjørnson (father), Elise Nordraak (mother) |
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Bjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈbjøːɳˈstjæːɳə ˈbjøːɳˈsɔn]; 8 December 1832 – 26 April 1910) was a Norwegian writer who received the 1903 Nobel Prize in Literature "as a tribute to his noble, magnificent and versatile poetry, which has always been distinguished by both the freshness of its inspiration and the rare purity of its spirit", becoming the first Norwegian Nobel laureate. Bjørnson is considered to be one of The Four Greats (De Fire Store) among Norwegian writers, the others being Henrik Ibsen, Jonas Lie, and Alexander Kielland. Bjørnson is also celebrated for his lyrics to the Norwegian National Anthem, "Ja, vi elsker dette landet".
Bjørnson was born at the farmstead of Bjørgan in Kvikne, a secluded village in the Østerdalen district, some sixty miles south of Trondheim. In 1837 Bjørnson's father Peder Bjørnson, who was the pastor of Kvikne, was transferred to the parish of Nesset, outside Molde in Romsdal. It was in this scenic district that Bjørnson spent his childhood.
After a few years studying in the neighbouring city Molde, Bjørnson was sent at the age of 17 to Heltberg Latin School (Heltbergs Studentfabrikk) in Christiania to prepare for university. This was the same school that trained Ibsen, Lie, and Vinje.