Ivar Mortensson-Egnund

Ivar Mortensson-Egnund (originally Ivar Julius Mortensen and also referred to as Ivar Matlaus) (24 July 1857 – 16 February 1934) was a Norwegian author, journalist, theologian, researcher, translator, writer, philosopher and advocate of nynorsk (the new Norwegian language). He was born in Alvdal North Østerdal. His parents were Anne Petronelle Tangen, and Morten Mortensen Ogarden, a former parliament member for the Liberals, both from Tynset. He studied theology in Christiania and was cand. theol. in 1883. However, he did not practice as a priest before he became a diocese curate at Hamar in 1909. In 1894 he married Karen Nilsen and they farmed at Einabu in Folldal, a farm which his family had purchased in 1873.

Ivar Mortensson grew up in a religiously Haugianistic and politically liberal home. He completed the examen artium at Aars og Voss` school in Christiania in 1875 and the cand. theol. in 1883.

Mortensson-Egnund dedicated his life to the reconstruction of the Norwegian written language, working to free it from the Danish chancery language. Around the turn of the century he became a strong opponent of the riksmål supporter Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson.

In the 1870s, he was a friend and acquaintance of Moltke Moe, and through him met Arne Garborg. In 1877 when Garborg started the magazine "Fedraheimen" Mortensson became an employee. It was also Ivar who helped Hulda and Arne Garborg locate & rent a small cabin on the small farm "Kolbotnen", near the lake Savalen in Alvdal in 1887. When Garborg moved there, Mortensson followed. At this time these friends had little money and Garborg styled Mortenssonn as “Ivar Matlaus” (Ivar Foodless).

Mortensson-Egnund was also a poet, and in 1889 he published "Paa ymse gjerdom", followed by "Or duldo" in 1895. Later, he was best known for his setting the Draumkvedet (1905) and the Poetic Edda (1908) into modern Norwegian.

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