OBITUARY

Grey River Argus, 29 April 1910, Page 6

OBITUARY

BJORNSTJERNE BJORNSON

Press Association— Electric Copyright LONDON, April 27.

The death is announced of Byornstjerne Bjcrtnson, tilie famous Norwegiian poet, dramatist and novelist.

The death of Bjornson remove's a great figure from the literary world, mid 1 from tlis politics of ( Norway. His | literary reputation, was world-wide;^ ac ! ix, Radicail of fierce earnestnerg he had prolili'bly more to do with the separation of Norway from Sweden than any other man. The extent of his influence may be gauged from a cartoon published irsU after King lia'-kon accented the throne of Norway— Bjornson was depicted' patting the new King on the ' ~>kd and tolling him that if lie beliftved ' nself they would net an well together. Bjornson and Ibsen were the two greatest intellectual forces in Scandinavia during .the last half of the nineteenth century. •Bjornscn was born in 1832, in a. remote d : strict in Norway, where his ibither was a> -pastor. He began to -write verses 1 in his eleventh year. At 17 he went to the University of CIH:--tiania, where he took his degree. He went in for journalism, especially dramatic oritveism. In 185G he began to develop his real talent with "Thrond," the curliest of his short stories. For two yeara he Avas director of t/he theatre at Bergen. Tliiojn 'lie travcVlet' in Europe, and returned in 1864 to Norway, to take charge of the Chri: t'ania Theatre, - where tJwo of his plays were produced. For the next ten years t { most of Ivs energy was spent in pol- , tics and business. In another peribd of voluntary exile hs recovered his imaginative powers, and rjrttl^d down to a long period of production, during which he wrote plays and novels. Sonic of these dealt in aj very* powerful fa.ehion with burning questions of the day, arad caused a emit .amount of diecues ion. A critic says of lv<i neafiant tales that they created a. profound impression in his own country, and w»de him popuHiir .throughout .the world. They are "full of freshness and beauty, combined with remarkable ' Te^l'sm. Two .of these tales, "Arne" and 'Synnove Solbakken,' are nerdy perfect, and offer penhaps finer examples of the pure pearynt story than are to be found elsewhere in literature." His literary reouttaibion in. his own country was very high. He was fond of telling a. sto ; rv to illustrate this. On one occasion li\« political views were received with co much disfavour by «. mection the community, tha.t a demonstration vt"P organised to march to his hou.se np\l make its presence unpleasantly frit. The objectors came. md. made what they thought was an impressive demontratton, but to the - Pfim delierht 'of Bjarnfpn, they marched' away singiijff with great gusto one of his o-vn patriotic songs!