Nordic Council Literature Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 3 (1964) Winner
Tarjei Vesaas
タルイ・ヴェーサース
Tarjei Vesaas
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1897-08-20 （Vinje, Telemark, Norway）
- Died
- 1970-03-15 （Oslo, Norway） age 72
- Nationality
- Norwegian
- Languages
- Nynorsk
- Residence History
- Vinje (birthplace) → Midtbø (home in Vinje) → Oslo (later life)
Career
- Occupations
- novelist, poet, playwright
- Active Years
- 1923-1970
- Influenced By
- Rabindranath Tagore, Rudyard Kipling, Selma Lagerlöf, Knut Hamsun, Henrik Ibsen, Edith Södergran
- Nominations
- Nobel Prize in Literature (nominated 57 times)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voss Folk High School | — | — | — | 1917–1918 | Norway |
Voss Folk High School
Period:
1917–1918
Year of Graduation:
1918
Country:
Norway
Attended for one year; had little formal higher education beyond this.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | Gyldendal's Endowment (Gyldendals legat) | — | — | Gyldendal (publishing house) | 受賞 |
| 1946 | Melsom Prize (Melsom-prisen) | — | — | Melsom Prize organization | 受賞 |
| 1957 | Dobloug Prize (Doblougprisen) | — | — | Award administered by the Swedish Academy (Dobloug Prize) | 受賞 |
| 1964 | Nordic Council's Literature Prize | The Ice Palace (Is-slottet) | — | Nordic Council | 受賞 |
| 1967 | Norwegian Booksellers' Prize (Bokhandlerprisen) | — | — | Norwegian Booksellers (organization) | 受賞 |
Gyldendal's Endowment (Gyldendals legat)
1943
Organization:
Gyldendal (publishing house)
Result:
受賞
Melsom Prize (Melsom-prisen)
1946
Organization:
Melsom Prize organization
Result:
受賞
Dobloug Prize (Doblougprisen)
1957
Organization:
Award administered by the Swedish Academy (Dobloug Prize)
Result:
受賞
Nordic Council's Literature Prize
1964
Work:
The Ice Palace (Is-slottet)
Organization:
Nordic Council
Result:
受賞
Norwegian Booksellers' Prize (Bokhandlerprisen)
1967
Organization:
Norwegian Booksellers (organization)
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
The Ice Palace (Is-slottet)
1963 Novel (psychological / symbolic)A short novel about the profound friendship and loss between two girls; the ice palace functions as a symbolic natural setting expressing emotional distance and connection.
lossfriendshipsymbolism of naturechildhood
Translations
- English translation: Elizabeth Rokkan (1966)
The Birds (Fuglane)
1957 Novel (psychological / allegorical)Centers on an adult with a simple, childlike mind whose empathy and imagination give him a seer-like or writerly role.
isolationempathyimagination
Translations
- English translation: Torbjørn Støverud & Michael Barnes (1968)
The Seed (Kimen)
1940 Novel (symbolic / experimental)Considered by the author as a dividing line in his work, marking a shift from realism toward more symbolic and experimental writing.
symbolismhorrortransformation
Translations
- English translation: Kenneth G. Chapman (1964)
The House in the Dark (Huset i mørkret)
1945 Novel (allegory / wartime literature)An allegorical novel about the German occupation of Norway and the resistance; manuscript was hidden during the occupation for safety.
resistanceoppressionallegory
Translations
- English translation: Elizabeth Rokkan (1976)
The Boat in the Evening (Båten om Kvelden)
1968 Novel (lyrical sketches)A late work composed of lyrical sketches that often blur the boundary between prose and poetry.
memorynatureaging
Translations
- English translation: Elizabeth Rokkan (1971); republished as The Hills Reply (2019)
Bibliography
- Menneskebonn (Children of Man) (1923)
- Sendemann Huskuld (Huskuld the Herald) (1924)
- Dei svarte hestane (The Black Horses) (1928)
- Is-slottet (The Ice Palace) (1963)
- Many other novels, poems, short stories and plays
Adaptations
- A poem excerpt featured in Norwegian TV series Skam, Season 3 Episode 6
Translations of Works
- His novels have been translated into 28 languages; multiple English translations published (e.g., Peter Owen Publishers)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- concise, restrained and symbolic prosemastery of Nynorskpoetic, image-rich description
- Recurring Motifs
- nature and landscape (harsh Norwegian terrain)guiltdeathpsychological transformationchildhood and loss
Legacy
One of Norway's leading 20th-century writers. Helped establish Nynorsk as a medium for world-class literature; widely translated and internationally awarded, praised for psychological depth and symbolism.
Archives
- Materials held in the National Library of Norway and other archives
In Popular Culture
- Influenced contemporary culture (e.g., a poem quoted in the TV series Skam)
Quotes
-
“Among my books The Seed stands as a dividing line. It wasn't planned that way, but something so horrifying and unbelievable had happened that it simply brought with it a new way of writing.”
Source: Author statement (about his work / cited in introductions and critical studies) (1940)
Trivia
- Nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature a total of 57 times.
- Works translated into 28 languages.
- Married to poet Halldis Moren Vesaas.