Ågot Gjems Selmer, also Ågot Gjems-Selmer, (27 October 1857 – 25 September 1926) was a Norwegian actress, writer, and lecturer.

Early life and education

Gjems-Selmer was born into a wealthy family in

Kongsvinger Municipality Kongsvinger () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Glåmdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kongsvinger. Other settlements in the municipality include Aust ...

, Norway. She was the eldest of nine siblings born to Svend Jørgen Gjems and Johanne Rolfsen. As a 12-year-old, the family relocated to Kristiania (now Oslo). She graduated in 1876 and decided to become an actor.

Career

While working as an actress, Gjems-Selmer performed at the

Christiania Theatre Christiania Theatre, or ''Kristiania Theatre'', was Norway's finest stage for spoken drama from 4 October 1836 (opening date) to 1 September 1899. It was located at Bankplassen by the Akershus Fortress, in central Christiania. It was the fir ...

, where in 1883, she played the role of Petra in the staging of

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...

's ''

An Enemy of the People ''An Enemy of the People'' (original Norwegian title: ''En folkefiende'') is an 1882 play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen that explores the conflict between personal integrity and societal norms. The play centers on Dr. Thomas Stockmann, w ...

'', attracting critical acclaim. She wrote a total of ten books, some translated into several languages including German, Dutch and Hungarian. Some were based on memories of her own childhood in

. These included ''Da mor var liten'' (When Mother was Little), describing how she became acquainted with Norwegian cultural celebrities including Jonas Lie,

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Ole Bull Ole Bornemann Bull (; 5 February 181017 August 1880) was a Norwegian virtuoso violinist and composer. According to Robert Schumann, he was on a level with Niccolò Paganini for the speed and clarity of his playing. Biography Background Bull was ...

Aasmund Olavsson Vinje Aasmund Olavsson Vinje (6 April 1818 – 30 July 1870) was a Norwegian poet and journalist who is remembered for poetry, travel writing, and his pioneering use of Landsmål (now known as Nynorsk). Background Vinje was born into a poor but w ...

and

Erik Werenskiold Erik Theodor Werenskiold (11 February 1855 – 23 November 1938) was a Norwegian painter and illustrator. He is especially known for his drawings for the Asbjørnsen and Moe collection of '' Norske Folkeeventyr'', and his illustrations for ...

. Later, when she and her husband lived in

Balsfjord Municipality Balsfjord ( - ; ) is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Troms Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Storsteinnes. Other notable villages include Mestervik, Mortenhals ...

for 19 years, her wrote about family life in the far north. One of her works was published in Germany (with several reprints) as ''Die Docktorsfamilie im Hohen Norden'' (The Doctor's Family in the Far North). While Gjems-Selmer was not among the leading Norwegian authors of her day, she was a recognized female intellectual and a useful source of detailed information. She was also active in the area of women's rights, supporting votes for women.

Personal life

In 1883, she married physician, Alfred Selmer (1851–1919) who became the first resident district physician in

, just south of the city of Tromsø. After nineteen years, they moved to Ås Municipality in

Akershus Akershus () is a county in Norway, with Oslo as its administrative centre, though Oslo is not located within Akershus. Akershus has been a region in Eastern Norway with Oslo as its main city since the Middle Ages, and is named after the Akers ...

. They had eight children, five reaching adulthood, including the singer Tordis Gjems Selmer (1886–1964), actor Alfred Gjems Selmer (1893–1919), and actor and writer Lillemor von Hanno (1900–1984). After both her husband and their son died in 1919, she retired to Villa Soleglad at Ås in Akershus where she died in 1926.

Selected works

* ''Smaapigernes bog'' (1900) * ''Et hjem for mennesker: en Menneskeskildring i tre Handlinger'' (1901) * ''Da mor var liden'' (1902) * ''Kvinderne i Bjørnsons digtning. Essay'' (1907) * ''Lillemor'' - (1911) * ''Den gang -. Af mit livs digt'' (1915) * ''Mor fortæller'' (1915)

References

Other sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gjems Selmer, Agot 1857 births 1926 deaths People from Kongsvinger 19th-century Norwegian actresses Norwegian children's writers Norwegian women children's writers 20th-century Norwegian writers 20th-century Norwegian actresses 20th-century Norwegian women writers Norwegian stage actresses