Alexander Brinchmann (15 June 1888 – 18 April 1978) was a Norwegian pediatrician. He was also a songwriter, novelist, playwright and crime fiction writer. He chaired the Norwegian Pediatric Society from 1933 to 1934 and the

Norwegian Authors' Union The Norwegian Authors' Union ( no, Den norske Forfatterforening, DnF) is an association of Norwegian authors. It was established in 1893 to promote Norwegian literature and protect Norwegian authors' professional and economic interests. DnF also ...

from 1941 to 1945.

Personal life

Brinchmann was born in

Kristiania Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of i ...

(now Oslo), Norway. He was the son of rector Jacob Ludvig Hoffmann Brinchmann and Henny Leth. He was married in 1914 to Nina Grønvold (1891–1924), to Johanne Ringberg from 1925, and to Gunvor Næss (1897–1974) from 1944. He was the father of film producer and theatre director

Arild Brinchmann Arild () is a locality situated in Höganäs Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 522 inhabitants in 2010. It is located in the bay of Skälderviken in north-western Scania, approximately 30 km north of Helsingborg in Sweden. Arild be ...

Medical career

Brinchmann finished his secondary education in 1906. He then studied medicine, graduating as cand.med. in 1912. From 1913 to 1914 he specialized in pediatrics at the

Charité The Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Charité – Berlin University of Medicine) is one of Europe's largest university hospitals, affiliated with Humboldt University and Free University Berlin. With numerous Collaborative Research Ce ...

Hospital in

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

. From 1918 until 1971, he worked at

Rikshospitalet Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet is one of the four main campuses of Oslo University Hospital in Oslo, Norway. It was an independent hospital, ''Rigshospitalet'', later spelled ''Rikshospitalet'' ("The National Hospital"), from 1826 to 200 ...

in Kristiania. He was authorized as a specialist in pediatrics in 1921, and became a medical doctor in 1922. Among his medical writings were articles on children's

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in w ...

, and later

mental hygiene Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...

for children. He was the chairman of the Norwegian Pediatric Society (''Barnelegeforeningen'') from 1933 to 1934. He received the

King's Medal of Merit The King's Medal of Merit (Norwegian: ''Kongens fortjenstmedalje'') is a Norwegian award. It was instituted in 1908 to reward meritorious achievements in the fields of art, science, business, and public service. It is divided in two classes: gold ...

(''Kongens fortjenstmedalje'') in gold in 1952.

Literary career

Brinchmann made his literary debut in 1927 with the crime novel ''Mysteriet Steegener'', published under the pseudonym "Roy Roberts". Among his other novels are ''Deilig er jorden'' from 1931 and ''Den rike mann'' from 1937. His comedy ''Karusell'' was staged at

Nationaltheatret The National Theatre in Oslo ( no, Nationaltheatret) is one of Norway's largest and most prominent venues for performance of dramatic arts. History The theatre had its first performance on 1 September 1899 but can trace its origins to Christiani ...

in 1940, directed by

Gerda Ring Gerda Ring (11 May 1891 – 12 January 1999) was a Norwegian stage actress and stage producer. She was the daughter of writer Barbra Ring, and married actor and theatre director Halfdan Christensen in 1922. They were parents of the actors Ba ...

, with

Aase Bye Aase Synnøve Bye (4 June 1904 – 10 July 1991) was a Norwegian actress, known from stage, film and television. in her honor, the Aase Byes pris is awarded in support of deserving artists. Personal life She was born in Kristiania (now Oslo), Nor ...

and Per Aabel playing the main characters. The comedy was made into films in both Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Brinchmann chaired the

Writers' Guild of Norway The Writers' Guild of Norway ( no, Norske Dramatikeres Forbund) is an association of Norwegian dramatists and playwrights. It was established in 1938, to protect Norwegian playwrights' professional and economic interests. In 2007 the association ...

from 1938 to 1956. He published the book ''Norske forfattere i krig og fred. Den Norske forfatterforening 1940–1968'' in 1968, in cooperation with

Sigurd Evensmo Sigurd Evensmo (14 February 1912 – 17 October 1978) was a Norwegian author and journalist.

. He chaired the

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

from 1941 to 1945 . He was a member of the

Norwegian Resistance Movement The Norwegian resistance ( Norwegian: ''Motstandsbevegelsen'') to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms: *Asserting the legitimacy of the exiled governmen ...

's cultural council from 1943. He was arrested in January 1945 and held at

Møllergata 19 Møllergata 19 is an address in Oslo, Norway where the city's main police station and jail was located. The address gained notoriety during the German occupation from 1940 to 1945, when the Nazi security police kept its headquarters here. This is ...

and at the

Grini concentration camp '', '' no, Grini fangeleir'', location= Bærum, Viken, Norway, location map=Viken#Norway, built by=Norway, original use=Constructed as a women's prison, operated by=Nazi Germany, notable inmates=List of Grini prisoners, liberated by=Harry Söderm ...

until 30 April 1945.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brinchmann, Alex 1888 births 1978 deaths Physicians from Oslo 20th-century Norwegian physicians Norwegian pediatricians Norwegian crime fiction writers 20th-century Norwegian novelists 20th-century Norwegian dramatists and playwrights Norwegian resistance members Grini concentration camp survivors Burials at Vestre gravlund Norwegian male dramatists and playwrights Norwegian male novelists Writers from Oslo