Gjest Baardsen (c. 1791 – 13 May 1849) was a Norwegian outlaw, jail-breaker, non-fiction writer, songwriter and memoirist. He was among the most notorious criminals in Norway in the 19th century.

Personal life

Baardsen was born in

Sogndalsfjøra Sogndalsfjøra is a village in the municipality of Sogndal in Vestland county, Norway. It is located where the river Sogndalselvi runs out in the Sogndalsfjorden, a branch of the large Sognefjorden. The village is located about northwest of the ...

, the son of fisherman Baard Gjestsen Fjæren and Maritha Pedersdatter. His father died in 1793. In 1848, Baardsen married Anne Elisabeth Reinche, who had had two children from a previous relationship.

Criminal life and literary career

Baardsen was arrested several times for theft, and became legendary for his many successful escapes. From 1827 he served a life sentence at

Akershus Prison Akershus Fortress (, ) or Akershus Castle ( ) is a medieval castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), mi ...

, where he started a career as a writer. The first parts of his autobiography were published from 1835. He was held at Akershus for 18 years. After his release from prison in 1845 he earned his living as a songseller and bookseller, married and settled in

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

. Among his songs is a song on fellow prisoner Ole Høiland's escape from Akershus (1839), and a song on Høiland's death, "" from 1849. He wrote a collection of common words in the special

sociolect In sociolinguistics, a sociolect is a form of language ( non-standard dialect, restricted register) or a set of lexical items used by a socioeconomic class, profession, age group, or other social group. Sociolects involve both passive acquisit ...

called ' ("vagabond language"), which was utilized by

Eilert Sundt Eilert Lund Sundt (8 August 1817 – 13 June 1875) was a Norwegian theologist and sociologist, known for his work on morality, marriage and other subjects among the working class. He was an early pioneer of the field of sociology in Norway. Ear ...

in his studies, and published as ' in 1948.

Legacy

The last part of Baardsen's autobiography, which covered his life after his release from prison, was published (posthumously) in 1869, and his full autobiography has been republished several times. A film based on Baardsen's life was made in 1939, directed by

Tancred Ibsen Tancred Ibsen (11 July 1893 – 4 December 1978) was a Norwegian military officer, aviator, film director and screenwriter. Background Ibsen was the son of Sigurd Ibsen and Bergljot Bjørnson. He was the grandson of both Henrik Ibsen and Nobel ...

Alfred Maurstad Alfred Jentoft Maurstad (26 July 1896 – 5 September 1967) was a Norwegian actor, movie director and theatre manager. Biography Alfred Jentoft Maurstad was born at Bryggja in Davik (now Vågsøy) in Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. He was the son of ...

played the title character. The film ''

Gjest Baardsen Gjest Baardsen (c. 1791 – 13 May 1849) was a Norwegian outlaw, jail-breaker, non-fiction writer, songwriter and memoirist. He was among the most notorious criminals in Norway in the 19th century. Personal life Baardsen was born in Sogndalsf ...

'' was among the most viewed Norwegian films from the 1930s. The song "", performed by Maurstad in the film, became very popular. His life has also been the basis for treatments in novels and plays, often based on his autobiography, in which he justified his crimes by claiming that he stole from the rich and wealthy and shared with the poor. Later research indicates that his own version is somewhat idealized. Baardsen's childhood home in Sogndalsfjøra has been preserved and prepared for use as a museum.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baardsen, Gjest 1790s births 1849 deaths People from Sogndal 19th-century Norwegian criminals 19th-century Norwegian songwriters Norwegian male criminals Norwegian prisoners and detainees Norwegian autobiographers Norwegian male songwriters Escapees from Norwegian detention