Lars Kornelius Edvard Berg (16 May 1901 – 11 January 1969) was a Norwegian teacher,

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

writer and

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

. He was born at on the island of Kvaløya as the son of fisherman and farmer Emil Larsen Berg and Olufine Johansen, and grew up at a small farm. From 1947 he was married to Aud Norvåg. He died at Kvaløya in January 1969. He graduated from the teacher's college in

Tromsø Tromsø is a List of towns and cities in Norway, city in Tromsø Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The city is the administrative centre of the municipality as well as the administrative centre of Troms county. The city is located on the is ...

in 1922, and worked as a teacher in Bø Municipality from 1922 to 1923,

Ørsta Municipality is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Møre og Romsdal Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre Districts of Norway, region of Western Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Ørsta (v ...

from 1923 to 1924, and

Hillesøy Municipality Hillesøy is a Former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in Troms Counties of Norway, county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1855 until its dissolution in 1964. It was located on both sides of the Malangen (fjord), Malangen f ...

from 1924 to 1934. He later worked as a headmaster at a school in Tromsøysund Municipality from 1940 to 1967. He made his literary debut in 1934 with the novel ''Men det var det ingen som visste'', and followed up with ''Du er den første kvinne'' in 1935. Berg was influenced by ideas from Freud's

psychoanalysis PsychoanalysisFrom Greek language, Greek: and is a set of theories and techniques of research to discover unconscious mind, unconscious processes and their influence on conscious mind, conscious thought, emotion and behaviour. Based on The Inte ...

. His candid treatment of sexuality-related problems in the first two novels led to strong reactions and initiated a spirited cultural debate in the late 1930s. His next two novels were ''Du skal svare'' (1936) and ''Fire søsken går ut'' (1937). In the late 1930s he also published a number of short stories in the periodical '' Arbeidermagasinet''. During the

occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until th ...

Berg was a member of the

resistance movement A resistance movement is an organized group of people that tries to resist or try to overthrow a government or an occupying power, causing disruption and unrest in civil order and stability. Such a movement may seek to achieve its goals through ei ...

in Troms. He was arrested in 1942 and incarcerated at the Grini concentration camp. Among his post war novels are ''Kvinna og havet'' from 1950, ''Vi må ro i natt'' from 1951, and ''Den lange vegen'' from 1967. He was an advocate for theatre in Northern Norway for many years, and is given credit for the establishing of Hålogaland Teater (after his death). His first play was ''Maria'', about a rehabilitation center for young girls off the straight path. The play was staged at Det Norske Teatret in April 1959, directed by Dagmar Myhrvold, with Elisabeth Bang as "Maria", the headmistress, and Liv Thorsen as the young girl "Tora". The play was also adapted into an audio play for Radioteatret. His play ''Petter Dass'' was later performed at Hålogaland Teater. Berg was awarded Mads Wiel Nygaards Endowment in 1968 (shared with Kjell Heggelund).

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Family genealogy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berg, Lars People from Tromsø Norwegian resistance members Grini concentration camp survivors 1901 births 1969 deaths 20th-century Norwegian novelists 20th-century Norwegian dramatists and playwrights Norwegian male dramatists and playwrights Norwegian male novelists