Odd Solumsmoen (6 June 1917 – 30 April 1986) was a Norwegian novelist and literary critic.
Biography
Solumsmoen was born at
Hamar
Hamar is a List of cities in Norway, town in Hamar Municipality in Innlandet Counties of Norway, county, Norway. Hamar is the administrative centre of Hamar Municipality. It is located in the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Hedmarken. ...
in
Hedmark
Hedmark () was a Counties of Norway, county in Norway from 1 January 1919 to 31 December 2019, bordering Trøndelag to the north, Oppland to the west, Akershus to the south, and Sweden to the east. The county administration is in Hamar.
Hedmar ...
, Norway. His parents were Torger Solumsmoen (1886-1923) and Mathilde Gren (1885-1967). His father died when he was only six years old. He graduated in 1939 from
Hamar Cathedral School. In 1946, he was appointed to a position at Hamar ligningskontor, a post he held until retirement and which he combined with his work as an author and critic. He became a regular contributor to ''
Arbeiderbladet
is a daily newspaper published in Oslo, Norway. The former party organ of the Norwegian Labour Party, the ties loosened over time from 1975 to 1999. It has borne several names, and was called ''Arbeiderbladet'' from 1923 to 1997. Eirik Hoff Lys ...
'' from the early 1950s until the 1980s.
He debuted as a fictional author in 1943 with the novel ''Barn i søndagsskolen''. The book attracted considerable attention in his hometown since the stories so clearly started from recognizable events and models. His later works also had an autobiographical starting point. Solumsmoen's biographic works include a monograph on writer and painter
Cora Sandel
Sara Cecilia Görvell Fabricius (20 December 1880 – 3 April 1974), better known by her pen name Cora Sandel, was a Norwegian writer and painter who lived most of her adult life abroad. Her best-known works are the novels now known as the ''Alber ...
(''Cora Sandel. En dikter i ånd og sannhet'', 1957) and on poet and author
Kristofer Uppdal
Kristofer Oliver Uppdal (19 February 1878 – 26 December 1961), born Opdal, was a Norwegian poet and author, born in Beitstad, Nord-Trøndelag.
As a boy, Uppdal worked as a shepherd, and later as a miner and construction worker. In 1907 he start ...
(''Kristofer Uppdal – domkirkebyggeren'', 1959). Both are characterized by the personalization of the two authors. Among his other works was the novel ''Hjem, kjære hjem'' from 1955. Solumsmoen was awarded the
Mads Wiel Nygaards Endowment
Mads Wiel Nygaard's Endowment is an annually awarded literary prize from the publishing house Aschehoug. The prize is a recognition of superior literary work. The publisher's editorial management makes the award based on their collective judgement ...
in 1972.
References
1917 births
1986 deaths
People from Hamar
20th-century Norwegian novelists
20th-century Norwegian poets
Norwegian male poets
20th-century Norwegian dramatists and playwrights
Norwegian male novelists
Norwegian male dramatists and playwrights
20th-century Norwegian male writers
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