Gourt > Arts > Literature > Authors > V > Vesaas, Tarjei
Tarjei Vesaas (August 20 1897 - March 15 1970) was a Norwegian poet and novelist. Born in Vinje, Telemark, Vesaas is widely considered to be one of Norway's greatest writers of the twentieth century and perhaps its most important since World War II.
Vesaas spent much of his youth in solitude, seeking comfort and solace in nature. He was guilt-ridden by his refusal to take over the family farm, and this guilt permeates much of his authorship. The destruction he witnessed after World War I made a deep impression on him. He married the writer Halldis Moren Vesaas and moved back to his home town of Vinje in 1934.
His authorship covers almost 50 years, from 1923 to 1970. Written in Nynorsk, his work is characterized by simple, terse, and symbolic prose. His stories are often about simple rural people that undergo a severe psychological drama. Commonly dealing with themes such as death, guilt, angst, and other deep and intractable human emotions, the Norwegian natural landscape is a prevalent feature in his works. His debut was in 1923 with Children of Humans (Menneskebonn), but he had his breakthrough in 1934 with The Great Cycle (Det store spelet). His mastery of the nynorsk language, landsmål (see Norwegian language), has contributed to its acceptance as a medium of world class literature.
More on [ Tarjei Vesaas ]
Farewell Opus; Hello Pete, The Perfectly Practical Pig
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:37:00 -0400
After 30 years, cartoonist Berkeley Breathed is bidding adieu to his charming, politically astute penguin of Bloom County and Opus. His new project is Pete & Pickles, a children's book about a very sad pig.
Artist Macaulay Decodes Body In 'Way We Work'
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:53:00 -0400
Best-selling author and illustrator David Macaulay takes a head-to-toe trip in The Way We Work: Getting to Know the Amazing Human Body. He says illustrating how we work was so difficult, he almost gave up.
Extra! Extra! Unionist Bombs Wreck The 'Times'
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:24:00 -0400
Radical bombers battle strikebreaking capitalists while Clarence Darrow squares off against the "American Sherlock Holmes" in this very popular history of a trial that mixed murder, politics and celebrity in 1910 Los Angeles.
Rabbi's Son Visits Bible Belt In 'My Jesus Year'
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:20:00 -0400
In an effort to reconnect with his Jewish faith, Georgia-native Benyamin Cohen explored the Christianity across the "Bible Belt" of America. He documented his experiences in My Jesus Year: A Rabbi's Son Wanders the Bible Belt in Search of His Own Faith.
Is America 'Too Insular' For A Literary Nobel?
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:12:00 -0400
Horace Engdahl, a Nobel Prize official, commented on Wednesday that the United States is "too isolated" and "too insular" to generate literary Nobel laureates. He said Europe remains the "center of the literary world."
NBA's Alonzo Mourning Touts 'Resilience' In Memoir
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 00:02:00 -0400
In 2000, the muscular, 6-feet-10-inch NBA star was diagnosed with a rare, life-threatening kidney disease. Alonzo Mourning made a full recovery following a transplant. Now, he's written a memoir about the obstacles he had to overcome on the road back to the NBA.
Tarjei Vesaas (1897-1970) - Short biography of the Norwegian novelist, suggestions for further reading, selected bibliography.
Through Naked Branches - Information on a book with selected Poems of Tarjei Vesaas, Translated by Roger Greenwald.
Meta Description: [ Description of the book Through Naked Branches: Selected Poems of Tarjei Vesaas by Vesaas, T.; Greenwald, R., ed. and trans., published by Princeton University Press ]
