Arne Garborg

Arne Garborg was one of the first great writers to show the literary possibilities of Nynorsk, a language that many writers wished to establish in place of the standard Dano-Norwegian literary medium. He was born on a farm named Garborg, near Undheim, in Time municipality at Jæren in Rogaland county. He grew up together with eight siblings. He was educated at a teachers' seminary, and worked as a teacher, newspaper editor, and journalist before studying at the University of Oslo. He wrote novels, short stories, poems, plays, and essays on various topics, such as social reform, religion, national identity, and linguistic issues. He was also a translator of classical and modern works, such as the Odyssey, the Mahabharata, and Holberg's comedies. He founded the weekly Fedraheimen in 1877, in which he advocated for cultural and political changes. He was married to Hulda Garborg, a writer and cultural activist, who shared his interest in Nynorsk and folk culture. He died of pneumonia in 1924, at the age of 72. His works are considered to be among the most influential and important in Norwegian literature, and he is regarded as one of the founders of modernism in Norway.