Sigurd Evensmo

Sigurd Evensmo (1912 - 1978) was a Norwegian author and journalist. [http://www.nrk.no/programmer/stemmer_fra_arkivet/stemmer_fra_film_og_teater/2330415.html Evensmo, Sigurd] - Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. 25 November 2002.no icon]

He was born in Hamar. In his younger years he was active in "Clarté", a student organization at University of Oslo from 1925 to 1929 and in contact with Mot Dag, a forum among the social democratic students (later the Student's Communist Organization). He then joined the Workers' Youth League and worked actively with them. He began as a journalist apprentice with "Hamar Arbeiderblad" and continued as a journalist in many weekly workers papers including "Tiden" in Arendal, "Fremtiden" in Drammen and "Arbeidernes pressekontor" in Oslo. Finally in 1939 he began to work for the "Arbeiderbladet".

During the war Evensmo was active with the resistance and he wrote for the illegal paper, "Bulletinen" until he was forced into hiding and finally to flee from Norway. From 1953 through 1959 he was the editor for the paper "Orientering". He served as film critic for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) from 1948 until 1962.

Before the Second World War he had written a play, "Konflikt" in 1934. His first novel, published in 1945, was "Englandsfarere". The theme of the book was based on Evensmo's personal experiences during the war. His trilogy consisting of "Grenseland" (1947), "Flaggermusene" (1949) and "Hjemover" (1951) are recognized as a major example of Norwegian post-war literature, and explore the social and psychological differences between the country and city cultures as well as the intellectual development of workers between the wars. Evensmo won the "Kritikerprisen" for the books, and at the close of the 1970s, the trilogy was produced for television by NRK. His novels "Gåten fra år null", "Femten døgn med Gordona" and "Miraklet på Blindern" can all be categorized as science fiction; Evensmo was among the first to write in this genre in Norway. He also wrote the manuscripts for many films.

Prizes and recognition

*1951 - Norwegian Critics Prize for Literature for the trilogy novels "Grenseland", "Flaggermusene" and "Hjemover"b]
*1976 - Gyldendals legat
*1977 - Nominated for the The Nordic Council's Literature Prize ("Nordisk Råds litteraturpris") for the novel "Inn i din tid"

Works

Books

*1945 "Englandsfarere", novel
*1946 "Oppbrudd etter midnatt", novel
*1947 "Grenseland", novel
*1949 "Flaggermusene", novel
*1951 "Hjemover", novel
*1954 "Glassveggen", collection of stories
*1955 "Trollspeilet: streiftokt i film"
*1956 "Østenfor vest og vestenfor øst: Jugoslavia under Tito"
*1956 "Gåten fra år null", novel
*1962 "Femten døgn med Gordona", novel
*1964 "Feider og finter"
*1966 "Miraklet på Blindern", novel
*1967 "Det store tivoli: film og kino i Norge gjennom 70 år"
*1968 "Norske forfattere i krig og fred: Den Norske forfatterforening 1940-1968: utgitt til 75-års jubileet 15. November 1968", written with Alex Brinchmann
*1969 "Vold i filmene: ett års kinoprogrammer i Norge og noen perspektiver"
*1970 "Observasjoner", essay collection
*1971 "Den nakne sannheten: sex i filmene"
*1974 "Gyldendal og gyldendøler"
*1976 "Inn i din tid"
*1978 "Ut i kulda"

Drama

*1934 "Konflikt", play
*1952 "Fredsprisen", radio play
*1981 "Stengetid", play

References