Maurits Hansen

Maurits Hansen was born on 5 July 1794 on the farm Komperud in Modum, where his father was a priest. He showed an early talent for writing and poetry, and was educated at the Oslo Cathedral School and the Royal Frederick University. He married Helvig Leschly, a teacher, in 1816, and they had three children. Hansen worked as a teacher in Trondheim and Kongsberg, and also wrote several textbooks and pedagogical works. He was interested in improving the education system and promoting women's rights to education. He was also a prolific writer of fiction, and contributed to various genres such as novels, short stories, poems, and children's literature. He is considered a pioneer of the Norwegian Romantic Movement, and one of the first writers to introduce the novel and the detective story in Norway. His most famous works include Othar of Bretagne (1819), a historical novel; Luren (1829), a collection of folk tales; Mordet på Maskinbygger Roolfsen (1840), a crime novel; and several stories about the peasant life in Norway. He also wrote poems and hymns, some of which are still sung today. Hansen suffered from tuberculosis, and died on 16 March 1842 in Kongsberg. He was buried at the Kongsberg Cemetery. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential writers in Norwegian literature history.