Amalie Skram

Amalie Skram was a Norwegian author and feminist who gave voice to a woman's point of view with her naturalist writing. She was born in Bergen, Norway, as Berthe Amalie Alver, the only daughter in a family of five children. Her parents operated a small business, which went bankrupt when Amalie was 17 years old. Her father emigrated to the United States to avoid a term of imprisonment. Her mother pressured Amalie into a marriage with an older man, Bernt Ulrik August Müller, a ship captain and later mill owner. After thirteen years of marriage and the birth of two sons, she suffered a nervous breakdown, in part attributed to his infidelity. She divorced Müller and moved to Kristiania (now Oslo) with her sons, where she began her literary career. She debuted with the short story Madam Høiers leiefolk in 1882, and published her first novel, Constance Ring, in 1885. She married the Danish writer Erik Skram in 1884 and moved to Copenhagen, Denmark, with him. They had a daughter, Ida Johanne Skram, in 1889. Amalie Skram wrote several novels and short stories that dealt with the oppression and suffering of women in marriage and society, as well as the psychological effects of her own experiences. She was one of the foremost naturalist writers of her time in Norway, and a part of the Modern Breakthrough movement. Her best-known work is a tetralogy, Hellemyrsfolket, which portrays the relations of a family over four generations. Her works were controversial and provoked harsh criticism from conservative critics, who accused her of immorality and indecency. She also faced personal hardships, such as financial difficulties, marital problems, and mental illness. She was hospitalized several times for nervous disorders and depression, and wrote two autobiographical novels, Professor Hieronimus and På St. Jørgen, about her treatment at a mental institution in Copenhagen. She divorced Erik Skram in 1900 and died of pneumonia in 1905. She was buried at Bispebjerg Cemetery in Copenhagen. Her works have been recognized as important contributions to Norwegian literature and feminist history, and have been translated into several languages.