Jens Tvedt

Jens Tvedt was a Norwegian writer who was born in a rural valley in Sunnhordland. He grew up in a relatively wealthy family that read newspapers and books more than usual in the village. He developed a love for books from an early age and pursued a career as a teacher and later a librarian. He was influenced by the Danish folk educator Nikolai Grundtvig and became a supporter of the language and political movement of the Norwegian left. He made his literary debut in 1885 with a collection of short stories titled Inn i Fjordane, in which he portrayed the everyday life of farmers from Western Norway. He continued to write novels and stories that focused on the rural culture and landscape, often featuring sensitive characters who struggled to find their place in life. He reached his peak as a writer around the turn of the century, with books such as Madli und' Apalen (1900) and Djup jord (1904). He was a popular and respected author who received the state artist salary from 1912 until his death in 1935. He was also honored with a bust in Stavanger and a copy in his birthplace in Kvinnherad.