Rasmus Loland

Rasmus Løland was a Norwegian writer, journalist, critic and translator who wrote in Nynorsk, a form of Norwegian language. He was born on a farm in Ryfylke, Rogaland county, Norway, in a wealthy and progressive family that supported the parliamentary and national movements. He was also influenced by the Haugian revival movement, which challenged his religious beliefs. He suffered from mental and physical illness for most of his life, and spent many years in isolation and self-study. He started writing for the magazine Fedraheimen in the 1880s, and published his first book, a collection of short stories titled Folkeliv, in 1891. He moved to Oslo in 1897, and became a journalist for the newspaper Den 17de Mai, where he wrote about social and cultural issues. He also translated several works from German and English into Nynorsk. He is best known for his children's books, which were realistic and naturalistic, and portrayed the world from the children's perspective. He was one of the first Norwegian writers to write for children without moralizing or sentimentalizing. Some of his most famous children's books are Paa sjølvstyr (1892), Ungar (1892), Kor vart det av jola? (1894), Smaagutar (1897), Det store nashorne (1900), and Kvitebjørnen (1906). He also wrote adult fiction, fairy tales, and plays. He was the editor of the children's magazine Norsk Barneblad from 1902 to 1907. He died of tuberculosis at the age of 46, and was buried at Asker cemetery. He was a friend and neighbor of Hulda and Arne Garborg, who were also prominent Nynorsk writers. He has inspired many later children's writers, and is regarded as one of the pioneers of Norwegian children's literature. [1](^1^) [2](^2^) [3](^3^) [4](^4^)