Hans E. Kinck

Hans E. Kinck was a prolific Norwegian author and philologist who wrote novels, short stories, dramas, and essays. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature seven times. He was born in Øksfjord in Loppa, Finnmark, where his father was a local health inspector and his mother was the daughter of a peasant. He studied philology and the classics at King Frederick's University, Kristiania (now Oslo). He married a fellow writer, Minda Ramm, in 1893. They had two sons, Johan Jørgen and Tore. Kinck travelled extensively and lived in Italy for long periods. Half of his literary production is related to Italian topics. He often explores the workings of love and tenderness, and the difference between the mass of humanity and individuals. In his more political works, he warns against fascism, a trend that grows stronger in his later writings. Kinck also wrote about struggling artists, the misunderstandings they met with, and their reactions towards them. He died in Oslo, two days after his 61st birthday.