Kristofer Uppdal

Kristofer Uppdal was a Norwegian poet and author, who wrote in Landsmål, a form of Norwegian based on rural dialects. He is regarded as one of the pioneers of modernism and vitalism in Scandinavian literature. His main work is Dansen gjenom skuggeheimen, a ten-volume novel series that depicts the life of the rallars, the migrant workers who built the railways and mines in Norway, and the rise of the labor movement in the countryside. Uppdal was also a prolific lyricist, who explored existential themes and cosmic visions in his poems. He was influenced by philosophers such as Harald Høffding and Friedrich Nietzsche, as well as by the folk culture and nature of his native region. Uppdal was born on a farm in Beitstad, Nord-Trøndelag, as the eldest of ten siblings. He lost his mother when he was seven years old, and was sent to live with a relative in Ogndal, where he worked as a shepherd until he was confirmed. He attended a folk high school in Namdalen, where he developed his interest in literature and writing. He published his first poems in the local youth magazine Ogna. He also worked as a book reviewer for the newspaper Mjølner in Steinkjer. From 1898 to 1910, Uppdal worked as a rallar on various construction sites, such as the Rjukan power plant and the Ofoten railway. He joined the Norwegian Labourers' Union and was active in the labor movement. He also spent a year at the Askov folk high school in Denmark, where he read extensively and learned Danish. In 1910, he moved to Kristiania (now Oslo) to pursue his literary career. He published his first collection of poems, Kvæde, in 1905, followed by Ung sorg in 1905, Sol-laug in 1908, and Vill-fuglar in 1909. He also wrote essays and aphorisms, such as Uversskyer in 1917 and Andedrag in 1918. He started his novel series Dansen gjenom skuggeheimen in 1911, and completed it in 1924. The series consists of ten volumes: Dansen gjenom skuggeheimen, Trolldom i lufta, Røysingfolke, Stigeren, Kongen, Vandringa, I skiftet, Fjellskjeringa, Herdsla, and Domkyrkjebyggjaren. The novels follow the life of Daniel Braut, a young rallar who becomes a leader of the workers' struggle and a socialist politician. The novels are praised for their realistic and vivid portrayal of the rallar culture and the social changes in Norway at the turn of the century. Uppdal also wrote more poetry, such as Solbløding in 1918, Elskhug in 1919, and Altarelden in 1920. His poems are characterized by their expressive and innovative language, their rhythmic and musical qualities, and their visionary and mystical imagery. Uppdal was influenced by the European modernist and vitalist movements, such as expressionism, futurism, and dadaism, but he also maintained a strong connection to the Norwegian folk tradition and the rural landscape. He is considered one of the most original and influential poets in Norwegian literature. Uppdal married Bergljot Isabella Magnussen, a nurse and later a writer, in 1913. They had three children: Sivert, Kristian, and Anna. Uppdal suffered from mental illness and alcoholism, and was hospitalized several times. He received a state artist's pension in 1939. He died in 1961 in Oppdal, where he had lived since 1947. He is buried in the local cemetery.