Obituaries: Halvdan Koht and Lars Ahnebrink

Obituaries: Halvdan Koht and Lars Ahnebrink Halvdan Koht died in 1965, at the and again as a scholar, and as Nor- age of ninetytwo. In his rich life, wegian Minister of Foreign AfTairs, covering many hields of activity natio- establishing wide contacts with Ame- nal and international, the United rican intellectual life. He spent the States was one of the main formative war years of exile 1941-45 in the powcrs. As a young graduate in thc States, and uscd thcm on writing, 1890s hc went to the University of among others, his book on The Ameri- Leipzig, and studied with two of the can S~iritin Europe, the first attempt pioneers of modern American research to outline the impact of America on in Germany, the historians Erich this side of the Atlantic. hlarcks and Karl Lamprecht. He spent Halvdan Koht did not only know the year 1908-09 in America, - one America: lie loved it. His sober judg- of thc first Scandinavians to go therc mcnt of the less attractive sidcs of for scholarly studies of American civi- American dcvelopmcnt was ncver able lization. Upon his return, as professor to shake his faith in the youthful of History at thc University of Oslo, vigor and powcr of resilience in Ame- he made US ltistory an obligatory rican society. By his death America part of the curriculum, at a time whcn lost one of its staunchest friends in such requirements wcrc far from usual Europe, and (the study of America in in Europe. And in tcaching and the Scandinavian North one of its scholarship lie inaugurated in Norway Founding Fathers. that first epoch of American studies Halvdan Koht passed away old and that in many countries followed the full of years. Lars Ahnebrink's death First World War. in 1966 at the age of only 51 inter- He himself repcatedly taught the rupted a career that was still in its subject, and so did his younger col- ascent. The more impressive is the leagues whom he educatcd. Among contribution he was ablc to make. his morc than 180 books therc are He belonged to that phalanx of several on American History and Civi- young and able men who after the lization. He visited the country again Second World War carried Amcrican directed towards source material limits of their activities. Scandi- belonging to parishes, societies and navian-American organizations and other more official institutions, pri- associations ought to be activated, vate archives and towards the stu- especially concerning the research dying of Scandinavia"nAmerican in North America. newspapers. 5. As a service institution the 4. The importance of the local Emigration Institute ought to con- migration research ought to be tribute by facilitating and regi- further stressed, whereby the sup- strating that research in the Nordic port of the county councils and the countries and in North America, municipalities ought to be sought which bears upon Nordic migra- Lor concerning research within the tion. Ann-Sofie Kalvernark Studics to their final break-through Founded the Nordic Association for in the Euroycan learned world. His American Studies; he was its first Prc- work had its solid foundations in a sidcnt, and remained in that position highly respected scholarship, particu- as long as hc lived. At his death one larly devoted to American and Euro- of the most important tasks of the pean litcrary interrelations. But his Association, the first volume of its most important work was done in Union Catalog of American Periodi- teaching and organization. He could cals in Scandinavian Libraries, was build on the early Uppsala efforts of approaching its conclusion. He was the S. B. Liljegreu, but Ahnebrink was the motive powcr behind our Nordic con- first full profcssor of the subject in ferences. Their standard was set by Sweden. He built American require- his brilliant leadership of thc Sigtuna mcnts in~tothe system of teaching and mceting in 1961. examinations. In his last years he Lars Ahnebrink had ideas, and the created the Anlerican Summer School powcr of strong conviction. But his in Uppsala, another monument to his dominant quality was his ability to initiative. His efforts, together with cooperate, his cheerful optimism, and those of his colleagues in History and his human generosity. His contribu- Political Science, were instrumental tion is enduring in many fields of in making his university one of the that disciplinc to which hc devotcd outstanding Europcan centers of Atne- his powers. And to cvcr~body who rican rescarch. kncw him his memory is suflused His initiative also spillcd over into with thc warmth of a noble persona- international organization. From its lity, which will remain with us long beginning he was active in the Euro- after he himself is no more. pean Association for American Stu- dies, and a member of its Board. Hc Sigmund Skmd USA IN FOCUS containing articles and lectures from the Nordic Association for American Studies' con- ference in Oslo: )>American Civilization: Recent Re-interpretations,,; some remaining copies sold out at reduced price (sv kr 10: -). Order to SECTION OF AMERICAN HISTORY S:t Larsgatan 2 752 20 Uppsala Sweden .

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