Norway – the Out-Of-Step Country: but for How Much Longer?
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LOGOS 13(3)_crc 17/9/02 10:59 AM Page 136 LOGOS Dateline Oslo Norway – the out-of-step country: But for how much longer? Trond Andreassen In 1984, the German writer and sociologist Hans Magnus Enzensberger published a book in response to an invitation from a Norwegian publisher to pre- sent a foreigner’s view of Norway. One of the many peculiarities Enzensberger found in this “folk museum”, with its long, dark, cold winters and short, bright summers, was that although Norway has a population of some four million souls, it is Secretary General of the home to more than forty million members of differ- Norwegian Non-fiction Writers ent organizations. In other words, your common and Translators Association from garden variety of Norwegian belongs to about ten different organizations. 1986 to 1995 and 1997 till the Accordingly, it is safe to conclude that Nor- present, Trond Andreassen was way is a highly organized society. from 1995 to 1997 Director for As a sociologist of literature, I strive to mirror academic publishing of the the development of the literary system in that of society itself. It will come as no surprise to anyone Scandinavian University Press. that Norway’s book sector has traditionally been He has been a member of the well organized and closely regulated. The State has board of directors of the played an important role in developing it. In fact, European Writers Congress and political decisions adopted by the parliament are at the heart and core of Norway’s book policy. IFRRO and has written books The well-functioning Norwegian book indus- and articles on subjects related to try has a high production rate. Readers enjoy con- the sociology of literature. siderable purchasing power. The market is buoyed Email: [email protected] by the fact that there is no VAT on books and that there are fixed book prices; by generous grant schemes for authors funded by the State and the various authors’ organizations; by a relatively good public lending right scheme; by a very smoothly functioning reprographic rights organization; and by a State programme for purchasing contemporary fic- tion for public libraries. Overall, it is fair to say that the Norwegian system is one of the most elaborate in the world and that it attaches particularly strong importance to literary fiction. Enzensberger called his book Norway out of step (Norsk utakt). It has rejected membership of the EU by referendum not once but twice. It does not lag behind; it simply moves on a different path at a 136 LOGOS 13/3 © WHURR PUBLISHERS 2002 LOGOS 13(3)_crc 17/9/02 10:59 AM Page 137 Norway – the out-of-step country: But for how much longer? different pace. Comparing its book industry with wegian authors.” A long struggle came to an end in those of other countries, Norway’s literary system is 1925 when the Norwegian section of the promi- not only out of step, but arguably a step ahead. nent Danish publishing house Gyldendal was Before describing the most notable characteristics “bought home”. Knut Hamsun (Nobel Prize Laure- of the system, I will try to explain why it has devel- ate in 1921) was among the major investors. Finally oped the way it has. The last part of this article pre- “the great four” in the annals of Norwegian litera- sents a different and, I fear, less positive definition ture – Henrik Ibsen, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, of the concept of being “out of step”. Alexander Kielland and Jonas Lie – were in Norwe- gian hands. * * * * * Accompanying the recovery of Norwegian identity was a growing awareness of and struggle for Norway is a small country and Norwegian is a a written Norwegian language. Danish had been language of very limited diffusion. Every parliamen- the only written language in Norway for hundreds tary bill in the field of literature bears the following of years until the 1850s, when Norwegians rein- preamble: The Norwegian language is the cornerstone vented “New Norwegian” based on vital elements of Norwegian culture ... Awareness of the importance of Old Norse and a selection of Norwegian dialects. of protecting the Norwegian language was a salient Since then, Norway has had two written languages. aspect of the nation-building process after the New Norwegian was soon awarded formal status, country’s union with Denmark was dissolved in making it compulsory for all State institutions to 1814. The new nation awakened from 400 years in use both Dano-Norwegian and New Norwegian. a state tantamount to cultural slumber. Norwegians This had a seminal impact on the book trade, since found themselves without a language and institu- all teaching materials for primary and secondary tions of their own. The birth of nationalism gained schools had to be available in both languages. tremendous momentum and was particularly pow- This peculiar history of the Norwegian lan- erful from 1840 to 1850. The genesis of Norwegian guage provided a unique point of departure for a literature and the establishment of literary institu- dynamic, emotive debate about language, promot- tions became central to the creation of both an ing the emergence of strong literatures in both lan- independent Norwegian state and a Norwegian guages. The two languages have grown towards civil society. confluence over the years, as New Norwegian has Following 400 years of Danish rule, Norwe- become more and more like Dano-Norwegian, gians woke up one morning to find themselves which has in turn grown closer to New Norwegian. Swedes. It became imperative for them to escape Everyone reads both languages without difficulty, Danish cultural hegemony and find their own and mastery of both is mandatory in Norwegian identity. As literature was considered the expres- schools and all public institutions. sion of culture incarnate, the building of literary In tandem with the nation-building process institutions became a crucial element in the con- and the struggle for a Norwegian language, there ception of a new Norwegian identity. Not surpris- was a third element that had a more direct impact ingly, the State became involved. In 1848, it was on policy as related to literature. Following World decided to impose a tax on Danish liturgical liter- War II, Norway had a Labour Party government for ature (religious texts) imported into Norway, a several decades. One of this egalitarian party’s most move that facilitated the establishment of Norwe- important political goals was equal opportunity. gian publishing houses. In 1863, Bjørnstjerne Equal access to culture in a long, sparsely populated Bjørnson (Nobel Prize Laureate in 1903) became country like Norway could only be accomplished the first Norwegian writer to receive a permanent through government intervention. Accordingly, the salary from the State. government had to ensure that Norway had book- Danish publishing houses in Copenhagen pub- sellers all over the country, making it possible for lished the works of Norwegian authors throughout people to buy books at the same prices, regardless of most of the 19th century. Towards the end of the location. Fixed book prices were crucial to the century, the cry was “Norwegian publishers for Nor- implementation of this ideological way of thinking. 137 LOGOS 13/3 © WHURR PUBLISHERS 2002.