Hans Aanrud

Hans Aanrud (3 September 1863 – 11 January 1953) was a Norwegian writer. He wrote plays, poetry, and stories depicting rural life in his native Gudbrandsdal, Norway.

Life

Aanrud, who came from a rural family, was born and raised in Auggedalen, a valley in Gausdal (part of Gudbrandsdal). He attended a grammar school and then practised as a private tutor. When he had some success with his literary works he moved to Oslo. There he was a literary and theatre critic. From 1911 to 1923 he was also an adviser at the national theatre of Oslo.

Works Chambers Biographical Dictionary says "His delightful children's books... deserve their place among the classics".

Aanrud gained fame by his realistic and folksy descriptions of the rural life of his home valley before the industrial age. The way of thinking of the ordinary peasants is presented in partly dialect dialogues and in their simple and friendly mode of expression. The landscape is atmospherically described and most parts of the stories are humorous; there are only sometimes also tragic features. The characters, plot and description of the landscape always form an integrated whole. Often children are the protagonists of Aanruds stories which therefore became popular children's books. But Aanrud himself had intended his tales for older readers. These tales were soon translated and found wide distribution especially in the rest of Scandinavia, Great Britain and Germany.

Aanrud's works include:

Storken, 1895 En Vinternat og andre Fortællinger, 1896 Hanen, 1898 Sidsel Sidsærk (translated into English as Lisbeth Longfrock), 1903 Sølve Solfeng, 1910 Fortællinger for Barn, 1917 Sølve Suntrap, 1926 Collected works, 6 volumes, 1914-1915; 3 volumes, 1943