Norwegian author and
poet. Born in 1918 (January 30) in Oslo, his debut "Syngende jord" ("Singing earth") came in 1940. It was a collection of musical rhymes. From then and until his death in 1985, he was a very
prolific author, writing under several
pseudonymes and in many
genres, including
children stories and verses,
prose,
essays, criminal novels and translations of foreign poetry.
André Bjerke took an active part in the Norwegian language debate, to which he contributed through his column in "Ordet" ("The Word"), Riksmålsforbundet1's newsletter. He was editor of said newsletter from 1950 to 1966, and from 1961 to 1966, he was chairman of Forfatterforeningen av 1952 ("Authors' organsiation of 1952").
Under the pseudonym Bernhard Borge, Bjerke wrote criminal novels. One of themwas has been made into a film, "De dødes tjern" ("Pond of the dead") from 1942.
Andre Bjerke married Henny Moan (b. 1936), and in 1960 he fathered Vilde Bjerke Moan with her. Henny Moan has later been married to the Norwegian singer Ole Paus (but I digress).
Andre Bjerke shows a mastery of the Norwegian language that I have seen in few other authors. Personally, I am most familiar with his children's rhymes, where his playing with the words can put a smile on anyone's face. I'd say it's probably worth to learn Norwegian just to be able to experience André Bjerke first hand. :)
1: A language organisation, one of the main actors in the Norwegian language debate
Bibliography (title translation by
me)
2001 - Hverdagsmirakel ("Everyday miracle", poetry)
1982 - I kampens glede ("In the joy of battle", selected essays and prose)
1982 - André Bjerke i lek og alvor ("A.B. in play and seriousness", collected works)
1981 - Fortellinger ved peisen ("Tales by the fireplace", selected short stories)
1980 - Versekunsten: rytme og rim ("Art of verses: rhythm and rhyme", edited version of "Rim og rytme" from 1956)
1979 - I byen min ("In my town", poetry)
1977 - Samlede dikt ("Collected poems", poetry)
1977 - Grenseland - fem år efter ("Borderland - five years after", prose w/Harald Tusberg)
1975 - Sol, måne og elleve stjerner ("Sun, mood and eleven stars", selected poems)
1974 - Djevelens omgangsfelle ("Associate of the Devil", essays)
1974 - Et strå i vind ("A straw in wind", poems and translations)
1973 - Før teppet går opp ("Before the curtain rises", prologues through 25 years)
1973 - For anledningen ("For the occasion", prologues through 15 years)
1973 - En helt almindelig lek ("An entirely normal game", selected poems)
1971 - Med kritiske øyne ("With critical eyes", essays)
1971 - Hobbydetektiven: historiene om Klaus Vangli ("The hobby detective: the stories about Klaus Vangli", criminal short stories)
1970 - I syklonens sentrum ("At the centre of the cyclone", essays)
1970 - Onkel Oscar kjører videre ("Uncle Oscar drives on", criminal short stories)
1969 - Døde menn går i land ("Dead men walks ashore", criminal novel)
1668 - Spillet i mitt liv: en amatør ved sjakkbrettet ("The game of my life: an amateur at the chess board", prose)
1968 - Hårdt mot hårdt ("Hard against hard", prose)
1968 - Det finnes ennu seil ("There are still sails", poetry)
1967 - Hva er godt riksmål? Spørsmål og svar ("What is good riksmål? Q and A", prose)
1967 - Skyros, Egeerhavet ("Skyros, Aegean Sea", poetry)
1967 - Reiser gjennom århundrene: i syv stilepoker ("Travels through the centuries: in seven style epochs", prose)
1966 - Dannet talesprog ("Behaved language", prose)
1966 - En skrift er rundt oss ("A writing surrounds us", poetry)
1965 - Arnulf Øverland - vårt språks konservator og fornyer ("A.Ø. - conservator and renewer of our language", prose)
1965 - Med alle mine fugler ("With all my birds", hundred poems)
1964 - Sproget som ikke ville dø ("The language that wouldn't die", prose)
1963 - Enhjørningen ("The unicorn", criminal novel)
1962 - Hva er godt riksmål? Spørsmål og svar ("What is good riksmål? Q and A", prose)
1961 - Tryllestaven ("The magic wand", short stories)
1961 - Nye bidrag til Goethes farvelære ("New additions to Goethe's color teachings", prose)
1960 - En kylling under stjernene ("A chicken under the stars", poetry)
1959 - Babels tårn ("The tower of Babel", prose)
1956 - Rim og rytme: en liten verselære ("Rhyme and rythm: a little teaching of verses", prose)
1955 - Hva er god stil? ("What is good style?", prose)
1955 - Fuglen i fikserbildet: fragmenter av en livsanskuelse ("The bird in the image: fragments of a life view", essays)
1954 - Slik frøet bærer skissen til et tre ("The way the seed carries the sketch of a tree", poetry)
1953 - Prinsessen spinner i berget ("The princess spins in the mountain", poetry)
1951 - Den bakvendte familieboka ("The backwards family book", humor, w/Odd Eidem and Carl Keilhau)
1951 - Den hemmelige sommer ("The secret summer", poetry)
1950 - Skjult mønster ("Hidden pattern", criminal novel)
1950 - Dikt om vin og kjærlighet ("Poems about wine and love", poems)
1948 - Eskapader ("Escapades", poetry)
1946 - Regnbuen ("The rainbow", poetry)
1942 - Fakkeltog ("Torch parade", poetry)
1942 - De dødes tjern ("Pond of the dead", criminal novel)
1940 - Syngende jord ("Singing earth", poetry)
Sources:
http://it-student.hivolda.no/prosjekt/v00/Musikk_i_1.klasse/Biografi/Andre%20Bjerke.htm
http://www.nilssens.net/Familie/slektsbase/fam00262.html
http://www.melkstavik.no/poesi/etterkri/bjerke/bjerkbio.htm