Alexander Lange Kielland (; 18 February 1849 – 6 April 1906) was a Norwegian realist writer of the 19th century. He is considered one of "the Four Greats" of Norwegian literature, along with Henrik Ibsen, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson and Jonas Lie.

Background Born in Stavanger, Norway, he grew up in a rich merchant family. He was the son of consul Jens Zetlitz Kielland and great-grandson of Gabriel Schanche Kielland (1760–1821). Kielland was the younger brother of Norwegian landscape painter Kitty Lange Kielland.Alexander Lange Kielland (Ancestry.com)

His family also included his son, Jens Zetlitz Kielland, (1873–1926); uncle Jacob Otto Lange (1833–1902), cousin Axel Christian Zetlitz Kielland (1853–1924), nephew Jens Zetlitz Monrad Kielland (1866–1926), cousin Anders Lange (1904–1974) and great nephew Jacob Christie Kielland (1897–1972). His great niece Axeliane Christiane Zetlitz Kielland (1916–1995) married Agnar Mykle (1915–1994).

Career Despite being born wealthy, he had a sincere affection for the less fortunate, treating his workers well when he was a factory owner. He remained a spokesman for the weak and a critic of society throughout his time as a writer. His best known plays were the satirical comedies Tre Par (1886) and Professoren (1888). He was also well known for his short stories.Alexander L. Kielland, utdypning (Store norske leksikon)

Among his most famous works are the novels Gift (1883), Skipper Worse (1882) and Garman & Worse (1880). Gift (published in English as Poison) is the first of a trilogy including Fortuna (1884) and St. Hans Fest (1887). In this trilogy, Kielland satirizes the hypocrisy of Norway's clergy. In Gift, Kielland debates the preference for Latin that Norwegian teachers had during his time. The story features a young boy called Marius, lying on his deathbed while repeating Latin grammar.Alexander L. Kielland-ulykken (Store norske leksikon)

From 1889 to 1890, Kielland worked as a journalist for the newspaper Stavanger Avis. Kielland virtually stopped writing fiction in 1891 and published only stories which had been published earlier. In 1891 he was designated the mayor of Stavanger Municipality (his hometown), until 1902 when he relocated to Molde as governor of the Møre og Romsdal county.Alexander Lange Kielland (Edvard Beyer / Morten Moi. Store norske leksikon)

It has been debated why Kielland ended his career as a writer so early. Some believe that he was so much of a realist that he could not deal with the neo-romantic tendencies of Norwegian literature at the end of the 19th century. A more probable reason is that he chose to focus on his political career.

The biography of Alexander L. Kielland by Tor Obrestad includes thoughts about Kielland dying from obesity. Already from the mid-1880s, Kielland had suffered from shortness of breath. He had several heart attacks, constantly gained weight, and couldn't control his great passion for food.

Publications

Short stories Novelletter, 1879 Nye novelletter, 1880 To Novelletter fra Danmark, 1882 A Dinner, 1896 (as a part of Norse Tales and Sketches)

Novels Garman & Worse, 1880Garman and Worse is available on WikisourceGarman & Worse is available in the original Norwegian on Project Runeberg at Garman og Worse Arbeidsfolk, 1881 Else, 1881 Skipper Worse, 1882.Skipper Worse was published in English translation in 1885 and later as one of the Harvard Classic collection. A 2009 translation into English of Skipper Worse by Christopher Fauske is published by Cross-Cultural Communications, Merrick, NY.. Skipper Worse is also available in the original Norwegian on Project Runeberg at Skipper Worse Gift, 1883 Fortuna, 1884 Sne, 1886 Sankt Hans Fest, 1887 Jacob, 1891

Plays Paa Hjemvejen, 1878 Hans Majestæts Foged, 1880 Det hele er Ingenting, 1880 Tre par, 1886 Bettys Formynder, 1887 Professoren, 1888

Essays Forsvarssagen, 1890 Menneker og Dyr, 1891 Omkring Napoleon, 1905English translation 1907: Napoleon's Men and Methods

References

Further reading Gran, Gerhard von Lippe Alexander L. Kielland og hans samtid (P.T. Dreyer. 1992) Grøndahl, Carl Henrik and Nina Tjomsland (editors) The Literary Masters of Norway, with Samples of Their Works (Tanum-Norli. 1978) Hallgren, Bengt Skitt eller kanel: Omkring Alexander L. Kielland, aren 1878-1906 (Alba. 1987) Lunde, Johannes Liv og kunst i konflikt: Alexander L. Kielland 1883-1906 : fra Gift til Jacob; Omkring Napoleon (Gyldendal. 1975) Nag, Martin Omkring samfunnsrefseren Alexander L. Kielland: Essays (Kvekerforlaget. 1999) Obrestad, Tor To Par: Brevvekslingen Mellom Alexander L. Kielland Og Louise Og Viggo Drewsen (J.W. Cappelen. 1998) Risa, Einar O. Mannen i speilet: Alexander L. Kielland i Stavanger 1888-1902 : en nedtur (Tiden Norsk. 1999) Skadberg, Gunnar Alexander L. Kielland – «i slekt me hele byen» (Wigestrand, 2002 - Open Access)

External links

Digitized books and manuscripts by Kielland in the National Library of Norway

An English audiobook of story by Alexander Kielland from historyradio.org on youtube