Norwegian-American Studies

by SVERRE ARESTAD 9 Sigbjtrn Obstfelder and America The the letters late nineteenth-century reproduced here Norwegian were written poet by the late nineteenth-century Norwegian poet Sigbj0rn Obstfelder (1866-1900) to his youngest brother Herman Fredrik (1871-1954). Herman had emigrated to America when he was only seventeen years old and had settled in Milwaukee. During this time Sigbjprn was studying, first at the University of Oslo and subsequently at a technical school in the Norwegian capital, where he was preparing to become a draftsman. The first letter included here was written in Stavanger in August, 1890, before Sigbjprn left for America to join his brother. The first time Sigbjprn ever wrote to his brother was from Kristiania in October, 1884, just after he arrived there. Herman, only fourteen years old, was still in Stavanger, where he would study and work until he sailed for America in the summer of 1888. The first letter in which Sigbjprn mentions to Herman that he also is coming to America is dated July 8, 1888, and the first letter he addressed to his brother in Milwaukee was in October, 1888. He wrote several more times, from either Stavanger or Kristiania, before he joined his brother in Milwaukee in the summer of 1890. After several months in 253 Sverre Arestad Milwaukee Sigbj0rn quit his job there and moved to the Washington Heights section of Chicago. His "America letters," all of which are included here, were written from the Chicago area between February 19 and August 3, 1891. Also included here, because they throw a good deal of light upon Sigbjprn's reactions to America, are two letters written from Stavanger after he returned to Norway. Other correspondence containing references to the United States, from both before and after his stay here, might well have been included in order to give a complete picture of Sigbjprn's impressions of America. There are also mentions of America in his subsequent literary works that could have been incorporated. But since a limit had to be set, it seemed best to comment on the specific references to America in these letters and other works in the introduction rather than to reprint a large body of material which contained only scattered comments on America. In studies of individual Norwegians in America the success story has been predominant, particularly in the areas of material and professional achievement. Sigbj0rn Obstfelder' s encounter with America opens up a new dimension. One can refer to Bj0rnstjerne Bj0rnson's experiences in America, to Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen's, to Johan Bojer's and Sigrid Undseťs and Herman Wildenvey 's, and, not least, to Knut Hamsun's, but none of these are as poignant and, in a sense, as tragic as those of Sigbj0rn Obstfelder. In his relationship to the American scene, Obstfelder presents a unique case. Obstfelder interlarded his Norwegian-language letters to his brother with occasional English expressions, sometimes whole sentences, and in one instance a whole page. These have been retained as written, and all have been italicized. Even though on a few occasions 254 SIGBJ0RN OBSTFELDER AND AMERICA Obstfelder's English appears a bit shaky, his intent is clear and so no emendations or explanations have been made. In some cases Obstfelder italicized a Norwegian word, which has been indicated. Occasionally Obstfelder Norwegianized an American word, e.g., drafts msend . These instances have been treated as follows: "There are fewer draftsmen ( draftsmdend ) than at Wise. B. & I. Co." Obstfelder's letters were never dated, so the date that appears above each letter is that of the postmark . The flavor of Obstfelder's language has been faithfully retained, but his mechanics have been somewhat altered. This is especially true of his abundant use of the dash, some instances of which have been eliminated from this version. His ubiquitous use of the dash is certainly indicative of a teeming brain, with a staccato outpouring of ideas and notions. This use of the dash has been retained, but where the intent and the meaning are not obscured by omission of a dash, it has been left out. At his best, Obstfelder could be witty; he did not disdain slang or mild profanity or the earthy...