The Great Hunger — Johan Bojer

Johan Bojer (1872-1959) was a popular Norwegian novelist and dramatist. He principally wrote about the lives of the poor farmers and fishermen, both in his native Norway and among the Norwegian immigrants in the United States. Bojer learned early the realities of poverty. His early years were spent working on a farm and working as a bookkeeper. His literary work began with the publication of Unge Tanker in 1893, and continued to gather strength through the 1920s. Because of the range of topics he addressed, he won critical acclaim in Norway. He gained international fame after many of his works were published in foreign languages. Critics generally recognize his best work to be his novel, Den Siste Viking (1921), (English title: The Last of the Vikings). This novel powerfully and realistically depicts the lives of fishermen from Trondelag. Bojer is also remembered for Vor Egen Stamme (1924), (English title: The Emigrants), a major novel dealing with the motivations and trials of Norwegians emigrated on the plains of North Dakota.