Torvald Tu
Encyclopedia
Torvald Tu was a Norwegian poet, playwright, novelist and writer of humoresques.
He was born in Klepp
as a son of farmers. His literary debut was the 1914 play Storbrekkmyri, and his first poetry collection Blomar fraa heid came in 1915. He wrote in Nynorsk
with strong hints of his own Jæren
dialect
. His most successful play was the musical comedy Kjærleik på Lykteland, issued in 1923 and staged at Det Norske Teatret
. The play had music composed by Per Reidarson, and was produced by Agnes Mowinckel
, with Lars Tvinde
as the elder bachelor, and Mally Haaland portraying the anxious-to-be-married Anna Saueland. The play was one of the greatest successes for Det Norske Teatret, and simultaneously went on two parallel tours. In 1929 Tu's comedy Friarleik på Liland, with music by Trygve Stangeland, was staged at Det Norske Teatret. His comedy Bertels gjenvordigheter, was played 133 times in 1933 at Komedieteatret in Bergen, which also staged several others of his plays. His works became very popular at Nynorsk
amateur theatres throughout the country.
In total he issued over fifty books, and some works have been translated to other languages, notably Swedish
and Faroese
. He also contributed to newspapers and magazines. His song Sjå Jæren, gamle Jæren has later achieved status as a "national" song for the Jæren
district, and his popular humoresques have seen new and increasing popularity in later years. After the German occupation of Norway ended in 1945, a minor controversy arose as Tu was admonished by the Norwegian Authors' Union
for not following the union policy to "strike" during the occupation—Tu had released four titles in 1943.
From 1937 he lived with musician Trygve Johannes Stangeland (1898–1969). They also cooperated professionally on many occasions. Tu died in January 1955 near his home.
He was born in Klepp
Klepp
Klepp is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The parish of Klep was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 ....
as a son of farmers. His literary debut was the 1914 play Storbrekkmyri, and his first poetry collection Blomar fraa heid came in 1915. He wrote in Nynorsk
Nynorsk
Nynorsk or New Norwegian is one of two official written standards for the Norwegian language, the other being Bokmål. The standard language was created by Ivar Aasen during the mid-19th century, to provide a Norwegian alternative to the Danish language which was commonly written in Norway at the...
with strong hints of his own Jæren
Jæren
Jæren is a traditional district in the county of Rogaland. The others are Dalane, Ryfylke and Haugalandet.Jæren is the largest flat lowland area in Norway, stretching from the municipality of Randaberg in the north to Hå in the south. The coast is flat compared to the rest of the Norwegian coast,...
dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
. His most successful play was the musical comedy Kjærleik på Lykteland, issued in 1923 and staged at Det Norske Teatret
Det Norske Teatret
Det Norske Teatret is a theatre in Oslo. The theatre was founded in 1912, after an initiative from Hulda Garborg and Edvard Drabløs. It opened in 1913, touring with two plays, Ervingen by Ivar Aasen and Rationelt Fjøsstell by Hulda Garborg...
. The play had music composed by Per Reidarson, and was produced by Agnes Mowinckel
Agnes Mowinckel
Agnes Mowinckel was a Norwegian actress and theatre director, born in Bergen. She was Norway's first professional stage director. She was a pioneer in bringing painters to the theatre, using light as an artistic element, and engaging contemporary composers...
, with Lars Tvinde
Lars Tvinde
Lars Tvinde was a Norwegian actor. He started working for Det Norske Teatret in 1912, and said the first lines at this theatre's opening performance, Ivar Aasen's Ervingen, on 2 January 1913. He is regarded as one of the driving forces at Det Norske Teatret, from its first season until his...
as the elder bachelor, and Mally Haaland portraying the anxious-to-be-married Anna Saueland. The play was one of the greatest successes for Det Norske Teatret, and simultaneously went on two parallel tours. In 1929 Tu's comedy Friarleik på Liland, with music by Trygve Stangeland, was staged at Det Norske Teatret. His comedy Bertels gjenvordigheter, was played 133 times in 1933 at Komedieteatret in Bergen, which also staged several others of his plays. His works became very popular at Nynorsk
Nynorsk
Nynorsk or New Norwegian is one of two official written standards for the Norwegian language, the other being Bokmål. The standard language was created by Ivar Aasen during the mid-19th century, to provide a Norwegian alternative to the Danish language which was commonly written in Norway at the...
amateur theatres throughout the country.
In total he issued over fifty books, and some works have been translated to other languages, notably Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
and Faroese
Faroese language
Faroese , is an Insular Nordic language spoken by 48,000 people in the Faroe Islands and about 25,000 Faroese people in Denmark and elsewhere...
. He also contributed to newspapers and magazines. His song Sjå Jæren, gamle Jæren has later achieved status as a "national" song for the Jæren
Jæren
Jæren is a traditional district in the county of Rogaland. The others are Dalane, Ryfylke and Haugalandet.Jæren is the largest flat lowland area in Norway, stretching from the municipality of Randaberg in the north to Hå in the south. The coast is flat compared to the rest of the Norwegian coast,...
district, and his popular humoresques have seen new and increasing popularity in later years. After the German occupation of Norway ended in 1945, a minor controversy arose as Tu was admonished by the Norwegian Authors' Union
Norwegian Authors' Union
The Norwegian Authors' Union is an association of Norwegian authors. It was established in 1893 to promote Norwegian literature and protect Norwegian authors' professional and economic interests. DnF also works in solidarity with persecuted writers internationally.As of 2004 the association had...
for not following the union policy to "strike" during the occupation—Tu had released four titles in 1943.
From 1937 he lived with musician Trygve Johannes Stangeland (1898–1969). They also cooperated professionally on many occasions. Tu died in January 1955 near his home.