Amalie Skram
Amalie Skram (22 August 1846 – 15 March 1905) was a Norwegian author and feminist who gave voice to a woman's point of view with her naturalist writing. In Norway, she is frequently considered the most important female writer of the Modern Breakthrough ("Det moderne gjennombrudd"). Her more notable works include a tetralogy, "Hellemyrsfolket" (1887–98) which portray relations within a family over four generations. Biography. Early life. Berthe Amalie Alver was born in Bergen, Norway. Her parents were Mons Monsen Alver (1819–98) and Ingeborg Lovise Sivertsen (1821–1907). She was the only daughter in a family of five children . Her parents operated a small business, which went bankrupt when Amalie was 17 years old. Her father emigrated from Norway to the United States to avoid a term of imprisonment. Her mother was left with five children to care for. Her mother pressured Amalie into a marriage with an older man, Bernt Ulrik August Müller (1837–1898), a ship captain and later mill owner. Following thirteen years of marriage and the birth of two sons she suffered a nervous breakdown, in part attributed to his infidelity. After several years in a mental hospital, she was divorced from Müller. Together with her  two sons, Jacob Müller (born 1866) and Ludvig Müller (born 1868), she moved to Kristiania (now Oslo) and began her literary activities. There she met the bohemian community, including writers Arne Garborg and Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, with whom she remained in contact for many years. Denmark. In 1884 Amalie Müller married again, this time the Danish writer Asbjørn Oluf Erik Skram (1847–1923), a son of railroad director Gustav Skram. She moved to Copenhagen, Denmark with her new husband. They had a daughter, Ida Johanne Skram (born 1889), from this union. Her obligations as housewife, mother and author as well as the  public's limited acceptance for her then-radical work, led to a further breakdown in 1894, after which Amalie lived in a psychiatric hospital near Roskilde. In 1900 her second marriage was dissolved. She died six years later in Copenhagen and was buried at Bispebjerg Cemetery. Literary career. In 1882 Amalie Skram debuted (as Amalie Müller) with the short story "Madam Høiers leiefolk", published in the magazine "Nyt Tidsskrift". An excerpt from her first novel, "Constance Ring", was first published in the magazine "Tilskueren" in 1885. Her works continued until her death. She dealt with topics she knew well. Her  work can be divided into three categories: She is recognized as an early and strong proponent of what has come to be known as the women's movement, setting the early European trend. Her works, which had been generally forgotten with her death, were rediscovered and received strong recognition in the 1960s. Several of her works are currently available in recent translations to English. Legacy. The Amalie Skram prize is a travel stipend that has been awarded annually since 1994 to Norwegian authors who show exceptional skill in addressing women's issues. The street Amalie Skrams Allé in the Valby  district of Copenhagen is named after her. A statue of Skram by Maja Refsum (1897–1986) was unveiled at Convent Garden ("Klosterhaugen") in Bergen 1949. A bronze bust by Per Ung was installed in Bispebjerg Cemetery in Copenhagen in 1996. A marble bust by Ambrosia Tønnesen (1859–1948) is in Bergen Public Library. She was also honored with a Norwegian postage stamp in 1996. Amalie Skram Upper Secondary School is named after the author.