A
set of four stamps issued to celebrate the birth centenary of the
Norwegian novelist, poet, and dramatist, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
(1832-1910). He is the author of "Jernbanen og kirkegaarden" (The
Railway and the Churchyard). This short story, published in
1866, was perhaps the first piece of Norwegian literature to pose
the problem of the new materialistic civilization versus the
traditional order of things. This account of a railway that was to
pass over a graveyard found Bjørnson sympathizing with conservative
pietism but prophetic enough to see the inevitable victory of the
forces symbolized by the railway. "The Railway and the Churchyard"
was published in Scandinavian Short Stories, 1995.
Catalogue Nos.: Sc 154-157 / SG 227-230 / Mi 163-166 / YT 155-158 /
NK 185-188
01.10.1982
Portrait
of Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson on the balcony at his home at
Aulestad,
from a painting by Erik Werenskiold.
He was
one of the major figures of Norwegian literature
and awarded the
Nobel Prize for Literature in 1903.
In the story, "The Railway and the Churchyard," two friends are
estranged by their different views of progress. Knut Aakre belongs
to an old and influential family. He is chairman of the parish
commissioners, but also protects his family interests. His neighbor,
Lars Hogstad (against his own secret personal wishes), supports a
proposal to establish a savings bank. The decision turns out to be
far-sighted and it brings prosperity to the parish.
Years later, Lars realizes that his bank will fail if a new railway
is not built, as the railway will cause all real estate prices to
increase in value. Knut opposes in vain the plans to build the
railway through the old, now unused churchyard, the only place it
can go. Lars sees the train working through the valley as a strong
power, and remembers his grandfather who raised the family from
poverty to comfortable circumstances. "... true, a part of his
citizen-honor had been lost, but forward he had pushed,
nevertheless. His faults were those of his time; they were to be
found on the uncertain borders of the moral conceptions of that
period, and are of no consideration now." Sparks from a passing locomotive start a fire and burn down
Lars's house, but Knut is the first to help him. Lars is again
elected the chairman of the parish, but now with Knut at his side.
A souvenir
sheet containing a pair of this stamp was prepared by the
Norwegian Philatelic Association. Stamps of Bjørnson are also issued
by Sweden, St.Vincent
& Grenadines and
Slovakia.
Catalogue Nos.: Sc 810 / SG 903 / Mi 870A+Block 4 / YT 826 / NK 918
