Svein Jarvoll

Svein Jarvoll
Born(1946-05-05)5 May 1946
Lurøy, Helgeland, Norway
Died18 February 2026(2026-02-18) (aged 79)
OccupationsPoet, novelist, short story writer, translator and essayist.
AwardsDobloug Prize (2001)

Svein Jarvoll (5 May 1946 – 18 February 2026) was a Norwegian poet, novelist, short story writer, translator and essayist. He made his debut with a poetry collection in 1984 and followed up with a postmodern novel, while most of his later books were essay collections and translations of ancient literature. He was awarded the Dobloug Prize in 2001.

Life and career

Jarvoll was born on 5 May 1946 in Lurøy,[1] in the district of Helgeland.[2]: 771 

He made his literary début in 1984 with the poetry collection Thanatos.[1] According to literary historian Øystein Rottem, Jarvoll's novel En australiareise from 1988 satisfies several of Patricia Waugh's characteristics of a postmodern text,[2]: 771  as outlined in her work Metafiction: The Theory and Practice of Self-Conscious Fiction.[2]: 344  The novel tells a number of stories in a rhapsodic manner, and contains references to ancient philosophy as well as the Bible and classics such as Dante and Joyce.[2]: 771 

In 1990, he issued the short story collection Den ufullførte beretningen om Henry Glass og andre noveller. In 1993, he published Fragmenter, translation of works by Archilochus from Old Greek into Norwegian langue, and in 1995 the essays collection Melbourne-forelesningene.[2]: 771  In an article in the literary magazine Vagant, Espen Grønlie called Melsom-forelesningene the best defence for classical bildung in Norwegian literature, and a book that for him split the time in a "before" and an "after".[3] Jarvoll issued the essays collection Cornucopia jubilans eller Begeistringens overflødighetshorn in 1997.[4][5]

In 2000, he issued translations of the Greek poet Sappho, and in 2001 the essays collection Et hvilket som helst glass vann.[1] In a 2002 newspaper review Sigmund S. Jensen characterized Jarvoll as having an impressive ability to write well and interestingly about the most unimportant issues, such as any glass of water, or oranges, or colours. The collection also includes essays about Paal Brekke's poetry collection Det skjeve smil i rosa, and Robert Burton's book The Anatomy of Melancholy.[6] He published the short story collection Ustadighet ustadighet in 2004.[1]

In his literary history from 1998, Øystein Rottem compared Jarvoll with contemporary writers such as Ole Robert Sunde and Steinar Løding, and characterized his texts as a combination of abstract prose and concrete descriptions.[2]: 771  A member of the Norwegian Authors' Union from 1989, Jarvoll for a period also chaired the literary council of the union.[7] He was awarded the Dobloug Prize in 2001.[8][9]

Jarvoll died on 18 February 2026, at the age of 79.[10][11][12]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Svein Jarvoll". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Rottem, Øystein (1998). Norges Litteraturhistorie. Etterkrigslitteraturen (in Norwegian). Vol. 3. Oslo: Cappelen. ISBN 82-02-16426-5.
  3. ^ Grønlie, Espen (2016). "Vår bittersøte omfavnelse av antikken". Vagant (in Norwegian). No. 2. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  4. ^ "Jarvoll, Svein". nrk.no (in Norwegian). 26 November 2001. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  5. ^ Løvaas, Kari (2003). "Svein Jarvoll". audiatur.no. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  6. ^ Jensen, Sigmund S. (12 February 2002). "Svein Jarvoll Et hvilket som helst glass vann – Stilsikre studier". Stavanger Aftenblad (in Norwegian). Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  7. ^ "Svein Jarvoll er død". forfatterforeningen.no (in Norwegian). 21 February 2026. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  8. ^ Iversen, Vidar; Huvenes, Fred. "Doblougprisen". In Bolstad, Erik (ed.). Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Norsk nettleksikon. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  9. ^ "Prisverdige forfattere". nrk.no (in Norwegian). 25 May 2001. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  10. ^ "Svein Jarvoll". minnesider.jolstad.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  11. ^ Forfatter Svein Jarvoll er død, 79 år gammel (in Norwegian)
  12. ^ Aurstad, Oddvar; Moi, Morten; Marstein, Kari (27 February 2026). "Et begeistringens overflødighetshorn". Klassekampen (in Norwegian). Retrieved 27 February 2026.
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