The Literary Works
Rølvaag debuted with the book "Amerika Breve" in 1912 under the pseudonym Paal Mørck, before eventually publishing books under his own name.
Many consider Rølvaag's most renowned work, a four-volume series published between 1924 and 1931, to be the pinnacle of Norwegian-American immigrant literature today. The series emphasizes the preservation of Norwegian cultural heritage as a central theme.
In addition to publishing nine works of fiction, Ole Edvart co-authored the "Norsk Læsebok" in three volumes from 1919 to 1925.
The novels
«Amerika-breve» (1912)
"Amerika-breve" was Ole Edvard Rølvaag's first publication. The book consists of 23 letters of varying lengths from 1 to 17 pages, totaling 184 pages. Ole Edvart published the work under the pseudonym Paal Mørck, presenting the letters as written by a Pastor Smevik to the Pastor’s father and brother back home in Helgeland. The letters depict a quick-witted and perceptive newcomer writing home to Norway about his work in the Nordlandslaget, and they describe the conditions among Norwegian-Americans through the pastor's eyes.
A prolific letter writer, Ole Edvart liked based "Amerika-breve" on his own letters home to his family on Dønna, particulary to his mother.
«Paa glemte veie» (1914)
"Paa glemte veie", or “The Forgotten Paths”, was also published under the pseudonym Paal Mørck. The title refers to what Rølvaag often called "Norwegian Lutheranism," which he felt American churches squandered in the collective Americanisation process.
In the novel, we meet Chris Larsen, the wealthiest farmer in the Clarkfield settlement, who constantly seeks more property and wealth. His wife Magdalena, a newcomer from Western Norway, has poor health and suffers from melancholy. They have a daughter, Mabel, a healthy and strong girl, but the father is disappointed that he did not have a son to help with the pioneering work. After the mother dies in an accident, Mabel dedicates her life to caring for her father, even though he is continually dissatisfied that she is not the son he wanted.
«To tullinger» (1920)
"To tullinger" was first published in the magazine Skandinaven as a serial, garnering strong criticism from many Norwegian-Americans who felt dishonoured by the work. The novel was then published in a revised edition in English the same year under the title "Pure Gold," and the revised edition was published in Norwegian under the title "Rent gull" in 1932. Rølvaag claimed he drew inspiration for the novel from a newspaper notice about a man who found several pots of gold while digging a basement for a house.
In the novel, we meet Lars Houglum and Jens Haugen, who own a threshing machine and travel from farm to farm with their equipment. On one of the farms, Lars meets Lisbet, whom he marries. She turns out to be a bustling woman, but also grandiose and selfish. They change their names to Louis and Lizzie, continually devising new ways to save money. The novel depicts the spiritual decline of two people who become slaves to the gold they eventually accumulated, highlighting moral, religious, and cultural social criticism. The tendency to hoard money and gold turns into boundless greed and selfishness, ultimately leading to madness.
«Lengselens baat» (1921)
The novel was published in English under the title "The Boat of Longing" in 1933. For the first time, Rølvaag set a large and significant part of the book's action in his own childhood realm in the North of Norway. According to Rølvaag himself, he put more of himself into this book than any of his other works, making it the best source of knowledge about Rølvaag's life and development until he emigrated at the age of 20.
The novel takes the reader to the Nordland coast in the era of row boats. It begins with atmospheric and contrasting depictions of nature and seasons in the north. Here, the sea gives life, and the sea's mystique colors the temperament of the people living there. Superstition and visions coexist with pietism. The characters sometimes envision a fully rigged ship appearing briefly before vanishing, which they interpret as a warning of sorrow, misfortune, and death.
The protagonist of the novel is the young artist and emigrant Nils Vaag, the only son of a fisherman couple. Nils enjoys music and learns to play the fiddle, something his father dislikes. Nils eventually longs to leave his home and the fishing profession, a longing fuelled by the many books he reads, but also by an exotic foreign girl, Zalma, who is washed ashore from the sea and disappears in a similarly mysterious way after a period on the island. Eventually, Nils decides to travel to America, but struggles to find his place in the harsh and money-driven environment he encounters.
«I de dage» (1924)
"I de dage" follows Beret and Per Hansa, who have travelled from the Helgeland coast to the unknown America in search of a better life. Together with a group of settlers, they head west to the Dakota Territory to secure land and establish a home. Struggling against homesickness and the elements, they establish a new existence on the prairie.
The contrast between the dreamer Per Hansa's optimism and Beret's religiosity and melancholy is a theme that receives significant attention. For Per Hansa, the Midwest is a new world full of opportunities, while Beret finds it difficult to adapt to her new life far from her homeland. Out on the prairie, a new society emerges. Beret and Per Hansa live together in love and understanding, but it becomes increasingly difficult for them to express their feelings to each other. And for Beret, the guilt of having left home in Norway grows stronger.
«Riket grundlægges» (1925)
In "Riket grundlægges", the settlers Beret and Per Hansa learn to know the prairie for better or worse. Here, people battle snowstorms, grasshopper plagues, fear of the indigenous people, poverty, and hunger, but also significant language barriers. Loneliness and separation are central themes. Ped disappears in a snowstorm and is found dead on the prairie. Most settlers in "Spring Creek" experience these feelings when bad weather and other factors lead to long stays inside the sod houses without contact to the outside world.
The fear of the unknown makes the longing for family and homeland even stronger. Beret's fear and inner struggle affect not only her family, but also the others in this small community, a community that could easily have perished without the settlers' warm care for each other. Together with the first volume in the series, the novel was translated into English and published under the title "Giants in the Earth" in 1927.
«Peder Seier» (1929)
In "Peder Seier", Beret considers returning to Nordland with the children, but she realizes that the children are now more at home on the prairie than by the sea in the north. She cannot flee from everything Per Hansa established and dreamed of. She works hard, becoming the best farmer in the settlement.
We follow Peder Seier, son of Per Hansa, through his childhood years. In his early youth, Peder enters a world his mother cannot follow; she can no longer speak understandably with her own child. Peder's attitude towards their religious heritage is marked by rebellion and liberation. Peder falls in love with the Irish girl Susie, which distresses his mother.
The book ends with Beret agreeing to the marriage between Peder and the Catholic Susie. The settlers' plots have become large farms. But alongside prosperity, a conflict grows between the older generation, who feel strongly connected to Norway, and the younger generation, who feel it is only a distant, unreal world. The young grow up and are shaped by their environment into Americans, despite their Norwegian parents and Norwegian cultural heritage.
«Den signede dag» (1931)
In "Den signede dag", Peder becomes a rationalist and a radical. As a farmer, he adapts to the conditions, switching to new farming methods in which he sees a future. Similarly, he is open to new ideas in politics and society, embracing them, and forming his own independent opinions.
Life is far from idyllic in the settler community. Strong conflicts emerge, and the farmers experience drought and falling prices. Peder Seier and his Irish wife Susie face significant challenges in their marriage due to different cultural backgrounds and religious differences. The book concludes with Susie taking their son and leaving Peder.
A Fifth Book?
Many believe that Rølvaag planned a fifth book in the series. Would Peder Seier have returned to Norway and reclaimed the people, language, and faith he had turned his back on as an American? Or would Peder have searched for answers in America, learning to tolerate Susie, her Irish faith, and traditions such that the American paradise could find its ultimate multicultural form?
It was Per Hansa who dreamed of America, but it was Peder who had to live it, something that proved to be more of a challenge than a dream.
Non-Fiction
«Norsk læsebok» (1919 -1925)
Ole Edvart Rølvaag co-published the Norwegian textbooks in three volumes (1919-25). The books provided instruction in Norwegian language and literature for primary schools, academies, colleges, and homes.
The target groups show that Rølvaag was concerned with Norwegian language and literature as a foundation for education for all ages.
Other Works
«Omkring fedrearven» (1923)
Rølvaag's authorship includes several literary works, both novels and essays.
His cultural perspective stands out in the essay collection Omkring fedrearven (1923), where he gathered speeches and articles on culture, religion, and education. Ole Edvart actively worked to preserve Norwegian language and cultural heritage in the USA.
