A young imperialist adventurer turned hero of the anti-Nazi resistance,
Norwegian journalist, poet, and playwright Nordahl Grieg has become more
of a national legend than a real person since his death as a war
reporter in Berlin in 1943. A look into Grieg's intellectual development
during the dynamic interwar period sheds light on the political and
cultural ideologies that competed in a turbulent Europe. Often portrayed
with an emphasis on his humanist and pacifist positions, this
antifascist figure becomes more complex in his writings, which reveal
shifting allegiances, including an unsavory period as a rigid Stalinist.
In this comprehensive and accessible book, Dean Krouk examines a
significant public figure in Scandinavian literature and a critical
period in modern European history through original readings of the
political, ethical, and gender issues in Grieg's works. This volume
offers a first-rate analysis of the interwar period's political and
cultural agendas in Scandinavia and Europe leading to the Second World
War by examining the rise of fascism, communism, and antifascism.
Grieg's poetry found renewed resonance in Norway following the 2011
far-right domestic terrorist attacks, making insight into his
contradictory ideas more crucial than ever. Krouk's presentation of
Grieg's unexpected ideological tensions will be thought-provoking for
many readers in the United States and elsewhere.
