The Nazification of Norwegian Cultural Politics and the work of Frithjof Sælen
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Transcript of The Nazification of Norwegian Cultural Politics and the work of Frithjof Sælen
The Nazification of Norwegian Cultural Politics and the work of Frithjof Sælen
Dr. Anette H. StoreideAssociate Professor of European Studies
Frithjof Sælen (1917- 2004)
• 1940: art-student in Oslo• 9 April 1940: Germany attacks Norway • Sælen enlisted immediately and participated in
the heavy battles in Hallingdal (“Halling Valley”)• Critical of Norwegian politics prior to German
attack: Naïve, policy of neutrality as failure and dangerous mistake
• Children’s books as coverage for political criticism against German occupation and Nazification, but also against Norwegian politicians
• Snorre the Seal (1941) – was denunciated and banned
• Three Cold Guys (1942) • January 1943: interrogation by the Gestapo
and warned off against writing further books• Participation in military resistance work,
escaped to London in 1944
Snorre the Seal (1941)
• Snorre the Seal in the Arctic Ocean = Norway
• Two bad habits: 1. Dreamer2. Vanity
”The sly polar bear Grumbeling Paw” = the Soviet Union
”The dangerous orca Snap” = Nazi-Germany
A fight between the good and the evil
”The nice uncle Bart/Mustache”: England as Norway’s saviour
The Seagulls Swing and Bend: Only acting for their own benefit
• ”Fake yellow twinkle in the eyes”
• ”Red dots above the eyes”
• The book was denunciated after four weeks despite good reviews
• Far more critical of the Norwegian Nazis than of the German occupants?
Hidden resistance symbols
Three Cold Guys (1942)
Three snowmen producing winter:• Drummer hail = hail• Creak = dry snow• Slush = wet snow
They have icicles instead of hearts and are travelling by brooms = traditional symbols of the dark forces
The three snowmen as symbols of the Axis powers:• Drummer hail = Nazi-Germany• Creak = Japan• Slush = Italy
The fight between the good and the evil (sun = the Allied)
Literature as resistance
• Writing children’s books as coverage for political criticism:Subtitles ”A fable in colours for adults and children” (Snorre the Seal), ”A winter-fairy-tale in colours and words” (Three Cold Guys)
• Sælen worried about the impact of Nazi propaganda on children
• The stories can be read on two levels: 1) Exiting stories for children2) Normative, educational stories on the battle between the good and
the evil
• Narrative strategies:1) Classic elements of the respective genres2) Contrasts, eg. dark-light, cold-warm etc.3) Norwegian resistance symbols
Why was Snorre the Seal banned, but not Three Cold Guys?• Snorre the Seal was denunciated – but why that?• Snorre the Seal ridicules and criticises the
Norwegian Nazis through the presentation of the seagulls Swing and Bend, eg. ”they are fake” (p. 46)
• Snorre the Seal: a. A political and satirical presentation of the
occupation of Norway b. An educational story: from dreaming vanity to
alertness (encourages alertness and resistance)
• Three Cold Guys:a. Are the satirical points hidden better?b. A classic narrative on the fight between good and
evilc. Encourages hope and endurance more than
resistanced. A story about the world war with no explicit
remarks on the Norwegian Nazis