Kristofer Uppdal

Born Feb. 19, 1878, in Beitstad, Nord-Trøndelag; died there Dec. 26, 1961. Norwegian writer.

One of the creators of the realistic “workers’ novel,” Uppdal began his literary career as a lyric poet with the collection The Song (1905). His collection The Altar Flame (1920) is of particular note. Uppdal’s emotional and often melancholy poems are devoted primarily to the Norwegian countryside. His Dance Through the Shadow World (vols. 1–10, 1911–24) consists of a series of novels that depict the penetration of capitalist relations into the village, the transformation of the poor peasants into hired workers, and the early stages of the proletarian movement in Norway. Uppdal subsequently returned to philosophical and nature lyrics.