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