Halvor

by Peer Olsen Strömme

First published as a serial novel in a Norwegian language newspaper edited by Peer O. Stromme, 'Halvor' has delighted readers in the Norwegian-American community for many years, both in the Norwegian language original version and in several English translations. The newest edition offers present-day readers a precious glimpse into a past that is all too easily forgotten. Laced with sly humor and gentile satire, Stromme's novel is his fictionalized autobiography, telling of his log cabin childhood in a pioneer settlement in Wisconsin and his adolescent years at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. Finally, after attending a theological seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, Halvor was ordained as a Lutheran pastor and claimed the lovely Nora as his bride.

Paperback

Published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Valerie Book Valkyrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Wisconsin Norske Stars

Another sentient LFL offering🙂: Halvor by Peer O. Stromme, translated from the Norwegian by Inga Bredesen Norstog, edited by Neil T. Eckstein, paperback, published 2003 by Grandview Books, original hardcover published 1960 by Luther College Press.

HALVOR first appeared in a Wisconsin Norwegian language newspaper, Posten, as a fictional serial from November 1892 through June 1893. Heartwarming and endearing, the story chronicals the life of Halvor Helgeson, from the immigration of his father Søren from Norway to Springville Wisconson via Canada, through Halvor's birth & rural Wisconsin upbringing in the farming community of Springville, to his attendance & escapades at Luther College and then at the German Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, graduating - much to the satisfaction of Søren - with a degree in Theology.
Simple prose and narration reminiscent of tales by Garrison Keilor, with the misfortune of losing the witty repartee and often raucous humor that Keilor is celebrated for.

According to data from 2021 Wisconsin has 3,520 Norwegian speakers, Vermont (my current home) has 31 Norwegian speakers: 24 aged 18-65, and 7 older than 65 (I gave up efforts to be #8).

Apparently this story is well known to many in the Norwegian-American community. Leaving me to wonder which one of the Vermont 31 left the book in our LFL, many thanks 🤗.

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of a young Norwegian immigrant, the son of a farmer in Wisconsin, who is sent to Luther College in Decorah, Iowa and becomes a pastor in the Norwegian Synod. The story is autobiographical, from Strømme's life. It is an innocent look at a completely different age, one that was not long ago. For me it was helpful to understand my great-grandfather and what he might have experienced, particularly as a Norwegian student at Concordia in St. Louis. The book illuminated the pioneer experience and was a pleasant read.