The original title of this novel was
Flags are flying in Town and Harbour[translated by Cecil Fairfax, and published as
The Heritage of the Kurts(1892)]. For Bjørnson and his Norwegian readers the figure of the flag was of great emotive and political significance. Despite the rhetoric of the 1815 Act of Union, which represented the country as “a free, independent, indivisible, and inalienable kingdom, united with Sweden under one king”, Norway was functioning as little more than an appendage to its more powerful neighbour. For many years, Bjørnson was highly vocal in political and journalistic spheres, arguing for the need for Norwegian independence, and the flag was a powerful symbol of that freedom. In his 1860 poem, “Answer from Norway: To the Speeches in the Swedish House…
2577 words
Citation: Rees, Kathy. "Det Flager I Byeti og på Havnen". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 23 October 2016 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=35832, accessed 23 November 2024.]
