Und ewig singen die Wälder (Riksmål: Og bakom synger skogene, roughly translated as: "And behind sing the forests") is a novel written by the Norwegian author Trygve Gulbranssen, published in 1933 by the Oslo-based Aschehoug Verlag publishing house. Written in the Riksmål dialect, the work, a novel of development, rural life, generations, and horror, constitutes the first part of the internationally successful Björndal Trilogy (Bjørndaltrilogien), which also includes the novel Das Erbe von Björndal (1934) and the novella Heimkehr nach Björndal (1935). The German translation by Ellen de Boor was first published in 1935. Additionally, the novel has been translated into many other languages.
Und ewig singen die Wälder was already the most successful foreign bestseller in the German-speaking world before the Second World War. In the post-war period, the film adaptation of the same name (1959) directed by Paul May for Wiener Mundus-Film contributed to its renewed popularity.
The novel tells the story of the Norwegian forest farmer Dag Björndal, who achieves prosperity through diligent hard work in the late 18th century but becomes a callous person in the process. Various other people enter his life – including his strong, charitable wife Therese, his quiet, sensitive sister-in-law Dorthea, and his reserved but wise secretary, Captain Klinge – under whose influence he learns that true independence, taught to him by his father, is not attained through striving for self-sufficiency and ruthless accumulation of possessions but only through human empathy and Christian mercy.
Plot and Characters edit
First Book edit
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The setting is rural Norway at the transition between lowland and high forest, initially in the 1760s.
An old bear wreaks havoc around the Björkland estate located in the lowlands. Since the residents do not know how to deal with it, they ask for help from Torgeir, the lord of the Björndal farm located higher up in the forest. The North with its dense forests frightens the lowland residents; they believe that it is haunted there and inhabited by trolls and huldren: "All evil came from the north - from the forests." (p. 13) The people living there are not only considered fearless bear hunters but are also accused by the valley farmers of witchcraft, licentiousness, and wild brawls. Torgeir kills the bear but dies in the fight with the animal.
After Torgeir's death, his two sons, Tore and Dag, take over the Björndal farm, which thrives under their leadership. Although they suspect that they are secretly despised by the valley farmers, they also establish contacts with them. Tore marries the daughter of the Gistad farmer. An approach between Björndal and the valley farmers suffers a setback when Dag instigates a brawl at a wedding party in the valley.
The brothers also have business dealings with the town, especially with the Holder trading house. Dag gives Therese, the daughter of the trading partner, a golden brooch as a gift. Only vaguely does he realize that she will interpret this gift as a declaration of love.
When Tore, with his wife and child, breaks through the ice during a sleigh ride on a frozen lake and drowns, Dag is plunged into a deep crisis. He considers the loss of his brother a punishment from God and does not know how to continue running the Björndal farm without him. However, he is shown the way by a letter from Therese Holder, who desperately seeks a husband. Dag brings her to Björndal as his wife, where Therese's sister Dorthea also finds a new home.
Therese loves Dag sincerely and, contrary to everyone's expectations, quickly grows into her new role as a farmer. She and Dorthea also bring about some changes in Björndal. The first change is the effort to persuade Dag, who avoids the church because of the enmity with the valley farmers, to attend Midnight Mass. However, Dag finds it difficult to make this concession to the valley farmers, and to make up for the humiliation he supposedly endures, he races with the Borglænders – the noble lords in the valley and his main adversaries – during the sleigh ride to the church. A sleigh ride on a frozen lake (painting by Langlem Kari Nordgård). As part of his efforts to normalize relations with the valley farmers, Dag sets off with the women to attend the midnight mass in the church. However, in order not to offend the Borglænders further, he orders the women to leave the sleigh, and then races to the church on his own. However, he loses control of his horse and only just avoids a collision with the belfry. The valley farmers are afraid that Dag will curse them for their apparent victory.
A little later, the owners of the Björndal estate also have to make a decision about the Norwegian Forest Act. Tore would have voted for it, while Dag, who sees the Act as an infringement of his freedom, opposes it. However, he is unable to vote at all because he gets into a brawl again at the voting meeting.
After the women have come to terms with the fact that they will not get to know the friendly, brave side of the valley farmers so soon, they decide to invite them to a party. The celebration, which the valley farmers accepted in the end, takes place in the valley. However, it ends in a disaster because of the terrible weather and because the Borglænders continue to refuse to meet on an equal footing with Dag. When it is feared that the guests might not make it home because of the storm, Dag proposes that they should all spend the night in the valley, but the Borglænders reject the suggestion. The women's hearts are heavy; Therese begins to understand her husband's loneliness.
At the end of the novel, the young estate owners are also confronted with another challenge. The lowland farmers demand that the Björndal farmers stop cutting wood in the higher forest area because this could lead to the flooding of the valley. However, the Björndal farmers depend on the forest. After all, Dag wants to make another attempt to approach the valley farmers at the spring market.
Dag's problems with the valley farmers and the law and his attempt to develop and maintain his estate in accordance with his own ideas form the core of the novel. Although he was an independent man by nature, Dag was unable to prevent his life from becoming increasingly entangled with the valley farmers' lives. In the end, he has to come to terms with the fact that the world does not belong to him alone.
In addition to Dag, the novel also features various other characters such as Tore, Therese, Dorthea, and Captain Klinge. The characters are depicted as complex and multi-layered, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, virtues and vices. Through their interactions and conflicts, the novel explores themes of family, love, duty, honor, ambition, and the struggle for identity and meaning in a changing world.
Themes and Interpretation edit
Und ewig singen die Wälder is a multi-layered work that addresses various themes and issues. One of the central themes of the novel is the relationship between man and nature. The forest plays a prominent role in the story, serving as both a source of sustenance and wealth for the Björndal family and a symbol of the untamed forces of the natural world. The forest is depicted as a place of mystery and danger, inhabited by wild animals, mythical creatures, and unseen spirits. It is also portrayed as a place of beauty and wonder, with its towering trees, lush vegetation, and hidden treasures.
Another important theme of the novel is the conflict between tradition and modernity. The Björndal family represents traditional values and ways of life, rooted in the land and the customs of their ancestors. They are portrayed as hardworking, self-reliant, and fiercely independent, refusing to bow to outside authority or conform to social expectations. In contrast, the valley farmers represent modernity and progress, with their embrace of new technologies, social reforms, and changing attitudes towards religion, morality, and the natural world. The novel explores the tensions and conflicts that arise when these two worlds collide, as well as the compromises and sacrifices that are made in the name of progress.
Love and marriage are also important themes in the novel. The relationship between Dag and Therese forms the emotional heart of the story, as they navigate the challenges and hardships of married life together. Their love is tested by external pressures and internal conflicts, but ultimately proves to be strong enough to withstand even the greatest trials. The novel also explores the themes of duty, honor, and sacrifice, as the characters struggle to balance their personal desires and ambitions with their obligations to family, community, and society.
Overall, Und ewig singen die Wälder is a rich and complex work that offers a vivid portrait of life in rural Norway in the late 18th century. Through its compelling characters, evocative setting, and timeless themes, the novel continues to resonate with readers around the world, more than eight decades after its initial publication.
Editions (Selection) edit
Norwegian Original
- Og bakom synger skogene: noen historier fra 1760-årene til frem mot 1810, Aschehoug, Oslo, 1933
- Og bakom synger skogene, Aschehoug pocket, Oslo, 2005
- Og bakom synger skogene, Lydbokforlaget, 2007, ISBN 978-82-421-2945-1 (Audiobook, read by Bjørn Fougner)
In German Translation
- Und ewig singen die Wälder, Langen Müller Verlag, Munich, 1935, translated by Ellen de Boor
- Und ewig singen die Wälder, epubli, Berlin, 2019, ISBN 978-3-7502-5961-4
In Other Languages
- Och bortom sjunga skogarna: några historier från 1760-talet fram till 1810, Gebers, Stockholm, 1934, translated into Swedish by Aslög Davidson and Elsa Thulin
- Metsien humina: tarinoita 1760-luvulta v:n 1810 paikkeille, VSOY, Porvoo, 1935, translated into Finnish by Lauri Hirvensalo
- Og bag dem synger skovene : handlingen udspilles i tiden 1760 til 1810, Aschehoug, Copenhagen, 1935, translated into Danish by Jørgen Budtz-Jørgensen
- Věčně zpívají lesy. Trochu vyprávéni z doby ot let 1760-týc asi do r. 1810, Sfinx, Prague, 1936, translated into Czech by M. Lesná-Krausová
- Beyond Sing the Woods, Putnam, New York, 1936, translated into English by Naomi Walford
- A lasy wiecznie śpiewają, Wydawnictwo J. Kubickiego, Warsaw, 1939, translated into Polish by L. J. Wirski
- Večne spievajú lesy : trocha rozprávania z čias od rokov 1760-tych asi do roku 1810, Spoločnosť Priatel̕ov Klasických Kníh, Bratislava, 1944, translated into Slovakian
Adaptation edit
- Und ewig singen die Wälder, Austria 1959, Adaptation: Kurt Heuser, Directed by Paul May, starring Gert Fröbe (Old Dag), Hansjörg Felmy (Tore), Joachim Hansen (Young Dag), Carl Lange (Colonel), Anna Smolik (Elisabeth), and Hans Nielsen (Major).
External Links edit
In German
In Norwegian
References edit