Cläre Mjøen
Cläre Grevérus Mjøen | |
|---|---|
 Cläre Mjøen in 1907 | |
| Born | Cläre Grevérus Berndt 5 June 1874 Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Kingdom of Prussia |
| Died | 18 April 1963 (aged 88) Vestre Aker, Oslo, Østlandet, Norway |
| Burial place | Østre Fredrikstad Cemetery, Fredrikstad, Østfold, Norway |
| Occupation(s) | translator and women's rights activist |
| Organization | Norwegian National Women's Council |
| Children | 6 |
Cläre Grevérus Mjøen (née Berndt, 5 June 1874 – 18 April 1963) was a German and Norwegian translator, women's rights activist and eugenicist.
Early life
Mjøen was born in Magdeburg, then part of the Kingdom of Prussia, in 1874.[1] Her father Rudolph Berndt was the director of the German insurance company Magdeburger Feuerversicherungs-Gesellschaft and her mother was Emilie Grevérus.[2] She was educated in languages, art history, singing and piano at a school for girls in Switzerland.[3]
Marriage
Mjøen married pharmacist and “race biologist” Jon Alfred Mjøen in Magdeburg in 1896.[1][4] She moved to Christiania, Norway in 1898 and the couple had six children together, five of whom became actors.[3] The Mjøen family were close friends with first Nobel Laureate in Literature, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson.[5]
Career
Mjøen translated literature from Norwegian to German.[6] Her translations included Knut Hamsun's travel writing and short stories, along with works by Andreas Aubert, Bjørnson, Georg Brandes, Nordahl Grieg, Barbra Ring,[7] Gunnar Larsen, Wilhelm Keilhau, Kristian Schjelderup and Herman Wildenvey.[2]
Activism
Mjøen was also active in the women's rights movement and was the general secretary of the Norwegian National Women's Council for 12 years.[7][8] She supported the recognition of illegitimate children's rights, feeling that this improved the position of single mothers and their children.[7]
Mjøen also wrote some articles on "race biology."[9]
Death
Mjøen died in 1963 in Vestre Aker, Oslo, Norway.[2]
References
- ^ a b Liedtke, Klaus-Jürgen. "Greverus Mjøen, Cläre". Baltic Sea Library. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
- ^ a b c Mjøen, Sonja (1975). Da mor var ung: Samtaler og minner (in Norwegian). Cappelen. ISBN 978-82-02-03249-4.
- ^ a b "Ivar Aasens vei". Oslo Byleksikon (Oslo City Dictionary) (in Norwegian). Retrieved 19 March 2025.
- ^ Gylseth, Christopher Hals; Skålevåg, Svein Atle (22 October 2024), "Jon Alfred Mjøen", Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian), retrieved 19 March 2025
- ^ Reinert, Sophus A. (1 November 2004). "Iconoclastic eugenics: thorstein veblen on racial diversity and cultural nomadism1". International Review of Sociology. 14 (3): 513–534. doi:10.1080/0390670042000318359. ISSN 0390-6701.
- ^ Gibbels, Elisabeth (27 March 2025). Translating Women in Germany in the 19th Century: A Biographical Lexicon. Frank & Timme GmbH. p. 180. ISBN 978-3-7329-1093-9.
- ^ a b c Žagar, Monika (1 July 2011). Knut Hamsun: The Dark Side of Literary Brilliance (New Directions in Scandinavian Studies). University of Washington Press. pp. 34–35. ISBN 978-0-295-80056-1.
- ^ Hospital Social Service Quarterly. Vol. 17. 1928. p. 544.
- ^ Ystad, Vigdis; Hageberg, Otto; Tjønneland, Eivind (27 February 2006). "Heming Gujord: Juviking og medmenneske: En kontekstuell tilnærming til Olav Duuns Juvikfolke – Doktordisputas, Universitetet i Bergen 3. juni 2005". Edda (in Norwegian). 93 (1): 50–85. doi:10.18261/ISSN1500-1989-2006-01-05. ISSN 0013-0818.