Brantenberg, Gerd

(1941-)

   A Norwegian novelist, Brantenberg is considered Norway's foremost representative of feminist lesbian literature. She is also an outstanding lesbian and feminist activist who was instrumental in establishing the lesbian movement in Norway in 1975. Her first novel, Opp alle jordens homofile (1973; tr. What Comes Naturally, 1986), tells about being a lesbian in Norway in the early 1970s. Her next book, Egalias døtre (1977; tr. Eg-alia's Daughters, 1985), was widely translated and offers a satirical take on sex roles. It describes a society where women rule and where both social and linguistic structures serve their interests. Ja, vi slutter (1978; Yes, We Are Quitting) deals with the difficulty of giving up smoking.

   The trilogy Sangen of St. Croix (1979; The Ballad of St. Croix), Ved fergestedet (1985; At the Ferry), and For alle vinder (1989; tr. The Four Winds, 1996) tells the story of a group of schoolgirls in Brantenberg's hometown, Fredrikstad, in the 1950s and 1960s. The main character eventually comes to terms with her lesbian identity. Favntak (1983; Embraces) is a novel in a similar vein; it portrays the situation of lesbian women who are trying to end their marriages.

   Augusta og Bjørnstjerne (1997; Augusta and Bjørnstjerne) is a historical and largely documentary novel about the love relationship between the Norwegian writer Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson and Augusta Mjøen, Brantenberg's great-grandmother. A well-written and engaging story, it is also a tragic tale: the relationship did not lead to marriage because Mjøen's parents were against it and thwarted their daughter's efforts, even to the point of stealing the letters that went between the young lovers. Brantenberg wrote another big novel about another ancestor, her German grandmother Clare Emilie, who married a Norwegian and spent her adult life in Norway. Entitled Lands-svikersken (2003; The Female Collaborator), it describes what it was like for a German woman to live in Norway during two world wars and, as a supporter of Hitler, finally to be found guilty of treason after World War II. Brantenberg has also written essays and a children's book.