Harald Grieg

Harald Grieg (3 August 1894 – 6 October 1972) was a Norwegian publisher. He was director of Gyldendal Norsk Forlag and for many years was a leading figure in the Norwegian book industry.[1]

Harald Grieg, c. 1935

Biography

Grieg was born in Bergen, Norway. He was the son of Peter Lexau Grieg (1864–1924) and Helga Vollan (1869–1946). His brother Nordahl Grieg was a writer and an active member of the Norwegian Armed Forces in exile during the Second World War.[2]

After graduation of artium at the Bergen Cathedral School in 1912, he traveled to Kristiania (now Oslo) to continue his studies. He became cand.philol. at the University of Kristiania in 1917. He became Kristiania correspondent for the Bergen-based newspaper Morgenavisen. In 1920 he received an offer to join the Norwegian department of Gyldendalske Boghandel Nordisk Forlag. When the independent Gyldendal Norsk Forlag was founded in 1925, with Grieg as CEO, the new publisher had a residual debt to its Danish counterpart, which was repaid in six years.[3]

During their occupation of Norway starting in 1940, the Nazi occupation authorities used Gylendal to publish its propaganda material. Noted novelist Knut Hamsun (a friend of Grieg's) was heavily involved in the propaganda project.[4] Grieg was also chairman of the board of Nationaltheatret. In June 1941 the board rejected subordination under the so-called Ministry of Culture and Enlightenment. This provoked the authorities, and Grieg, board member Francis Bull and theatre director Johannes Sejersted Bødtker were arrested on June 26, 1941. Grieg was incarcerated at Grini concentration camp, but was later released.[4] Knut Hamsun's son Tore Hamsun was installed as acting director of Gyldendal publishing house.

After the war's end in 1945, Harald Grieg returned to his old post and remained director until 1970. Grieg was chairman of the Norwegian Publishers' Association(1936–1941) and (1945–1960). From 1948 until 1964, he was chairman of the Foundation for Swedish-Norwegian Cooperation (Fondet for svensk-norsk samarbeid).[5]

Awards

Grieg was the Commander of the Order of St. Olav (1962), Commander of the Swedish Order of the Polar Star, Commander of the Order of the White Rose of Finland and of the Danish Order of the Dannebrog. In 1958 he was awarded the Riksmål Society Literature Prize.[6]

References

1. "Harald Vollan Grieg". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
2. Fredrik Juel Haslund. "Nordahl Grieg". Norsk biografisk leksikon. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
3. "Harald Grieg". Den Store Danske. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
4. Dahl, Hans Fredrik, ed. (1995). "Grieg, Harald". Norsk krigsleksikon 1940-45. Oslo: Cappelen. Archived from the original on 2009-04-20. Retrieved 2008-07-16.
5. Jon Gunnar Arntzen. "Fondet for svensk-norsk samarbeid". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
6. Egil Tveterås. "Harald Grieg". Norsk biografisk leksikon. Retrieved December 1, 2017.

Cultural offices
Preceded by Jens Michael Lund	Chairman of Foreningen Norden in Norway 1939-1950	Succeeded by Henning Bødtker

External links

• Family genealogy