Few Norwegian writers have left as rich a literary heritage as Hans E. Kinck. He wrote twelve novels, eleven collections of short stories, eleven essay collections, nine plays, and many articles and reviews that were published in the Norwegian press. He was also a consultant for a publishing house, a literary editor, and a theatrical director. Kinck's writings express the emotion and vitality of experience. He was interested in psychological and cultural rifts, especially the gulf he saw between the development of Scandinavia and that of the rest of European culture since the Renaissance. In his cultural analyses he expressed concern about the consequences of the northern European suppression of the natural impulses of sensuality and eroticism. Kinck conveyed his thoughts in an innovative mixture of languages and dialects, employing old and new styles.

Hans Ernst Kinck was born on 11 October 1865 in Øksfjord, Finnmark, a region of...