Künstler oder Journalist? Zur Genese eines norwegischen literarischen Feldes um 1890 am Beispiel der Autoren Arne Garborg und Knut Hamsun

The Norwegian literature of the aesthetic movement in the 1890s, following a distinctly European style, is rich in figures of artists and writers. In Norway, these are often accompanied by journalist figures. The present work explores to what extent both serve, not only for metatextual reflection on prevailing literary concepts, but also as a critical commentary on the conditions of production, distribution and consumption for Norwegian literature. Due to the problematic publishing situation in Norway in the 19th century, many books by Norwegian authors are put out in Denmark, while their journalistic texts are published in Norway. Anna Frewer demonstrates how both literary and journalistic texts by the authors Arne Garborg and Knut Hamsun react critically to this. Drawing on Bourdieu's field theory, it becomes apparent that literary practices located within the conflictual relationship between artistic and journalistic writing play a crucial role in establishing an autonomous Norwegian literature.