BJORNEBOE, JENS

born Oct. 9, 1920, Kristiansand, Nor. died May 9, 1976, Veierland in full Jens Ingvald Bjrneboe Norwegian novelist, dramatist, essayist, and poet whose work was generally inspired by a sense of outrage at the misuse of power in the modern world. Bjrneboe began his literary career with Dikt (1951; Poems), and he subsequently published two more verse collections, Ariadne (1953) and Den store by (1958; The Big City), all notable for their restraint and classical formality. He then turned to fiction, writing several novels before producing the trilogy of novels for which he is best known: Frihetens yeblikk (1966; Moment of Freedom), Kruttrnet (1969; The Gunpowder Tower), and Stillheten (1973; The Silence). These books trace bestiality's history, i.e., recount instances of increasing violence on the part of the state against the powerless. His last novel, Haiene (1974; The Sharks), an allegorical sea novel, is also considered to be one of his strongest works. Bjrneboe's plays show the influence of Bertolt Brecht. He criticized the Norwegian prison system in the satirical musical Til lykke med dagen (1965; Happy Birthday), while the play Fugleelskerne (1966; The Bird Lovers) concerns the conflict between culpability and money. The play Amputasjon (1970; Amputation) parodies authority and its absolute standards for conformity. Bjrneboe was also widely read as an essayist and journalist. An important collection of his political and newspaper articles is Politi og anarki (1972; Police and Anarchy). Another was the posthumously published Om Brecht (1977; On Brecht), about Bertolt Brecht.