FLOGSTAD, KJARTAN

born June 7, 1944, Sauda, Nor. pseudonym K. Villum Norwegian poet, novelist, and essayist best known for his novel Dalen Portland (1977; Portland Valley; Eng. trans. Dollar Road). Some of Flgstad's deepest affinities were with Latin-American writers. He translated the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda in Dikt i utval (1972; Selected Poems), as well as various Cuban poets in Dikt fr Cuba (1973; Poems from Cuba). Flgstad's own poetry, published in Valfart (1968; Pilgrimage) and Seremoniar (1969; Ceremonies), is a skillful mixture of symbolism, wide and eclectic reading, humour, and a responsiveness both to city and village life. In his collection of essays and short fictions, Den hemmelege jubel (1970; The Secret Enthusiasm), Flgstad defended literature, art, and the imagination against their opponents on both the political right and left. Fangliner (1972; Prison Lines) is a collection of short stories that take a hard and unsentimental look at the lives of fishermen and factory workers. His first novel was the semiautobiographical Rasmus (1974). Dalen Portland recounts with lyrical realism the lives of small-town factory workers and sailors. In this book, political commitment, documentary material, and fantasy are brought together with a humour and verve reminiscent of the contemporary Latin-American novel. His later novels, including Fyr og flamme (1980; All Fired Up), U3 (1983), and Kniven p strupen (1991; At Knife-point), strengthened his reputation.