Anette Storeide This paper provides a micro-analytical study of the Nazification of Norwegian cultural politics based on a narrative and book-historical analysis of the work published by the Norwegian author Frithjof Sælen during the German occupation of Norway (1940-45). Whereas his first book (published in November 1941) was banned by the Nazi authorities after one month, his second book (published in December 1942) escaped both censorship and prohibition, but Sælen was questioned by the Gestapo and strongly warned against writing further books. Based on the analysis of Sælen’s work, the paper also aims to discuss both the nature of the attempted Nazification of Norwegian literature as well as the situation of Norwegian authors during the German occupation.

1. The Nazification of Norwegian Cultural
Politics and the work of Frithjof Sælen
Dr. Anette H. Storeide
Associate Professor of European Studies

2. Frithjof Sælen (1917- 2004)
• 1940: art-student in Oslo
• 9 April 1940: Germany attacks Norway
• Sælen enlisted immediately and participated in
the heavy battles in Hallingdal (“Halling Valley”)
• Critical of Norwegian politics prior to German
attack: Naïve, policy of neutrality as failure and
dangerous mistake
• Children’s books as coverage for political
criticism against German occupation and
Nazification, but also against Norwegian
politicians
• Snorre the Seal (1941) – was denunciated and
banned
• Three Cold Guys (1942)
• January 1943: interrogation by the Gestapo
and warned off against writing further books
• Participation in military resistance work,
escaped to London in 1944

3. Snorre the Seal (1941)
• Snorre the Seal in the Arctic
Ocean = Norway
• Two bad habits:
1. Dreamer
2. Vanity
”The sly polar
bear
Grumbeling
Paw” = the
Soviet Union
”The dangerous
orca Snap” =
Nazi-Germany

4. A fight between the good and the evil

5. ”The nice uncle Bart/Mustache”: England as Norway’s saviour

6. The Seagulls Swing and Bend: Only acting for their own benefit
• ”Fake yellow twinkle
in the eyes”
• ”Red dots above the
eyes”
• The book was
denunciated after four
weeks despite good
reviews
• Far more critical of
the Norwegian Nazis
than of the German
occupants?

7. Hidden resistance symbols

9. Three Cold Guys (1942)
Three snowmen producing winter:
• Drummer hail = hail
• Creak = dry snow
• Slush = wet snow
They have icicles instead of hearts
and are travelling by brooms =
traditional symbols of the dark
forces
The three snowmen as symbols of
the Axis powers:
• Drummer hail = Nazi-Germany
• Creak = Japan
• Slush = Italy

10. The fight between the good and the evil (sun = the Allied)

12. Literature as resistance
• Writing children’s books as coverage for political criticism:
Subtitles ”A fable in colours for adults and children” (Snorre the Seal), ”A
winter-fairy-tale in colours and words” (Three Cold Guys)
• Sælen worried about the impact of Nazi propaganda on children
• The stories can be read on two levels:
1) Exiting stories for children
2) Normative, educational stories on the battle between the good and
the evil
• Narrative strategies:
1) Classic elements of the respective genres
2) Contrasts, eg. dark-light, cold-warm etc.
3) Norwegian resistance symbols

13. Why was Snorre the Seal banned, but not Three Cold Guys?
• Snorre the Seal was denunciated – but why that?
• Snorre the Seal ridicules and criticises the
Norwegian Nazis through the presentation of the
seagulls Swing and Bend, eg. ”they are fake” (p. 46)
• Snorre the Seal:
a. A political and satirical presentation of the
occupation of Norway
b. An educational story: from dreaming vanity to
alertness (encourages alertness and resistance)
• Three Cold Guys:
a. Are the satirical points hidden better?
b. A classic narrative on the fight between good and
evil
c. Encourages hope and endurance more than
resistance
d. A story about the world war with no explicit
remarks on the Norwegian Nazis