Cläre Mjøen

Cläre Grevérus Mjøen
Cläre Mjøen in 1907
Born
Cläre Grevérus Berndt

5 June 1874
Died18 April 1963 (aged 88)
Vestre Aker, Oslo, Østlandet, Norway
Burial placeØstre Fredrikstad Cemetery, Fredrikstad, Østfold, Norway
Occupation(s)translator and women's rights activist
OrganizationNorwegian National Women's Council
Children6

Cläre Grevérus Mjøen (née Berndt, 5 June 1874 – 18 April 1963) was a German and Norwegian translator and women's rights activist.

Early life

Mjøen was born in Magdeburg, then part of the Kingdom of Prussia, in 1874.[1] Her father Rudolph Berndt was the director of the German insurance company Magdeburger Feuerversicherungs-Gesellschaft and her mother was Emilie Grevérus.[2] She was educated in languages, art history, singing and piano at a school for girls in Switzerland.[3]

Marriage

She married pharmacist and “race biologist” Jon Alfred Mjøen in Magdeburg in 1896.[1][4] She moved to Christiania, Norway in 1898 and the couple had six children together, five of whom became actors.[3]

Career

Mjøen translated from Norwegian to German. Her translations included Knut Hamsun's travel writing and short stories, along with works by Andreas Aubert, Bjørnson, Georg Brandes, Nordahl Grieg, Barbra Ring,[5] Gunnar Larsen, Wilhelm Keilhau, Kristian Schjelderup and Herman Wildenvey.[2]

Activism

Mjøen was also active in the women's rights movement and was the general secretary of the Norwegian National Women's Council for 12 years.[5] She supported the recognition of illegitimate children's rights, feeling that this improved the position of single mothers and their children.[5]

Death

Mjøen died in 1963 in Vestre Aker, Oslo, Norway.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b Liedtke, Klaus-Jürgen. "Greverus Mjøen, Cläre". Baltic Sea Library. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  2. ^ a b c Mjøen, Sonja (1975). Da mor var ung: Samtaler og minner (in Norwegian). Cappelen. ISBN 978-82-02-03249-4.
  3. ^ a b "Ivar Aasens vei". Oslo Byleksikon (Oslo City Dictionary) (in Norwegian). Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  4. ^ Gylseth, Christopher Hals; Skålevåg, Svein Atle (22 October 2024), "Jon Alfred Mjøen", Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian), retrieved 19 March 2025
  5. ^ a b c Žagar, Monika (1 July 2011). Knut Hamsun: The Dark Side of Literary Brilliance (New Directions in Scandinavian Studies). University of Washington Press. pp. 34–35. ISBN 978-0-295-80056-1.