Marie Wexelsen

Marie Wexelsen (20 September 1832 – 7 December 1911) was a Norwegian educator, poet, children's writer and novelist. She is most commonly known as a hymnwriter and associated with the Christmas carol, Jeg er saa glad hver Julekveld.[1]

Marie Wexelsen
Born(1832-09-20)20 September 1832
Østre Toten, Norway
Died7 December 1911(1911-12-07) (aged 79)
Trondheim, Norway
NationalityNorwegian
Occupationeducator, poet, children's writer and novelist
Known forHymnwriting
Notable work
Jeg er saa glad hver Julekveld
(I am so glad each Christmas Eve

Personal life

Inger Marie Lyche Wexelsen was born at Østre Toten parish in Oppland, Norway. Her parents were Wexel Hansen Wexelsen (1784–1867) and Marie Louise Wexels (1793–1873). She was the youngest of nine children born into a farming family. Her brother, Christian Delphin Wexelsen (1830-1883), became a locally prominent artist. She was the aunt of Vilhelm Andreas Wexelsen (1849–1909) who served as Bishop of the Diocese of Nidaros. From 1846-1852, she attended a girls' boarding school in Leikanger operated by parish priest Jacob Andreas Lindeman (1805-1846).[2][3][4][5][6]

Career

After the death of their mother, she and her sister Fredrikke Wilhelmine Wexelsen (1826-1920) settled at Hamar where they operated a school for toddlers. From 1878-79, they stayed in Denmark to prepare for careers in teaching. She attend Askov folkehøyskole which followed the educational examples of N. F. S. Grundtvig (1783–1872). From about 1890, she operated a private school in Trondheim until her death in 1911.[7]

Marie Wexelsen published several novels, and was an avid contributor to magazines. She published her first novel, Vesle-Kari, eller de Forældreløse, in 1858 under the signature "I. L.". She is particularly remembered for the Christmas carol Jeg er saa glad hver Julekveld. It was first published in the collection Ketil, en Julegave for Smaa from 1860 with lyrics by Marie Wexelsen and melody by Peder Knudsen (1819-1863). In 1931, the song was translated from Norwegian into English as I am so glad each Christmas Eve by Peter Andrew Sveeggen (1881-1959), professor at Augsburg University.[8][9]

She died in Trondheim during 1911. She was buried at Tilfredshet kirkegård in the neighborhood of Elgeseter in Trondheim. In 2013, a statue of Marie Wexelsen by sculptor Angelina Engelsen was erected in the village of Lena in Østre Toten.[10] [11]

Selected works
  • Steffen. En gammel Præstedatters Ungdomsminder (1860)
  • Et Levnetsløb (1866)
  • En julehistorie (1894)
  • En liden Børnebog med Rim og Smaahistorier (1895)

References
  1. "Marie Wexelsen". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  2. "Wexelsen". lokalhistoriewiki. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  3. Einar Rædergård (25 November 2001). "Marie Wexelsen 1832-1911". Trondheim.com. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  4. "Marie Wexelsen". lokalhistoriewiki. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  5. Jorunn Sanstøl Wollebæk, Sonja Hagemann. "Christian Delphin Wexelsen". Norsk kunstnerleksikon. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  6. Anders Kirkhusmo. "Vilhelm Andreas Wexelsen". Norsk biografisk leksikon. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  7. Hareide, Jorunn. "Marie Wexelsen". In Helle, Knut (ed.). Norsk biografisk leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  8. "Jeg Er Så Glad Hver Julekveld". hymntime.com. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  9. "Peter Andrew Sveeggen". Hymns And Carols of Christmas. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  10. Glenny Alfsen. "Angelina Engelsen". Norsk kunstnerleksikon. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  11. "Marie Wexelsen, 832-1911. Hun ble barnas egen dikter". kgroenha.net. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  • Harald S. Naess (1993) A History of Norwegian Literature (University of Nebraska Press) ISBN 978-0-8032-3317-1
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