Chapter 12. Glacier Poetry in Norwegian Literary Historiography

Perceptions of glaciers through poetry are significant to Nordic climate history. This paper examines Norwegian literary critical discussions of glacier poetry. Eighteen glacier poems are mentioned in fifteen works of literary history. However, the glacier motifs themselves are seldom given much attention by the critics and glacier poetry has not explicitly been identified as a distinct poetic tradition. The glacier motifs in the eighteen poems and discussions of them show a couple of tendencies in uses and understandings of glaciers. These are explored through close readings of four poems, written by Andreas Munch, Arnulf Øverland, Gunvor Hofmo and Kristofer Uppdal. These poems suggest trends in how glacier poetry is indirectly canonised, often emphasising patriotism and national romanticism, identity-building and fortifying backgrounds, and themes of solitude and isolation, thereby reinforcing ideas about the ‘people of the north’ and the unique role glaciers play in their cultural narrative.