Sissel Solbjørg Bjugn

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The author and poet Sissel Solbjørg Bjugn has been described as a reckless and fearless North Norwegian feminist who continually broke established frameworks and conventions. Bjugn played with words, experimented with typography and, through self-ironic antics, embraced both socially critical approaches to writing and the deepest seriousness.

In the poetry collection Spennbeltetkringlivetoghaldlampa tend! (1981, ‘Put your belt on and keep your lamp lit!’), her starting point is working conditions in the mining town Sulitjelma, and in Sulis’ bok (1980, ‘Sulis’s Book’), she describes the mining community as seen through the eyes of a child. The most attention she received was for the long poem Heltinnetrinnet (‘The Heroine Step’), which was published as an op-ed piece in the newspaper Dagbladet in 1988 and unleashed a stormy debate.

Bjugn died suddenly and unexpectedly in 2011, leaving to posterity a total of 18 books written over 33 years. Her oeuvre includes six poetry collections for adults and 12 children’s books. Tor Eystein Øverås, Bjugn’s close friend for 20 years, became her literary executor. In 2018 the publisher Samlaget released two books by and about Bjugn. Øverås is the editor for Skrive, teikne, røre og slåst! (‘Write, Draw, Touch and Fight!’) which contains many unknown texts and illustrations by Bjugn, and has lent – to both LIAF and the exhibition at NŌUA – material consisting of original publications, photos, unpublished manuscripts and journals. Bjugn herself destroyed most of her notes and preparatory writings, so almost all that is left to us today is the finished book.

Sissel Solbjørg Bjugn (1947–2011) was born in Setermoen in Bardu and lived in Sulitjelma and Bodø during the latter part of her life. She debuted as an author with the poetry collection Den førsteavisapåLofotveggenogandretekstar (‘The First Newspaper on the Lofoten Wall and Other Texts’) in 1978. For this she received the Tarjei Vesaas Debut Prize. The following year saw the publication of the children’s book Stille etterelleveiBokheimen (‘Quiet after 11 pm in the Book Home’). Bjugn was awarded several prizes for her works, among others, the Nynorsk Children’s Literature Prize for Handa iburet (‘The Hand in the Cage’) in 1985, the Blix Prize in 1989, the Brage Prize in 1992 for Jente ibitar (‘Girl in Bits’), and the Melsom Prize for the poetry collection Tornekysset (‘The Thorn Kiss’) in 1993.