Letter

Astrup, Nikolai to Kramer, Per
1923

Transcription:

Siri Katinka Valdez

Translation:

Francesca Nichols

Page

  • 1,
  • 2,
  • 3,
  • 4,
  • 5,
  • 6
Transcription
Translation

Letter

Astrup, Nikolai to Kramer, Per
1923
ubb-ms-1808-n-2, MARCUS – Spesialsamlingene ved Universitetsbiblioteket i Bergen

6 Pages

Transcription: Siri Katinka Valdez

Translation: Francesca Nichols

Transcription

Kjære Kramer!

Ja nù har jeg intet hört fra dig siden jeg

skrev, – saa nù blir det min tùr til at tro, 

Dere er fornærmede paa mig. Jeg skrev kanske

meget klodset – dù veed: sykdom i hùset

uden forbedring og "rykking" paa alle kanter

for gjæld, saa er det jo ikke saa rart, om man 

blir nervös og kan skrive tùll, – især naar

man, som jeg, plages af feberen, som aldrig vil 

forlade mig – (stadig svedning og forkjöling). 

Ja igaar var jeg ude pa Øia-neset og saa paa

din eiendom, – desværre er nok trærene döde alle

med ùndtagelse af et, som har en frisk gren

med store blader, – det er det överste og ytterste

træ. Poteterne staar rigtig pent – penere end hos 

mig, – men om der er noget "ùnder jorden" kan 

man jo ikke se; – her har jo været en daarlig sommer

for poteterne i aar. Lidt græs er der ogsaa, men 

da der ikke har været gjödslet paa flere aar

saa er det ikke meget lönsomt at "slaa" det af; –

men Zakarias vil nù, at jeg skal spörge dig, om 

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han kan slaa det til os, – da det ellers blir afbeitet

af Sandalskyr og saùer, naar dyrene nù kommer af

fjeldet, – vi kan nemlig ikke gjærde for <broen>. –

Mod ùdmarken – (indenfor) – gjærdede Zakkarias i <vaar>

og klarte ogsaa at holde saùerne borte tilslùt, – og 

det var ikke let sak her, hvor alle saùer er godt 

vante til at hoppe over de höieste gjærder, jeg har af

den grùnd ingen saùer – i de senere aar, – endskjönt 

jeg maa indrömme, at saùer kanske er det, som 

lönner sig bedst her; – jeg kommer kanske til at have

saùer senere, og da kunde jeg godt have en saù for 

dig og fore den med dit eget græs om vinteren, – men 

hvis dù eller din familie blir boende der om sommeren, 

vilde det kanske lönne sig bedre at have en gjed i 

"tjor" der ùde og nytte op græsset i den tiden, og saa

faa lidt melk til theen – (jeg synes nemlig at gjede-

melk er saa godt i the). – Noget andet af

interesse fra Øianne veed jeg ikke; – fiskeretten be-

nyttes flittigt af andre, – da der jo intet gjærde er

nedenfor veien, og der sættes stadig ùd "stegler" – ("line")

ùdenfor elven, og jeg har "harvet" op flere med oteren, 

og da lader jeg dem forsvinde i stilhed ùde paa dybet. 

Hvorledes gaar det med din hùshandel? – Har Sandal 

bestemt sig til ikke at sælge? Hvad hans ùdestaaen-

de med Johannes Stranden angaar, – saa er det nok

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Sandal og ikke Johannes, som er ùde med "rævestreker", 

– jeg har i sommer talt med ham (Johannes) om ting, som stod

os i mellem og fùndet ùd, at jeg har gjort ham 

ùret, – det er jo en let sak for onde mennesker at

stifte fiendskab; – alle har jo sine feil, og hans

feil er kanske mest "aabenbare", – han er iallefald

en ærlig mand i handel og vandel, – saa jeg er sikker

paa, at han ikke benegter nogen af de penge, han 

har faaet, – og hvis Sandal önsker det, – skal jeg

gjerne faa Johannes til at skrive op paa et papir, 

hvad han har modtaget, – men Sandal har faaet beskjed paa det jeg vilde nödig "fritte"

ham Johannes ùd, – ùden at jeg havde nogen fuldmagt til 

at sige, at det var dù eller Sandal, som önskede

at vide det; – thi det er jo en grei sak baade for dig

og Sandal at spörge om det (gjennem mig), – naar det

gjælder kjöb af hùset, – jeg sagde ogsaa til ham (Joh. 

Stranden), at Kramer vil ikke kjöbe hùset, hvis Johannes

skùlde være i mod det, – men Johannes siger, at 

han har intet imod det, – men dù maa ikke give

over 600 tilföiede han; thi da blev det for dyrt for dig, – 

da vilde dù antagelig faa det billigere andensteds fra. –––

En anden sak er det, at baade Johannes, og vi andre

her omkring naturligvis er fuldt opmærksom paa, 

at Johannes ikke paa langt nær har faaet fuld va-

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luta af Sandal for alt sit stræv med hans {...}

gamle tùllede mor, – selv om han faar hùset efter 

den gamle billige takst, – det siger Engel ogsaa, 

som er bedre inde i sakerne end jeg. Jeg mener derfor

at dù kan kjöbe hùset af Sandal, hvis dù kan faa det

for 4–5 hùndrede og kanske lidt mere; – Sandal har

nemlig sagt fra tidligt ivaar, at han ikke vil overlade

hùset til Johannes, – og Johannes har givet Sandal

skriftlig opgave over, hvad han har faaet, og hvad han

forlanger for hans mor, uden at Sandal har havt noget

at indvende mod rigtigheden af det belöb som Johannes

opgav at have faaet, derimod var han "forfærdet", – 

over det belöb, som Johannes forlangte for hans mor; 

(belöbet, som Johannes forlangte var sat som laveste

takst af fattigstyrets tilsyndsmand). Johannes skal 

endnù have 760 kr. af Sandal efter et meget billigt

sjön. – Ja nok herom. – Hùset eller loftet paa Myklebùst 

er tegnet og opmaalt af en arkitekt i sommer og skal indkjö-

bes af folkemuseet paa Bygdö Kra. –––

Ja det ser daarlig ud med Engel – hùn ligger endnù

og er daarlig for hjertet – det har ikke været greit for os

i sommer – uden tjenestepike – (vi leiet snart en snart en 

anden), – og pengelöse har vi været hele tiden, og vi 

maatte leie sykepleierske en tid, – og nù reiser bedstemor

til Bergen idag Tirsdags-baaten Förde Bergen, – og jeg har dristet mig til at sende

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Arnold med hende for at faa ùndersökt, om det

er blærekathar, han lider af, og om der er nogen 

raad for ham, – det er jo frækt at bede dig tage

ham omhænde et par dage, medens han blir ùnder-

sögt af en eller anden læge, – men dù tilböd

os det engang, – dù faar lægge <ham> paa gulvet

i kjælderen paa nogen gamle klær eller filler, saa

han ikke ödelægger sengklær e t.c. –––

Jeg skulde sendt nogle træsnit og en tegning, 

som dù kanske vilde kùnne være saa venlig at

sælge for mig, – det er noget i likhed med

pennetegningen til Meyer, om hvilken Eie

sagde, at jeg "ikke have holdt daglön paa" – 

den var tænkt som illùstration til en barnebok, 

som jeg en tid arbeidede paa – men jeg har solgt 

væk de andre tegninger til boken, – og denne

sidste, som jeg har "holdt paa" og nù tegnet færdig, 

maa jeg nù ogsaa skille mig med, og jeg vil 

være glad, om jeg kunde faa 400 kr. for den – som 

jeg fik for den til Meyer, – endskjönt denne er

större og har kostet det doble arbeide. – Jeg tör 

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vel ikke bede dig om at lave en lignende karton

paa den, som paa dit træsnit "Rævebjældeskogen", og

saa faa det under glas og en tynd simpel ramme. 

Jeg lader en kant fölge med överst, som dù kanske

er saa snild at klippe fra. Jeg kalder tegningen: 

"Dùkkehùset", – det er kanske noget fattigt motiv, 

men jeg synes, jeg har faaet noget af det gaselle-

agtige ind i smaajentas stilling. – Træsnittene

sender jeg ogsaa uden karton – bare sammenrùllet efter

dit forslag tidligere. ––– Ja vi er næsten i 

den yderste nöd for tiden, da al kredit er slùt

snart, – (en policé er traadt ud af kraft), og jeg vil 

være dig meget taknemlig, om dù kan hjælpe mig

med salg, – jeg lovede at sende noget til Harald

Brùns kùnsthandel, men jeg liker ikke manden stort

mere end konsùl Mohr, hvis breve jeg ikke besvarer.

Jeg sender det lille jeg har af træsnit og tegning en af de förste dage. 

Her bor en Kristiania maler i Bygden – Refsùm – höist moderne

Kommer Dere hid i höst? Det var morsomt at

höre at Per er begyndt at male ogsaa. De bedste 

hilsener fra os alle til Dere alle din hengivne ven 

N. Astrup 

Translation

Dear Kramer!

Well I haven’t heard anything from you since I

wrote, – so now it is my turn to think, that

You are offended by me. Perhaps I expressed myself

very clumsily – you know: illness in the home

without any improvement and “tugging” in every direction

due to debts, then it isn’t so strange, if one 

becomes nervous and may write nonsense, – especially when

someone, like myself, is beset with a fever, that never

leaves me – (continuous sweating and catching cold). 

Well yesterday I was out at Øia-neset to look at

your property, – unfortunately the trees are all dead

with the exception of one, which has one healthy branch

with large leaves, – it is the highest outermost

tree. The potatoes are looking very good – better than at 

my place, – but whether there is anything “underground” is 

impossible to see; – it has been a poor summer

for potatoes this year. There is a bit of grass there as well, but 

since it hasn’t been fertilised in several years

it’s not very worthwhile to “reap” it;– 

but Zakarias wants me to ask you anyway, whether 

2

he can cut it for us, – as it will otherwise be grazed

by Sandal’s cows and sheep, when the animals return from

the mountain, – we cannot actually fence out the <livestock>. –

Against the outlying field – (inside it) – Zakkarias put up a fence this <spring>

and even managed to finally keep the sheep out, – and 

it was not an easy matter here, where all the sheep are quite 

practiced in jumping over the highest fences, it is for that reason

I have not had sheep – in recent years, – although 

I must admit, that sheep are perhaps the 

most profitable here; – I will perhaps keep

sheep later, and then I could easily keep a sheep for 

you and feed it with your own grass in winter, – but 

if you or your family will remain there in the summer, 

it might perhaps be better to have a goat on a

“tether” out there and keep the grass cut during that time, and in 

addition have a little milk for your tea – (I really think goat’s

milk is very good in tea). – Anything else of

interest from Øianne I do not have; – the fishing rights are used

frequently by others, – since there is no fence 

below the road, and “stegler ” – (“trolling lines”) – are placed

along the river, and I have “harrowed” several with my fishing tackle, 

and then I let them disappear quietly into the depths. 

How are things going with your house purchase? – Has Sandal 

decided not to sell? When it comes to his unresolved busi-

ness with Johannes Stranden, – it is most likely

3

Sandal and not Johannes, who is guilty of “shenanigans”, 

– I have talked with him this summer (Johannes) about things, which concerned

us both and discovered, that I have wronged 

him, – it is easy for evil people to

create hostility; – for everyone has their shortcomings, and his

shortcoming is perhaps most “obvious”, – he is however

an honest man when it comes to business, – so I am certain,

that he does not deny any of the money, that he 

has received, – and if Sandal wishes, – I will

gladly get Johannes to write down on a paper, 

what he has received, – but Sandal has been told I would be reluctant to “ferret”

him Johannes out, – without having any authorisation to 

say, that it was you or Sandal, who wished

to know; – because it is fair enough for both you

and Sandal to inquire about it (through me), – when it

concerns the purchase of the house, – I also told him (Joh. 

Stranden), that Kramer does not want to buy the house, if Johannes

were against it, – but Johannes says, 

he has nothing against it, – but you must not give

more than 600 he added; because then it would be too expensive for you, – 

then you would probably get something cheaper somewhere else. –––

Another thing is that both Johannes, and the rest of us

around these parts are naturally fully aware, 

that Johannes has not by far received full compen-

4

sation from Sandal for all his efforts with his {...}

old doddering mother, – even though he will get the house 

for the old bargain listed price, – Engel, who is better informed 

about the matter than I, says the same thing. I therefore think

that you can buy the house from Sandal, if you can have it

for 4–5 hundred and perhaps a little more; – Sandal has

in fact said earlier this spring, that he does not want to leave

the house to Johannes, – and Johannes has given Sandal

a written record of, what he has received, and what he

demands for his mother, without Sandal having had anything

to object to regarding the correctness of the amount that Johannes

claimed to have received, on the other hand he was “horrified”, – 

by the amount, that Johannes demanded for his mother; 

(the amount that Johannes demanded was designated as the lowest

tariff by the poverty relief commissioner). Johannes is 

still due 760 kr. from Sandal according to a very low

estimate. – Well enough of that. – The house or loft at Myklebùst 

has been drawn up and measured by an architect this summer and will be pur-

chased by the folk museum in Bygdö Kra. –––

Well things are not looking good for Engel – she is still bedridden

and has an ailing heart – it has not been easy for us

this summer – without a housemaid – (we hired first one then 

another), – and we have been penniless the entire time, and we 

had to hire a nurse for a while, – and now grandmother is leaving

for Bergen today Tuesday boat Förde Bergen, – and I have had the nerve to send

5

Arnold along with her in order to find out, whether 

it is cystitis he suffers from, and whether there is 

any remedy for him, – it is rude of me to ask you to take

care of him for a few days, while he is being exam-

ined by some doctor or other, – but you offered

us to do it once, – you can put <him> to bed on the floor

in the basement on some old clothes or rags, so that

he doesn’t ruin bedclothes, etc. –––

I was going to send some woodcuts and a drawing, 

which you might perhaps be so kind as to

sell for me, – it is something similar to

the pen drawing for Meyer, about which Eie

said, that I “had not held myself back ” – 

it was intended as an illustration for a children’s book, 

that I worked on for a while – but I have sold 

off the other drawings for the book, – and this

last one, which I have “held onto” and now completed, 

I must now also part with, and I would  

be pleased, if I could get 400 kr. for it – which

I received for the one for Meyer, – even though this one is

larger and cost me twice as much work. – Dare I 

6

ask you to make a cardboard for it,

like the one for the woodcut “Foxglove forest”, and

then put it under glass and a thin simple frame. 

I am leaving an extra margin at the top, which you might

be so kind as to cut off. I call the drawing: 

“The Dollhouse”, – the motif is perhaps a little scanty, 

but I think I have achieved something of the gazelle

effect in the little girl’s posture. – The woodcuts 

I also send without cardboard – only rolled up according

to your earlier suggestion. ––– Well we have nearly been in 

dire straits lately, since all credit is about

to end, – (one policy has expired), and I would 

be very grateful to you, if you can help me

with a sale, – I promised to send something to Harald

Brùn’s art dealership, but I don’t like the man any

more than Consùl Mohr, whose letters I do not respond to.

I will send the little I have of woodcuts and drawings as soon as possible. 

A Kristiania painter is staying here in the Village – Refsùm – exceedingly modern

Will You be coming here this autumn? It was amusing to 

hear that Per has begun to paint as well. The very best 

wishes from all of us to all of You your devoted friend 

N. Astrup