Letter

Astrup, Nikolai to Kramer, Per
1922-08-02

Translation:

Francesca Nichols

Page

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

Letter

Astrup, Nikolai to Kramer, Per
1922-08-02
ubb-ms-1808-g-5-1, MARCUS – Spesialsamlingene ved Universitetsbiblioteket i Bergen

4 Pages

Translation: Francesca Nichols

Transcription

Kjære Kramer!

Ja nù bör jeg vel bede dig og Kreyberg pent

omforladelse for min forsömmelighed, – det er 

jo en skam, at jeg ikke har sendt billedet,

eller har ladt höre fra mig paa anden maade.

Men jeg fik altsaa besök af Kinck og maleren

Ravensberg og saa blev her flakking om i bygden

med motorbaaten, – dù skulde været med os; – vi

var ogsaa lidt oppe i fjeldene og ind til bræen

paa flere kanter – til Øvreböfossen o.s.v. og

tilslùt fùlgte jeg Kinck over fjeldet til Brix-

dal og Olden og like til Loen, hvor vi skiltes.

"Bryggen" havde jeg sendt, hvis ikke der havde

været en liden ting, som Ravensberg syntes at

jeg maatte forandre – nemlig lygten – jeg har endnù

ikke faaet det færdigt – (her kom nemlig en ùng for-

fatter og ven af Kinck Holm – heder han – og han er

her endnù. Saa har vi ogsaa havt besök af konsùl

Mohr og frù og datter og svigerdatter – hyggelige men-

nesker – Mohr vilde absolùt kjöbt "bryggen" og

Ravensberg vilde, at jeg skulde sende bryggen til galleri-

et, – hvor kunstprofessor Schintler – vilde söke at faa

ind noget af mine ting. – Jeg kunde selvfölgelig

ikke sige andet, end at Kreyberg havde kjöbt

det, (men kanske han ikke bryr sig om det til

syvende og sidst, – da maa jeg jo skaffe ham pengene

tilbake eller et andet billede; thi jeg har snart

brugt dem op. Jeg har maattet afbryte arbeidet med

bygningen igjen; thi jeg klarer ikke mere forelöbig, – denne

helvedes veie bygningen, som sender tùsindvis af sten ud

over os daglig og trùer med at slaa hùl i alle hùstak,

den har ogsaa taget mine arbeidere fra mig; – her er

en helvedes salutering hele dagen – saa vi har en stadig

nervös speiding efter börnene, om de er nær mineringen.

Ja dine börn ser vi fremdeles intet til, – de maa

ikke have likt sig her i fjor, – jeg hörer at de er

nede paa Lergrovbakken endnù – eller paa sæteren.

II

Jeg har seet paa flere gamle hùs, – men alle er

dyre; – et gammelt loft paa Myklebùst skal vist-

nok inkjöbes af staten – har vist skrevet til dig

derom för, (hvis mit sidste brev ble sendt, – jeg

kan ikke finde det), – man forlanger henimod

3000 kr. for det hùset, – men det er ogsaa kanske

værd saa meget, – da der er en masse materialer

i det. Nù har jeg seet paa et gammelt hùs paa

Strand, – eieren er selv glad i det og vilde nödig

rive det, men da han nù bygger stort hùs, blir

han nödt at brùke, hvad han kan, for at faa

materialer nok, og da han hörte, at huset kùnde

blive staaende i bygden, vilde han sælge billigt

sagde han; – thi da fik han se det igjen, – det har

rùnde tömmervægge og har to rùm, – og jeg tror alt

er af usedvanligt sterk (bredt) tömmer, – (kanske en

eneste stok er svag, men den kan vist vare længe, hvis den

indbygges i en "gang" som dù antagelig maa ha alligevel)

Jeg prùttede med ham om prisen, og jeg böd ham

500 kr., – han forlangte 800, men jeg tror dù kan byde

lidt over 500, – men jeg tror dù maatte gjöre det

nogenlùnde straks, da han ellers alligevel gjerne straks

bygger det ind i hùset (det nye). Han er en prægtig

mand, – saa jeg tror, at om der ved nedrivningen

skulde vise sig större feil end synligt forùd, saa vil

han sikkert slaa af. Altsaa hvis dù vil reflektere

paa hùset, saa send et par ord telegrafisk til

ham – snarest mùligt, – hans adresse er: Nils

Strand Vasenden Jölster. Jeg tror det vil være

vanskelig for dig at finde et gammelt hùs af saa-

vidt god kvalitet til den pris, – og saa vidt nær –

det er en knap ½ mil herfra. – Men dù maa

telegrafere straks, i fald dù vil tænke paa det, – da hans

bygning er saa langt fremskreden, at han straks har

brùk for tömmeret, – og hvis han intet hörer, – var det

vor aftale, at han bare kunde brùke det gamle hùs til

loft i sin nye bygning. Ja saa maa og din frù Aagot

leve vel og være hjærteligst hilset frå os alle her. 

Frembær min ydmygste undskyldning til Kreyberg din

Astrup

Translation

Dear Kramer!

Well I should probably apologize properly to you and 

Kreyberg for my negligence, – it’s

a disgrace, that I have not sent the picture,

or got in touch with you in some other way.

But I received a visit from Kinck and the painter

Ravensberg followed by a lot of comings and goings

around the village by motorboat, – you should have been with us; – we

also spent a little time up in the mountains and as far as the glacier

from different approaches – to Øvreböfossen, etc. and

finally I accompanied Kinck over the pass to Brix-

dal and Olden and as far as Loen, where we parted.

“The Wharf” I might have sent, had there not

been a small detail, which Ravensberg thought

I should change – specifically the lamp – I have not

finished doing so yet – (we received a visit here from a young writ-

er and friend of Kinck Holm – is his name – and he is

still here. And then we have also had a visit from Consul

Mohr and his wife and daughter and daughter-in-law – nice peo-

ple – Mohr wanted absolutely to purchase “the wharf” and

Ravensberg thought, that I should send the wharf to the gal-

lery, – where the art professor Schintler – wanted to enter

some of my things. – I could not of course

do otherwise, but tell him that Kreyberg had purchased

it, (but maybe he is not so interested in it

after all, – in which case I must return the money 

to him or give him a different picture; for I have soon

used them up. I have had to interrupt work on

the building again; I cannot manage any more right now, – this

bloody road construction, which sends thousands of rocks onto

our heads every day and threatens to drive holes in all the roofs,

it has also taken my workers from me; – there is a 

cacophony of explosions all day long – so we are nervously 

scouting for the children, to see if they are in the vicinity of the explosions.

Well your children we have not yet seen a trace of, – they must

not have liked being here last year, – I hear that they are

still down at Lergrovbakken – or on the mountain grazing farm.

II

I have looked at several old houses, – but all of them are

expensive; – an [historic] loft in Myklebùst will

evidently be bought up by the government – have evidently written to you

about it before, (if my last letter was sent, – I

cannot find it), – they are asking close to

3000 kr. for that house, – but it may also be

worth that much, – as is contains a lot of 

materials. I have looked at an old house in

Strand, – the owner is very fond of it and reluctant

to tear it down, but since he is now building a large house, he

will be forced to use what he can, in order to have

enough materials, and when he heard, that the house might

remain in the village, he was willing to sell cheaply

he said; – because then he would be able to see it again, – it has

round timber walls and two rooms, – and I believe everything

is made of unusually strong (broad) timber, – (one

single log may be inferior, but it may last for a long time, if it

is built into a “hallway” which you probably must have anyway)

I haggled with him about the price, and offered him

500 kr., – he demanded 800, but I think you can offer

a little more than 500, – I think you should do it

fairly quickly, since he will otherwise readily soon

build it into the house (the new one). He is a fine

fellow, – so I think, that if during the dismantling

it turns out that there are greater defects than visible beforehand, he

will surely reduce the price. In other words if you wish to consider

the house, then send a few words by telegraph to

him – as soon as possible, – his address is: Nils

Strand Vasenden Jölster. I believe it would

be difficult for you to find an old house of such

good quality for that price, – and so close by –

it is less than 5 km from here. – But you must

telegraph immediately, in case you want to consider it, – since his

building is so far advanced, that he will soon be in

need of the timber, – and if he doesn’t hear anything, – it was 

our agreement, that he could then just use the old house for

an attic in his new building. Well may you and your wife Aagot

live well then and accept warmest wishes from all of us here. 

Relay my most humble apology to Kreyberg your

Astrup