Brev

Astrup, Nikolai til Lund, Henrik
1912-1915

Transkripsjon:

Ole Petter Løvstad

Oversettelse:

Francesca Nichols

Side

  • 1,
  • 2,
  • 3,
  • 4,
  • 5,
  • 6
Transkripsjon
Oversettelse

Brev

Astrup, Nikolai til Lund, Henrik
1912-1915
Brevs.864-125310, Nasjonalbiblioteket

6 sider

Transkripsjon: Ole Petter Løvstad

Oversettelse: Francesca Nichols

Transkripsjon

Kjære Henrik Lúnd!

Dú maa ikke blive fornærmet paa mig, 

naar jeg nú skriver til dig og beder dig om dú

kan hjælpe mig lidt med noget mynt.

Mine ökonomiske omstændigheter har i den

senere tid været yderst slette, og jeg selv, kone

og barn har i de sidste 2 aar ofte lidt nöd –

i tre – 3 maaneder havde jeg ikke saa meget 

som 5 kr. og saa har mine lúnger stadig

forværret sig, saa jeg har maattet holde sengen

i úgevis. Forandringer i min kúnstretning

gjör, at jeg omtrent intet kan faa sælge af

det lille, som jeg har kúnnet arbeide – jeg

hverken kan eller vil arbeide akkurat som

för, og folk vil ikke vide af nogen "ny Astrup"

jeg skal være "púkka nödt" til at arbeide og

male som för. Det er som om Astrup ikke

har lov til at udvikle sig og forandre sig ligesom

andre únge malere. Jeg har lidt nöd i gamle

dage – men det var en svir dengang mod nú. –

Gjæld, Gjæld! og stadige pantinger – og saa er det

slut med al min gode kredit, som jeg för

havde rigelig af. – I min nöd har jeg for-

sögt flere af mine tidligere venner, som jeg 

har laant penge ud til för – men ikke en öre

kan de laane mig nú i min nöd – nú tænkte

jeg at forsöge dig, om dú kanske kúnde hjælpe

mig lidt.

Som dú veed skal jeg jo have 210,00 kr. hos

dig – men dú har det kanske lige saa smaat

som jeg – men jeg har tænkt paa, om vi ikke

kunde gjöre en liden forretning med St. Hans-

billedet og dele fortjenesten – dú veed at gal-

leriet i Kristiania vilde jo havt billedet, sidst

jeg údstillede der, – men Thies sagde, at dú vilde

ikke overlade det – Múnthe var en af dem som

ivrede mest for at faa det i galleriet. Bergens

billedgalleri vil ogsaa have noget af den

"gamle Astrup", og jeg er for syg og nervös for

tiden til, at jeg kan gjöre et forsög paa at

lave en "gammel Astrup", og en "ny" vil

det sikkerlig ikke nytte at byde dem.

Imidlertid lider jeg og min familie nöd og

jeg maa gjöre noget – kan dú hjælpe mig

vil jeg være dig meget taknemlig. 

Jeg har havt mange uheld og ærgrelser i de 

sidste 3 aar – et stort billede som jeg arbei-

det paa oppe i fjeldet blev ödelagt af nogle

nattelöbere, som skúlde paa sætrene til

jenterne – et lidet tilholdsted, som jeg havde

indrettet mig i Troldbottnen blev ödelagt af 

nogle hjortejægere, et lidet transportabelt

hús, som jeg havde at sidde i, naar jeg malede i

regnveir, blev knúst af ondsindede naboer.

Et hús, som kostede mig ca. 3500, 00 kr. med

et haveanlæg og en molo úd i vandet samt

atteliere og et par smaahúse – det staar nú

alt sammen ubeboet og úbrúgt, fordi jeg var

saa uforsigtig at lade mig narre af en anden

mands ord og löfte – jeg skulde nemlig faa

kjöbe for en rimelig pris 3 maal jord til hús-

tomter og have og græsfoder til en <ko.> af

grundeieren; – denne listige satan lod, som om

han beúndrede min kúnst og sagde, at jeg kunde

lide paa ham og begynde bygningen av húset;

en del penge fik han i forskud paa grúnden

ogsaa – papirerne skulde vi ordne, naar han

fik tid – han var ogsaa meget behjælpelig

med at kjöre en del materialer tilrettes, men

da húset næsten var færdigt, og jeg vilde faa

ham til at skrive under papirerne, – da neg-

tede han dette og fordrede en úblú tomteleie,

imidlertid havde jeg vidner paa ham, at han

tidligere havde sagt, at saa længe huset ikke

var færdigt eller ikke beboedes af mig, skulde jeg

slippe at betale noget – mit hús staar derfor

nú ubeboet – og det er jo ærgerligt, naar man

nettop har faaet sig et hyggeligt lidet hjem, – det

værste var, at jeg havde faaet et forelöbigt laan paa

materialerne i húset, og dette laan maa jeg nú

betale höie renter paa. Dette lille hjem, som jeg

med saa meget stræv havde faaet i stand ved

en yndig liden vig af Jölstervandet, det er nú

aldeles værdilöst, hvis det skal rives ned, da 

alt tömmer er boltet sammen og ikke kan

rives ned uden at ödelægges meget. en stor del

af únderbygningerne er ogsaa udfört i cement

II

Grúndeieren fik selv lyst paa húset og 

gik derfor fra sit löfte i den tro, at han nú

engang skal faa kjöbe húset for en billig pris,

naar det engang kanske blir solgt ved tvangs-

aúktion. Jeg og min familie var flyttet ind

i húset, förend det var færdigt, men jeg ærgrede

mig slig over denne historie, at jeg flytte úd af

det förend det var færdigt – nú venter jeg bare

paa, hvad underfúndigheder han grundeieren vil

finde paa for at komme i besiddelse af húsene.

Imidlertid har jeg faaet mig et nyt hjem paa

en maade – jeg blev jo en udarmet mand paa denne

historie, da jeg ikke kunde faa laane noget

paa husene uden at eie grúnden – jeg fik da

ved bankdirectörens godhed laane lidt, og saa

overlod banken mig en liden gaard hvor jeg nú

bor – men her er nærsagt mere udgifter end ind-

tægter – jeg maa imidlertid være glad, at jeg 

har dette tilflugtsted, som jeg ikke kan fordrives

fra, saalænge jeg betaler de aarlige renter paa

gaarden; – thi jeg har faaet kjöbekontrakt paa

gaarden, og kan altsaa blive eier af den, hvis jeg

engang i tiden kunde blive saa velhavende, at

jeg havde 4000,00 kr., men det blir nok aldrig.

Men jeg er som sagt glad over at have dette nye

hjem – jeg er nödt at have et stykke jord her, da

folk heromkring negter at sælge mig det nödven-

digste, saa som melk e.c.t. Men saa eier ogsaa

banken mig og alt, hvad jeg kan kalde mit –

og panter mig fra tid til anden, men værst

er dog min gjæld til handelsmændene.

Jeg har altid været úpraktisk og har altid

ladt mig snyde, – og siden jeg först kom i

gjæld, har denne stadig havt tilböielighed til

at stige mig op over örene – og det er som

draaber i havet det lille, jeg kan dække om

aaret – jeg har derfor maattet gaa fra laan

til laan – indtil jeg nú hverken kan faa kredit

eller laan længer.

Nei nú skal jeg ikke plage dig længer med

mine jeremiader. Lad mig höre lidt fra 

dig med eller uden collect.

Din hengivne ven Nikolai Astrup

Adr. Sandalstrand – Sanddal i Jølster

Oversettelse

Dear Henrik Lúnd!

You must not be offended with me,

when I write to you now and ask you whether you

can help me a little with a few coins

My economic situation has been extremely

poor lately, and I myself, my wife

and children have often suffered hardship in the past 2 years –

for three – 3 months I did not have as much

as 5 kroner and my lungs have also gradually

deteriorated, so that I have been bedridden

for weeks. The changes in my artistic style

means that I can hardly sell anything of

of the few [pictures] that I have managed to create – I 

neither can nor desire to work exactly as 

before, and people are not interested in any "new Astrup"[.]

I will be "damned well obliged" to work and

paint as before. It seems as though Astrup is

not allowed to develop and change like

other young painters. I had suffered hardship in the old

days – but it was [merely] a sting then compared to now. –

Debts, Debts! and continuous pawning – and then all

my good credit, which I previously had

in abundance, has come to an end. – In my distress I have tried

several of my earlier friends, to whom I

had lent money before – but not a penny

are they able to lend me in my need – now I thought

to ask you, if you could perhaps help

me a little.

As you know I should have 210.00 kroner in your

keeping – yet perhaps you are in as much of a pinch 

as I – but I have thought that perhaps we

could do a little deal with the Midsummer

picture and share the profit – you know that the gal-

lery in Kristiania [Oslo] wanted to have the picture, the last

time I exhibited there, – but Thiis said that you did 

not wish to leave it with them – Múnthe was among those who

were most keen about securing it for the gallery. Bergen

billedgalleri would also like to have something from the

"old Astrup", and I am too ill and nervous of 

late to make an attempt at

creating an "old Astrup", and it would

certainly be useless to offer them a "new".

In the meantime I and my family are suffering hardship and

I must do something – if you can help me

I would be eternally grateful to you. 

I have experienced many accidents and disappointments in the

past 3 years – a large picture that I was work-

ing on up in the mountains was destroyed by some

night revellers, who had a tryst with the dairymaids

on the mountain farms – a little shelter, which I had

fit out in Troldbottnen was demolished by

some deer hunters, a little portable 

shed, which I had to sit in when I painted

in rainy weather was smashed by spiteful neighbours.

A house, which cost me ca. 3500.00 kroner with

a garden and a pier extending out into the water as well as

a studio and a couple of small outbuildings – all of it is 

now uninhabited and abandoned, because I was

so careless as to allow myself to be fooled by another

man’s word of honour – which is to say that I

could purchase ¾ of an acre for a reasonable price to build

a house and garden and grass fodder for a <cow.> from

the landowner; – this crafty devil pretended that

he admired my art and said that I could

trust him and begin construction of the house;

he even received some money in advance for the

land – we would put the papers in order, when he

had time – he was also very helpful

in hauling some of the building materials into place, but

when the house was nearly completed, and I tried to get

him to sign the papers, – he re-

fused to do this and demanded an exorbitant rent for the land,

in the meantime I had witnesses, who could verify that he

had previously said, that as long as the house was

not completed or inhabited by me, I would not

have to pay anything – for that reason my house now 

remains uninhabited – and it is quite infuriating, when one

has just obtained a cosy little home for oneself, – the worst

of it is that I had received a temporary loan for the 

materials in the house, and this loan I must now 

pay high interest on. This little home, which I

had erected with so much effort by

a lovely little cove in Jölstervandet, is now

entirely worthless, if it is to be torn down, since 

all the lumber is held together with bolts and cannot be 

dismantled without being greatly destroyed. A large part 

of the foundation is also made of cement[.]

II

The landowner wanted the house for himself and 

thus failed to keep his promise in the belief that he would

one day be able to buy the house at a bargain price,

if it will be sold in a fore-

closure. My family and I had moved into

the house before it was completed, but I was so 

dismayed about the outcome that I moved out of

it before it was completed – now I am merely waiting

to see what devious plans he the landowner will

devise in order to gain possession of the houses.

In the meantime I have obtained a new home for myself in

a manner of speaking – I became an impoverished man due to

this affair, as I could not borrow anything

on the houses without owning the land – but I was eventually 

able to borrow a little thanks to the bank director’s kindness, and

the bank then entrusted a little farm to me, where I now

live – but here there are in effect more expenses than in-

come – But in the meantime I am lucky to 

have this refuge, which no one can drive me away

from, as long as I pay the annual interest on

the farm; – for I have obtained a buyer’s contract for the

farm, and can thus become its owner, if I

one day might be so prosperous, as

to have 4000.00 kroner, but that will surely never happen.

But I am as I said happy to have this new

home – I need to have a patch of land here, as

the people around here refuse to sell me the most basic

items, such as milk e.t.c. But then again the

bank owns me and everything that I can call my own – 

and seize something of mine as payment from time to time, yet worst

of all are my debts to the merchants.

I have always been impractical and have always

let myself to be cheated, – and from the time I first got into

debt, it has had the tendency to continuously 

grow so that it reaches over my ears – and the little

that I can cover annually is like a drop in the

ocean – I have therefore been forced to go from loan

to loan – to the point that I can obtain neither credit

nor loans any longer.

I shall not bother you any longer with

my jeremiad. Let me hear something from

you with or without a collection.

Your devoted friend Nikolai Astrup

Addr. Sandalstrand – Sanddal in Jølster