Brev
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