author
Peter Christen Asbjørnsen
1812–1885
Best known for helping bring Norway’s folk tales into print, this 19th-century writer and collector helped preserve stories of trolls, wonder, and sharp-witted heroes for generations of readers. His work with Jørgen Moe became a cornerstone of Norwegian literary culture.
7 Audiobooks
Norwegische Volksmährchen vol. 2 gesammelt von P. Asbjörnsen und Jörgen Moe
by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Jørgen Engebretsen Moe
East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon : with other Norwegian folk tales
by Gudrun Thorne-Thomsen, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Jørgen Engebretsen Moe
East of the Sun and West of the Moon: Old Tales from the North
by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Jørgen Engebretsen Moe
'Round the yule-log: Christmas in Norway
by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen
Tales from the Fjeld: A Second Series of Popular Tales
by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen
Noorsche Volksvertellingen
by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen
Norwegische Volksmährchen vol. 1 gesammelt von P. Asbjörnsen und Jörgen Moe
by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Jørgen Engebretsen Moe
About the author
Born in Christiania (now Oslo) in 1812, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen was a Norwegian writer, scholar, and collector of folklore. He is most closely associated with Jørgen Moe, with whom he gathered and retold traditional stories that had long been passed along orally.
Their collections, especially Norwegian Folktales (Norske folkeeventyr), became hugely important in Norway, both as literature and as part of the country’s growing sense of national identity in the 1800s. Asbjørnsen is also described in reference works as a naturalist as well as a folklorist, which adds to the sense of him as a patient observer of both landscape and local tradition.
He died in 1885, but the tales associated with Asbjørnsen and Moe have lasted far beyond their time. For many readers, his legacy lives on in the vivid, memorable world of Norwegian folk storytelling.