Johan Fjeldsted Dahl

Johan Fjeldsted Dahl, illustration from En Christianiensers Erindringer fra 1850- og 60-Aarene by Yngvar Nielsen

Johan Fjeldsted Dahl , Johan Anthon Abraham Fjeldsted Dahl (born January 1, 1807 in Copenhagen, † March 16, 1877 in Østre Aker (now Oslo )) was a Norwegian bookseller and publisher.

family

His parents were the master shoemaker John Dahl and his wife Anne Kirstine Willumsen. He was married to the German singer and singing teacher Emma Amalie Charlotte Freyse (April 6, 1819– December 13, 1896), daughter of pastry chef Martin Gerhard David Freyse and his wife Magdalena Catharine Röden.

The beginnings

Dahl grew up in Copenhagen with the chamberlain J. de Hoppe, who gave him access to the leading cultural circles in Copenhagen. He became known to the most important Danish authors, including Adam Oehlenschläger . He was employed by the Gyldendal bookstore in 1822 . The head of the bookstore Jacob Deichmann put him in 1829 to Jørgen W. Cappelen, who wanted to open a bookstore in Christiania. In November 1829 Dahl traveled to Norway. His literary interest, affable nature and experience in the book trade established good relationships with customers and business flourished. The collaboration lasted almost three years.

Self-reliance

In the autumn of 1832 Dahl went into business for himself. Some of Cappelen's customers followed him. His business grew. First he took books on commission, then he started with his own editions. The focus was on scientific literature and textbooks. He also ran a lending library and an antiquarian bookshop.

In the same year, the Norwegian student association split in the dispute between Wergeland and Welhaven . His bookstore became a meeting place for Christiania's intellectuals. He felt connected to the conservative circles, was close to the "Intelligenspartiet" and was good friends with Welhaven. Wergeland, an opponent of Welhaven, often attacked him publicly and accused him of "Danomanie" and "Københavneri", that is, a submissive attitude towards Danish culture. Wergeland's farce Papagøyen was a direct satirical attack on pro-Danish attitudes in general, and on Dahl in particular. Dahl not only edited Welhaven's books, but also Wergeland's books before Papgøyen was published, as well as books by other authors. Camilla Collett's Amtmandens Døttre (The Bailiff 's Daughters) appeared with him , and he also looked after the next generation of writers such as Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson and Henrik Ibsen . But his emphasis remained on the field of scientific literature.

For much of the 1830s and 1840s he was Norway's most important bookseller. In 1836 he bought a piece of land in Christiania and set up his own print shop there. He now published the newspapers Vidar and Den Constitutionelle . He was one of the founders of the reading society "Athenæum" and the "Christiania Kunstforening". In 1836, with reference to new laws, the police demanded that a copy of Peter Andreas Munch's ephemeral on previous censorship be presented to them. He refused. The Supreme Court agreed and censorship was abolished. Dahl has been extremely generous. But that also led to the decline of his business, which he sold in 1875. Then it had played its part.

meaning

Johan Fjeldsted Dahl's bookstore in Christiania was of great importance for Norwegian literature. In the first half of the 19th century, his book trade was the meeting place for Christiania's literary and artistic elite, especially for Welhaven and his circle. He was also a pioneer in Norwegian publishing.

literature

The article is based on the Norsk biografisk leksikon . Any other information is specifically identified.

• Egil Tveterås: Johan Dahl . In: Norsk biografisk leksikon ; Retrieved August 29, 2009.
• JL Lybecker: Dahl, Johan Fjeldsted . In: Christian Blangstrup (Ed.): Salmonsens Konversationsleksikon . 2nd Edition. tape 5 : Cikorie – Demersale . JH Schultz Forlag, Copenhagen 1916, p. 429 (Danish, runeberg.org ).

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Y. Nielsen: Dahl, Johan Fjelstad . In: Bernhard Meijer, Theodor Westrin (ed.): Nordisk familjebok konversationslexikon och realencyklopedi . 2nd Edition. tape 5 : Cestius-Degas . Nordisk familjeboks förlag, Stockholm 1906, Sp. 1085-1086 (Swedish, runeberg.org ).