Hans Andersen Foss

Hans Andersen Foss (November 25, 1851 – July 9, 1929) was a Norwegian-American author, newspaper editor and temperance leader. Foss is most noted for his Norwegian language novel, Husmands-gutte (1885) which was translated into English as The Cotter's Son. A story from Sigdal.[1][2]

Biography

Foss was born in Modum, Buskerud county, Norway. He was the son of a small tenant farmer, Anders Knudsen Fossen and his wife Karen Marie Henriksdatter. Foss immigrated to the United States in 1887.[3] [4]

A lifelong proponent of the temperance movement and the Populist Party, Foss edited several temperance publications. In 1886–87, he was editor of the Dakota Bladet magazine in Portland, North Dakota. From 1888 to 1893 served as editor for the Norwegian language newspaper Normanden in Grand Forks, North Dakota. In 1892, Foss was nominated as the North Dakota Populist Party candidate for Congress, but lost the election. Afterwards Foss gave up both politics and the newspaper business and became a grain dealer, eventually settling in Minot, North Dakota during 1906.[5][6]

Foss wrote a number of novels, many first serialized in Norwegian language newspaper. Foss's writing style made him a popular author among Norwegian-American immigrants. However, Foss's lasting literary contribution is principally his influence on later, more widely known writers such as Peer Stromme and Ole Rølvaag.[7]

Foss is most associated with his 1885 novel, Husmandsgutte, (English: The Cotter's Son). The book, which tells the story of Ole Haugen, the son of the poor farmer in Sigdal, Norway, is considered by many to be a most accurate depiction of the lifestyle of farm workers in Norway. The popularity of The Cotter's Son serial was credited with saving the Decorah Posten from bankruptcy. The Cotter's Son has long enjoyed popularity in Norway, where numerous editions have been published.[8] [9][10]

Foss was married twice and had seven children. He died during 1929 in Minot, North Dakota and was buried at Rosehill Memorial Park.[11]

Selected works
  • Husmandsgutten. En fortælling fra Sigdal (Decorah, Iowa: DP. 1885)
  • Livet i Vesterheimen ( Decorah: AP. 1886)
  • Den amerikanske saloon (Grand Forks, North Dakota: AP. 1889)
  • Hvide slaver. En social-politisk skildring (Grand Forks, North Dakota: 1892)
  • Allehaande (Minneapolis, MN: Scandinavian-American Publishing Assn. 1907)
  • Valborg (Decorah, Iowa: DP. 1927)

References
  1. Øyvind T. Gulliksen. "Hans Andersen Foss". Norsk biografisk leksikon. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  2. "Hans A. Foss". Read North Dakota. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  3. "Buskerud. Modum herad. Foss". Matrikkelutkastet av 1950. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  4. Hans Andersen Foss, Biography (Fiction by ND Authors. Read North Dakota. 2006)
  5. Lovoll, Odd Sverre The Norwegian Press in North Dakota (Norwegian-American Historical Association. Volume 24: Page 78)
  6. "Considering Why Populism Succeeded in South Dakota and Failed in North Dakota" (PDF). South Dakota State Historical Society. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  7. Mossberg, Christer Lennart Scandinavian Immigrant Literature (Texas Christian University Press, 1998).
  8. Skardal, Dorothy Burton The Scandinavian Immigrant Writer in America (Norwegian-American Historical Association. Volume 21: Page 14)
  9. "The Cotter's Son". Read North Dakota. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  10. Erik Bjerck Hagen. "Hans Andersen Foss". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  11. "Hans Andersen Foss". Find a Grave. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
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