| dc.description.abstract | This thesis will explore the two Nynorsk translations of Henrik Ibsen’s drama Peer Gynt. The first of these appeared in 1948, when Henrik Rytter translated Peer Gynt into “an anti-romantic” version, for a production staged by Det Norske Teatret. This production, directed by Hans Jacob Nilsen, was the first Ibsen drama ever translated into Nynorsk. It eschewed the “national romanticism” of Ibsen’s own text, and removed Grieg’s music entirely, in favor of a new post-romantic score by Harald Sæverud. Despite protests against the music and the translation, the production was a success, and paved the way for future translations of Ibsen into Nynorsk. The second translation of Peer Gynt appeared nearly half a century later, in 2005. Jon Fosse, one of the most famous contemporary Norwegian dramatists, translated Ibsen’s text into a modernized Nynorsk, once more staged by Det Norske Teatret, and directed by the world-famous stage-director Robert Wilson. This production, I will argue, does not seem to suggest an anti-romanticism; rather, it was a celebration of the centennial year of Norway’s independence from its union with Sweden. Thus, a Nynorsk Peer Gynt in 2005 represents a celebration of the independent Norwegian. What is remarkable about these translations is not only their linguistic and textual shifts from their source text (Ibsen’s drama), but as well as how they change as forms of representation in Norway. Several contextual points must be covered, from Nynorsk as a phenomenon, to how translation negotiates these fascinating shifts. What does translating Ibsen into Nynorsk offer the new reader, if they can already read the original? What are the shifts that occur, both within and outside of the text? Lastly, how does Nynorsk’s position in the literary and cultural history of Norway affect the translation? I will attempt to answer these questions through a philosophical lens, relying on a specific theoretical framework based around translation and theater historiography, while also placing these translations in the context of Nynorsk literary history. | eng |