The Third Life of Per Smevik

by O.E. Rølvaag, Ella V. Tweet (Translator), Solweig Zempel (Translator)

English, Norwegian (translation)

Genres: Fiction

136 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Ole Edvart Rølvaag was born in the family's cottage in a small fishing village on the island of Dønna, in the far southern district of Nordland county, Norway. Dønna, one of the largest islands on the northern coast of Norway, is situated about five miles from the Arctic Circle. He was born with the name Ole Edvart Pedersen, one of seven children of Peder Benjamin Jakobsen and Ellerine Pedersdatter Vaag. The settlement where he was born had no official name, but was referred to as Rølvaag, the name of a narrow bay on the northwestern point of the island where the fishermen kept their boats. At 14 years of age Rølvaag joined his father and brothers in the Lofoten fishing grounds. Rølvaag lived there until he was 20 years of age, and the impressions he received during the days of his childhood and his young manhood endured with him throughout his life.[2]

An uncle who had emigrated to America sent him a ticket in the summer of 1896, and he traveled to Union County, South Dakota to work as a farmhand. He settled in Elk Point, South Dakota, working as a farmhand until 1898. With the help of his pastor, Rølvaag enrolled in Augustana Academy in Canton, South Dakota where he graduated in 1901. He earned a bachelor's degree from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota in 1905, and a master's degree from the same institution in 1910. He also had studied for some time at the University of Oslo.

Reviews

[Bettie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bettie's Books

The rating, any status updates, and those bookshelves, indicate my feelings for this book.

[X · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining and unexpectedly moving perspective on the emigrant experience in America. Written as a series of letters home from a Norwegian immigrant to South Dakota in 1898, and first published in Norway in 1912, The Third Life of Per Smevik is mostly lighthearted, until it isn’t - when the story turns from farm hijinks and intercontinental family bickering toward a reflection on the “balance sheet”of emigration, and whether what’s been gained is truly worth what’s been lost.

The introduction, written by his daughter, points out that Rølvaag wrote this—as well as his classic novel of the Norwegian-American immigrant experience, Giants in the Earth—in Norwegian rather than English. “So we have the rather strange phenomenon of an American citizen writing on an American theme in a foreign language,” she writes. A strange phenomenon - I don’t know if that’s quite true, but it’s interesting!

A pivotal portion of the story is a speech about emigration the protagonist quotes from in a letter to his brother, who is considering immigrating to America as well. Here’s a passage:

“‘We have become strangers; strangers to those we left, and strangers to those we came to. The Fatherland to which we had centuries of inherited rights, we have given away, and we of the first generation can never get another. Let me repeat: We have become outsiders to the people we left, and we are also outsiders among the people to whom we came. Thus we have ceased to be a harmonious part of a greater whole; we have become something apart, something torn loose, without any organic connections either here in America or over in Norway. Our souls can no longer burn with genuine national enthusiasm. […] In short we have become rootless. One of our most important nerves has been cut. We are alienated. This speech is perhaps unclear to some of you. Let me, therefore, ask a question or two: Have you ever felt that you are a real American? Do you feel that the American people are really your people? […] Well, then, suppose we sold out and went back to Norway to live. Would we not feel at home then, we who are so Norwegian in all respects? No, herein lies the greatest tragedy of all. We would feel like strangers there too. […] Herein lies the tragedy of emigration. If you give up your Fatherland for good, it can never be regained; neither can you get another in its place, no matter what you do.”





And I gotta include this ironic line: “‘The prairie has not yet produced any really great artist.’”

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Translated and published posthumously, this book is reportedly Ole Rolvaag's first novel. It is essentially a memoir under cover of fictional names and places, recounting Rolvaag's first years after leaving Norway for America as a young man. It is written in the form of letters to his father and brother, both humorous and tearing at the heartstrings. The most touching sentiment was his realization that once one leaves his "fatherland" he no longer belongs there, even if he should return, nor in his new home, no matter how long he stays.

[John Benson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was Ole Rolvaag's first novel, first written under a pseudonym in 1912. It was translated by his daughter and granddaughter and has a very enlightening biography of his life in the beginning of the book. The book is written in the form of letters from a new Norwegian immigrant to the US between the years 1896 and 1901 and were said to be based on the author's own letters to his family. It is an enlightening and enjoyable book on the struggles of new immigrants at that time. I really enjoyed the book.

[Ginny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leaving Norway in 1896, settling in Clarksfield, S.D., this young pioneer writes letters home to his father and brother. I really enjoyed his novel Giants in the Earth, a great classic and this collection of letters gave a voice to his early years in America.

[Bob Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

He put pen to paper to capture the experiences and feelings of Scandinavian immigrants at the turn-of-the-century. Lots of insight as to the adventures and mishaps that were experienced by the early settlers.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

Giants in the Earth by Rolvaag is a great classic but this is his first published novel, and he had a long way to go to learn to write.

[Linda (NOT RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author, Ole Rolvaag, was the fictitious Per Smevik. And the memoir, THE THIRD LIFE OF PER SMEVIK, felt like a conversation with himself. At times fascinating, it was a one-sided connection to a time and place few of us would ever know. From his early life living with his family just below the Arctic Circle to the tribute of the Norwegian immigrant experience, his third life refers to the time when he finally settled in America.

Seventeen pages were devoted to an introduction (or explanation) of Ole's life that was translated by his daughter Ella. The remainder of the book are letters to home: written to his father or older brother. They covered a period of five years from 1896 until 1901. Initially, Per wrote that he was going to save enough so he could eventually return home. His letters relate to his family the various jobs he worked, people he met -both good and bad- and his philosophical dilemma regarding the church.

His story was a tiny glimpse of the great hardships and joys that Per stumbled through. For a long while, he suffered with communication issues as so many other immigrants did. Food, work and sleep were just of the few areas that were affected by this.

As you read his letters to home you sense a deep loneliness. And like so many other people who settled in America at that time, his first impression was mistaken. At best, for those that grew up here, times were tough. Now, add to that a language barrier and cultural differences, and you can understand where Per was coming from. Reading his story was an education. His story humbled me.

[Julie Beckstrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a touching, very personal account of a man who immigrated from his home in Norway to the Dakota Territory during the 19th century. The author lends his own experiences to the storyline which exploit an honesty which I have not encountered before in similar books. It opened my eyes to the realization of how extraordinarily hard it must have been to leave literally everything behind in order to come to this country.

Here is a little sampling of my favorite paragraph:
"And quite unnoticed, Norway and the life he lived there will become locked up in a separate room in his soul. This room is a kind of holy temple which he enters only now and then as if fitting and proper with anything sacred. The more selfish he is the less often he visits his shrine, because each time he goes there his heart becomes so strangely heavy and lonely."

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, in the form of one-sided letters (all FROM Per Smevik) sets a nice tone for the Norwegian immigrant in the mid-to-late 1800's. His letters are written either to his father, or his brother.

Although one-sided, we get a good sense of what the family thinks of this man's journey to America; what they like and what they didn't like about his being here.

I expected this to be a bit dry, but found the style very conversational and easy to read. At only 136 pages, it moves quickly.

I recommend this as an interesting read for those who might enjoy history, Scandinavian literature, or just something a little different.

[Rachelfm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let's all just accept my adoration of O.E. Rolvaag. It's so ironic to read the most quintessential of American stories, that of the immigrant, written in Norwegian and translated to English.

I love Rolvaag's sensitive and timeless examination of culture shock, longing, homesickness and adjusting expectations. I feel this book could be written today by a Guatemalan or a Vietnamese newly arrived in the U.S. So poignant, so elegant, and completely on par with the "Giants in the Earth" masterwork.