Håkon Evjenth facts for kids

Håkon Evjenth (born December 26, 1894 – died June 10, 1951) was a Norwegian lawyer and writer. He wrote many different kinds of books, including non-fiction, short stories, and books for children. He is probably best known for his popular children's books.

His Early Life and Family

Håkon Evjenth was born in a city called Bodø in Norway. His father, Håkon Martin Evjenth, was also a lawyer and a government minister. In 1923, Håkon Evjenth married a schoolteacher named Solveig Bjerve.

His Career as a Writer

Evjenth finished his law studies in 1917. He started working as a lawyer in Kristiania (which is now Oslo). Later, he worked in Vardø and then back in Bodø.

He received a special grant from the Institute for Comparative Research in Human Culture to study the Sami culture. The Sami are an Indigenous people who live in parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. For four years, from 1927 to 1930, Evjenth and his wife lived in a traditional Sami turf hut, called a Goahti, on the Varanger Peninsula. This helped him learn a lot about their way of life.

Evjenth started his writing career in 1927 with a book called Finnmarks-jakter. In 1928, he published a collection of short stories titled Folk under fot.

His children's books became very popular. His breakthrough book was 3 på to og 2 på fire from 1935. This book had two sequels: På to og fire i Suonjo (1936) and Over kjølen i kano (1937). These books often described the beautiful nature of Northern Norway, including its birds and animals.

In 1939, he wrote En fiskergutt i Sameland, which was set in the mid-1800s and focused on Sami culture. Its sequel, På langferd i grenseland, came out in 1940. Another book, Falkefengeren (1941), was set even earlier, in the 1600s. Many of these children's books were later reissued in a special series for boys by Gyldendal Norsk Forlag.

Helping During World War II

During World War II, when Germany occupied Norway, Håkon Evjenth played a part in helping his country. He was involved in efforts to support the Norwegian people. He helped set up a secret communication station in Bodø in 1941.

Because of his activities, he was arrested and held in special camps for a time. He was held from December 1941 to February 1942, and again from May to June 1943. After this, he focused on helping people who needed to escape and on sharing important news. He was arrested again in September 1943 for having a radio, which was forbidden. His wife was also arrested. They were both held in a camp from January 1944 until March 1945.

After the war, in 1945, Evjenth wrote a novel for young adults called Krig i kvitt. This book was about the Battles of Narvik in 1940 and was based on diaries from people who were there. In the same year, he also wrote a book about Winston Churchill, a famous leader during the war, called Mannen som reddet verden.