Kampen for succès d’estime og salgssucces William Heinesens publicerede romaner i 1930’erne / The battle for succès d'estime and sales success William Heinesens published novels in the 1930s

Abstract

Abstract: The article throws new light on the Danish writing Faroese author William Heinesen’s long struggle for succes in his novelistic writing and for financial independence with regard to his published novels in the 1930’s. The article draws on completely new archival material in the context of Heinesen, which is his correspondance with his publisher in Copenhagen, Ejnar Munksgaard. The focus is given on different aspects of sociology of literature, and except for one article (Marnersdóttir, 2011) this angle has not been tested before on the works of Heinesen. Parameters of literature of sociology to be investigated are the role of the market, the relationship between Heinesen and his publisher, the role of the publisher’s consultant Otto Gelsted, the market profile, adaptions to and discomfort for the market, the role of the readers and the role of the reviewers, sales promotions, sales figures etc. The Copenhagen publisher adds Heinesen cultural capital in various ways demonstrating Copenhagen’s importance for his writing, his network and struggle to get a breakthrough as a novelist. Heinesen found resources for his publishing in Copenhagen not available in the Faroes since most Faroese readers were not emancipated to literacy in the modern sense. Thus Heinesen opens up new avenues and new cultural spaces in Faroese literature. Copenhagen becomes the gateway to the world for Heinesen in line with other world imperial metropoles being widely used by writers, intellectuals and other from former colonies as a springboard to get a breakthrough in imperial contexts and beyond. Heinesen’s gole was to awaken the Nordic/ European reader’s curiosity for the Faroe Islands as a new cultural and literary geography. Although Heinesen writes broadly about the Faroe Islands, he does not want to commodify Faroeseness for easy exotic consumption to continental readers. Moreover, he would blow up what he considered as a far too narrow track being his own previous carreer as a symbolist poet. Through his novelistic writing Heinesen got the Faroe Islands as a niche using the spacious novel form as a medium for the Faroese experience.

Úrtak: Greinin varpar nýtt ljós á tann dansktskrivandi før­oyska rithøvundin William Heinesen (1900-91) og tógva stríð hansara fyri einum skald­søgu­­frambroti og fyri at blíva fíggjarliga óheft­ur sum rithøvundi. Greinin er grundað á full­komi­liga nýtt skjalatilfar innan William Heine­sen-granskingina, sum er hansara brævaskifti við sín útgevara í Keypmannahavn, Ejnar Munks­gaard. Litið verður nærri at ymsum bók­menta­sosio­logiskum viðurskiftum. Við undantaki av einari grein hjá Maluni Marnersdóttir hevur hetta sjónarhorn ikki verið roynt áður í við­gerð­­um av ritverki Williams. Tey bók­menta­søgu­ligu viðurskifti, sum verða kannað eru leik­luturin hjá marknaðinum, sambandið mill­um William og hansara útgevara, leikluturin hjá konsulentinum Otto Gelsted, markn­að­ar­pro­filur, tillagingar og ampi mótvegis markn­að­inum, leikluturin hjá lesarum og um­mæl­ar­um, søluátøk, sølutøl osfr. Keypmannahavnski forleggjarin veitti Willi­ami mentanarligan kapital á ymsan hátt, og hetta vísir, hvussu stóran týdning Keyp­manna­havn hevur havt fyri skrivingina hjá Willi­ami, hansara netverk og stremban til tess at fáa eitt frambrot sum skaldsøgurithøvundi. Willi­am fekk útgávumøguleikar í Keyp­manna­havn, sum hann ikki fekk í Føroyum av tí at flestu føroysku lesarar ikki vóru bókliga nóg væl mentir í modernaðan forstand um hetta mund­ið. Hann opnar sostatt nýggjar leiðir og nýggj mentanarlig rúm í føroyskum bók­ment­um. Keypmannahavn gerst portrið til heimin í tráð við aðrar av heimsins gomlu imperialu metro­polum, sum rithøvundar, intellektuell og onn­ur úr fyrrverandi hjálondum íðuliga hava brúkt sum lopfjøl til tess at fáa eitt frambrot í im­perialum høpi og handan hetta høpi. Enda­mál Williams var at vekja áhugan hjá norð­ur­lendska lesaranum fyri Føroyum sum ein 'nýggj' mentanarlig og bókmentalig landafrøði. Hóast William skrivar breitt um Føroyar, so er hann í longdini ikki áhugaður í at umskapa før­oysk eyðkenni soleiðis, at tey gjørdust lætt­keypt eksotiskt forbrúk hjá lesarum á evrop­e­iska meginlandinum. Haraftrat slapp hann sær burtur úr tí tronga sporinum sum symbol­ist­isk­ur yrkjari. Í mun til yrkingaformin gevur rúm­ligi skaldsøguformurin Williami møguleika fyri at brúka Føroyar sum eina serstaka rók av møgu­leikum. Skaldsøgan roynist sum ein miðil fyri føroyskar royndir í einum altjóða høpi.