Kristian IV's Gate, Olso

Kristian IVs gate (1-15, 4-12) is a street in Oslo city centre. It was named after King Christian IV ( 1577 - 1648 ) in 1852.

Lowry refers to the street in his novel Ultramarine when Dana is telling Popplereuter about his life; "I was born in Christiania, in the Christian den 4 des gade (sic gate), dangerous names for me. Pg. 93).

Image courtesy of Oslobilder

Tromsø, Norway

Tromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø. By the end of the 19th century, Tromsø had become a major Arctic trade center from which many Arctic expeditions originated. Explorers like Roald Amundsen, Umberto Nobile and Fridtjof Nansen made use of the know-how in Tromsø on the conditions in the Arctic, and often recruited their crew in the city. The Northern lights observatory was founded in 1927. Read more on Wikipedia

There is no record of Lowry visiting Tromsø on his 1931 trip to Norway. Lowry refers to the city in his first novel Ultramarine;; the ship Oxenstjerna seen by Dana Hilliot and Janet Travena in Birkenhead Docks in Ultramarine is leaving for Tromsø; "seeing her again sailing out mildly for Tromsø on the last stage of her journey.."; the Oxenstjerna is registered in Tromsø; "Tromsø  we read on her receding stern." (Pg.63) and the city is mentioned again in Hilliot's drunken thoughts in Dairen in Chapter 3; "A week and we’ll be docked in Tromsø". (Pg.66 )

Falmouth

Falmouth is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England. Falmouth is famous for its harbour. Together with Carrick Roads, it forms the third deepest natural harbour in the world, and the deepest in Western Europe. Read more on Wikpedia

There is no documentary evidence that Lowry ever visited Falmouth though he may have visited the port on a family holiday to Looe, Cornwall in the early 1920's. Lowry refers to the port in his first novel Ultramarine when Nikolai, one of the crew of Oedipus Tyrannus, relates that he caught venereal disease in the port; “In Falmouth I make a fire to my my pipe, knaw, and I stood listening to the children playing - laughing same troubles as Norwegian children. But Falmouth left me a souvenir of my wisit (sic) , he added laughingly, 'the third time I have had a souvenir in England”. (Pgs. 19-20). Lowry is probably referring to the fact that Pyrrhus - the ship he sailed on to the Far East in 1927 - arrived in Falmouth on 24th April 1927 and went into dry dock in Falmouth the next day until May 1st 1927 when she sailed to Swansea.

Norway's Occupation of Greenland 1931-33

Norwegian flag raised at Myggbukta and on 10 July 1931

Lowry refers to Norway's Occupation of Greenland between 1931-33 in his first novel Ultramarine  "When Christiania became Oslo I sold, in my desperation, the Dagbladet, and lectured on the Greenland occupation." (Ultramarine Pg. 93). We can assume that Lowry was aware of the occupation as he was in Oslo in the summer of 1931.



In June 1931 Hallvard Devold, Chairman of the Norwegian Arctic Trading Company, raised the Norwegian flag at Myggbukta and on 10 July 1931 a Norwegian royal proclamation was issued, claiming Eastern Greenland as Norwegian territory. Norway claimed that the area was terra nullius: it had no permanent inhabitants and was for the most part used by Norwegian whalers and trappers. The area was defined as "situated between Carlsberg Fjord in the South and Bessel Fjord in the North", extending from latitude 71°30' to latitutde 75°40'N. Although it was not explicitly stated in the proclamation itself, it was assumed that the area was limited to the eastern coast, so that the Inland Ice constituted its western limit. (The Inland Ice covers five sixths of Greenland's total area, so that only a narrow strip of varying width along the coast is free of permanent ice.)


Norway and Denmark agreed to settle their dispute over Eastern Greenland at the Permanent Court of International Justice in 1933. Norway lost and after the ruling it abandoned its claim. Read more on Wikipedia

Dagbladet

Dagbladet (lit.: The Daily Magazine) is Norway's second largest tabloid newspaper, and the third largest newspaper overall. The newspaper was founded in 1869 by Anthon Bang. Hagbard Emanuel Berner served as its first editor in chief and the first issue was published on January 2, 1869. From 1884 to 1977 the newspaper was affiliated to the Liberal party (Venstre). Read more on Wikipedia

Lowry refers to the newspaper in his first novel Ultramarine; "When Christiania became Oslo I sold, in my desperation, the Dagbladet, and lectured on the Greenland occupation." (Ultramarine Pg. 93)

Christiania, Norway

Christiania was the name given to Oslo after the city was destroyed by a fire in 1624. The city was rebuilt nearer to Akershus Castle during the reign of King Christian IV and renamed Christiania in his honour. It was established as a municipality (formannskapsdistrikt) on 1 January 1838. Following a spelling reform, it was known as Kristiania from 1877 to 1925, when its original Norwegian name Oslo was restored.

Lowry refers to Oslo as Christiania in his first novel Ultramarine as the main protagonist in the novel Dana Hilliot was born in Oslo prior to the name change; Andy the cook of Oedipus Tyrannus "had lost his ticket as a second mate on a tramp steamer out of Christiania." (Ultramarine Pg. 17); "I was born in Oslo when it was Christiania, so I can always say if anyone asks me, that I am a Christiania boy." (Ultramarine Pg.84); "I was born in Christiania, in the Christian den 4 des gade (sic gate), dangerous names for me. (Ultramarine Pg.93); "When Christiania became Oslo I sold, in my desperation, the Dagbladet, and lectured on the Greenland occupation." (Ultramarine Pg. 93)

D/S Hilda

Delivered in Aug.-1925 from Trondhjems mek. Verksted A/S, Trondheim as Hilda (189) to A/S Djerv (Bachke & Co.), Trondheim. 1236 gt, 670 net, 1875 tdwt, 237' (loa) x 36' 4" x 16' 8", Triple exp. steam engine, 690 ihp.Owner: A/S Djerv Manager: Bachke & Co., Trondheim. Hilda was bombed and sunk by British aircraft on Oct. 21-1941, while in a German convoy, on a voyage from Rotterdam to Gothenburg with a cargo of coal. No casualties.

Lowry refers to the ship in his novel Ultramarine; "Let me tell you this when I was in Belawandelli, it was on a Norwegian bastard out of Trondheim, the Hilda—" (Pg. 128).

D/S Marstenen

Lowry refers 9 times to a ship called Martensen in his novel Ultramarine. The ship is Norwegian out of Oslo. The only ship with a name that is near to the Martensen on the Norwegian records is the D/S Marstenen. Given Lowry's prolific mis-spelling of names then the ship he refers to in the novel is more than likely the Marstenen.

Built in Fredrikstad, Norway in 1915. Tonnage: 1832 gt, 1114 net, 3050 tdwt. 8/1915: A/S D/S Marstenen (Vilh.Torkildsen) Bergen;  2/1938: Skibs A/S Vilhelm Torkildsens Rederi(Vilh.Torkildsen) Bergen   Launched as Viv. Manager: Vilhelm Torkildsen, Bergen. Sank 1940 - See her fate on War Sailors.

"The last ship on the wharf was the Martensen, from Oslo. But the Martensen was as silent as a graveyard on a dead planet. (Pg. 84); "There's a Norwegian ship in dock, Norman," I said. "Let's go there. What ship?" "T.S. Martensen" (Pgs. 97-98); "On - on to the Martensen" (Pg.100); "the S.S. Leeway from Swansea had docked forward of the Martensen." (Pg. 101); "Come on, let's all go to the Martensen." But the Martensen still seemed deserted." (Pg. 102); The Martensen was following close to stern." (Pg. 155); The Martensen changed he course eastward, their firemen were now dumping ashes overside." (Pg. 155).

Vår Frelsers gravlund, Oslo

Vår Frelsers gravlund is a cemetery in Oslo, Norway, located north of Hammersborg in Gamle Aker district. It was created in 1808 as a result of the great famine and cholera epidemic of the Napoleonic Wars. Its grounds were extended in 1911. The cemetery has been full since 1952. The cemetery is known primarily for Æreslunden, Norway's main honorary burial ground.

Bjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson (8 December 1832 – 26 April 1910) was a Norwegian writer and the 1903 Nobel Prize in Literaturelaureate. Bjørnson is considered as one of The Four Greats (De Fire Store) Norwegian writers; the others being Henrik Ibsen, Jonas Lie, andAlexander Kielland. Bjørnson is celebrated for his lyrics to the Norwegian National Anthem, "Ja, vi elsker dette landet"

This cemetery maybe the inspiration for the one mentioned in Ultramarine by the protagonist Dana Hilliot when he describes where his family is buried; " Instead, let me show you the grave of my little uncles and aunts, all buried so neatly in a row, all my father's little brothers and sisters, all my mother's little brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law. The gods hugged my forebears to death. Come take my hand; let us read: so Harald Wiers Hilliot, fodt 29 desember 1866, dod 2 mars 1867. Brigit Eva Hilliot, fodt 16 november 1867, dod 13 desember 1867. Edvard Nikolai Hilliot, fodt 8 april 1869, dod 6 mai 1870. Mary Sarah Hilliot, fodt 22 june 1874, dod 23 june 1874; without a country." (Ultramarine Pg. 68). "Without a country" is a reference to the death of Herman Bang on a train in Utah in self imposed exile from Denmark plus the phrase also refers to Bang's novel Denied A Country. Lowry later in Ultramarine refers again  to a cemetery in Oslo;  "I grant you, there is the business of my aunts, all knocked for a row of milk bottles in the cemetery in Oslo." (Pg. 96).

Another possible candidate for the cemetery is at  Old Aker Church (Norwegian: Gamle Aker kirke) - a medieval church located in Oslo. One of Lowry's favourite painters Edvard Munch depicted the church in at least 2 paintings which Lowry may have seen on his visit to Oslo in 1931.

E.E. Kellett 1864-1950

He was English master at The Leys School, Cambridge when Lowry attended. He was a master from 1889-1924. Educated at Kingswood Scool and a scholar and prizeman of Wadham College, Oxford. He had an "extraordinary memory and knowledge of any man I have ever met. He was a classic, mathematician and English man of great resource and teaching power, if a boy wanted to be taught. He was a light versifier of merit and wrote for Punch and other journals." J.H. Hays quoted in Derek Baker's book on The Leys; Partnership in Excellence. He also acted as a referee for Caldicott School which Lowry also attended in preparation for the The Leys.

He wrote many books including Story of Myths 1927, The Northern Saga 1929, The Whirligig of Taste 1929, Fashion in Literature 1931, Story of Religions 1934 etc. He appears to have had connections with several literary figures during the 1920's and 1930's including the Woolf's as he had work published in their Hogarth Press. He also had links to the magazine Life and Letters.

He lived after retirement at 5 Woodville Road, Blackheath. Lowry spent several months in Blackheath being tutored by Kellett for the entrance examination to Cambridge between 1927 and 1928. Kellett had considerable knowledge of Scandinavian mythology which may have have been an influenced Lowry who was already obsessed with Norway. There is also a possibility that Kellett introduced Lowry to modern Scandinavian literature by Bang, Hamsum, Jensen and even Grieg. The link, as yet unconfirmed, being that all the novels were translated by A.G. Chater. Another interesting link is that Kellett wrote a book Literary Quotation and Allusion 1933, a subject matter used to great effect by Lowry in his work.

Lowry refers to his time with Kellett in his novel Under The Volcano when Hugh recalls; "He was already entered at Cambridge for a year or so hence. He had not, however, the slightest intention of going there. The prospect of it, for some reason, he dreaded only less than being stuck meantime at some crammer's. And to prevent this he must act swiftly." (Pg. 160).