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

Drammensveien, Oslo

  

Drammensveien is a street in Oslo, Norway, and a highway between the cities Oslo and Drammen. The highway is the heaviest trafficked road in Norway. The original road Drammensveien was built for transport from Oslo to the foundry Bærums Verk and the silver mines at Kongsberg. 

Lowry wrote to Nordahl Grieg from the Hotel Parkheimen (Drammensveien 2). In Ultramarine, Dana recalls standing in Drammersveien with Janet Travena; "Under the Aftenpostens Lysavis, standing in the Drammersveien with you." (Pg. 52).

Aftensposten Lysavis

Lowry arrived at the Oslo Østbanestasjon - Oslo's main station in 1931. Located on Jernbanetorget. He had travelled overnight from Aandalsnes en route to try and meet Nordahl Grieg in the city. Lowry refers to the Aftensposten Lysavis in his first novel Ultramarine when he thinks of meeting Janet Travena; "Under the Aftenpostens Lysavis, standing in the Drammersveien with you." (Pg. 52). It must be noted that if we take Lowry literally he is saying that the Lysavis was located on the Drammersveien which would have been incorrect as the street is some distance from the station.

Aftensposten Lysavis was an electronic news-ticker which was originally operated by the Aftenposten newspaper during the October 1930 Norwegian Stortingsvalget to inform people of the results of the election. The Lysavis was located at the Oslo Østbanestasjon - Oslo's main station in 1930. No details are currently available as to whether Lysavis was used after that date for example in the 1931 Norwegian local elections which Lowry may have seen during his stay in Oslo or the Lysavis was being used for another purpose. Lowry makes an intriguing reference to the Lysavis being used for more than election results; "Standing there the news of the whole world flowed above us, an opium dream of electric light." (Pg. 52)

Lowry later recalled the news-ticker in the film script for Fitzgerald's Tender Is The Night;

The feeling of unchangingness, or recurrence, in history of the illuminated news travelling way up round the Times Building on Times Square. This news goes on recurringly, in a manner that will be indicated , whenever the time of day or geography permits for the greater part of this short New York sequence. Whether the actual existence of the Times Building News itself at this precise time is historically accurate is thoroughly immaterial- that is, there was such an illuminated news in Oslo for the Aftenbladt and in other European capitals at this time, or within a year or so, perhaps the Times Building did not have one till a little later - more likely it was the other way around: what is of the utmost importance however - merely for the purpose of relating the film imaginatively to history - but as will later be explained, for psychological reasons too- is that it should, in one way or another, be there. (The Cinema of Malcolm Lowry: a scholarly edition of Lowry's "Tender is the Night" Edited by Miguel Mota and Paul Tiessen Pg. 148)

Lowry refers to the Oslo Aftenbladt which ceased printing in 1881. Lowry may have been confused with the Stravanger newspaper with the same name. Lowry creates a range of headlines seen by Dick in the film script (Pgs.148-149) - most seem to be based on real incidents/events except for the death of the character Abe North. There is no clear evidence how Lowry gleaned the headlines. Lowry's explanation in his Tender is the Night film script is an insight into how he used signs in his work.

On November 6th 1928, the New York Times encircled its the Times Building around the fourth floor of the building with its famous "zipper" headliner. This was one of the earliest outdoor incandescent message reader boards that provided the passing public with electronic messages about the breaking news as it happened. The Motograph News Bulletin, or "zipper" as it was known informally, was a technological marvel of its day. It extended 380 feet around the Times Tower and, with a band 5-feet tall, the moving letters were visible from a distance of several city blocks. It was first used to announce the results of the US presidential election of 1928. The sign was originally made of 14,800 lamps.In an interesting note, Times Square is now flooded with various evolved reader boards (Reuters, ABC, Morgan Stanley, etc) all based on the original 1928 Times Tower electric message board. 

A Times column from 2005 described how inventor Frank C. Reilly's remarkable sign worked:

Inside the control room, three cables poured energy into transformers. The hookup to all the bulbs totaled 88,000 soldered connections. Messages from a ticker came to a desk beside a cabinet like the case that contained type used by old-time compositors. The cabinet contained thin slabs called letter elements. An operator composed the message letter-by-letter in a frame.

The frame, when filled with the letters and spaces that spelled out a news item, was inserted in a magazine at one end of a track. A chain conveyor moved the track, and each letter in the frame brushed a number of contacts. Each contact set a light flashing on Broadway.

Reilly, the Times said, calculated that there were 261,925,664 flashes an hour from the zipper's 14,800 bulbs.

It was the first use anywhere of the zipper, which was itself big news on a big news day. A headline in the Nov. 6 edition of the Times declared: Huge Times Sign Will Flash News. It also happened to be election day, and the zipper's first streaming headline announced a new president:

HERBERT HOOVER DEFEATS AL SMITH

Read more

This sign, as Lowry suggests, must have been the inspiration for the Aftensposten Lysavis.

Aftenposten

Aftenposten (Norwegian for "The Evening Post") is Norway's largest newspaper. It retook this position in 2010, taking it from the tabloid Verdens Gang which had been the largest newspaper for several decades. It is based in Oslo. Read more on Wikipedia

The Aftensposten operated a "Lysavis" - an electronic news-ticker during the October 1930 Norwegian Stortingsvalget to inform people of the results of the election. The Lysavis was located at the Oslo Østbanestasjon - Oslo's main station in 1930.  Lowry refers to the Aftensposten Lysavis in his first novel Ultramarine when he thinks of meeting Janet Travena; "Under the Aftenpostens Lysavis, standing in the Drammersveien with you." (Pg. 52).

Bergen

Bergen is a city and municipality in Hordaland on the west coast of Norway.The city centre of Bergen is located west in the municipality, facing the fjord of Byfjorden. It is situated among a group of mountains known as the Seven Mountains.

Lowry refers to the city in his first novel Ultramarine; "Matt told them that he had struck the new skipper, a Stavanger man, for calling him a Bergener." (Ultramarine Pg 17). There is no record of Lowry visiting the city - however he does refer to the city in two letters - one to Nordahl Grieg written on 8/9/1931; "That you will find time for us to talk again before you return to the mountains or to Bergen, or to both." (Collected Letters Vol 1 Pg. 102); he also wrote to Jan Gabrial "You should of course try & see Bergen" (Collected Letters Vol 1 Pg. 130). 

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)

Universitetsbiblioteket, Oslo

The University Library in Oslo was established in 1811 acting as the Norwegian National Library until 1999. Lowry refers to the library in his novel Ultramarine in which the protagonist Dana Hilliot compares the library to the Widener Library in Harvard; " strolling with my father through the Harvard Yard, passing the Widener Library, so absurdly like our Bibliotheket, and Amy Lowell's house." (Pg. 51). The library which Lowry refers to is the one purpose built at Henrik Ibsen's gate, which was designed by architect Holger Sinding-Larsen. The University Library moved into the 2nd January 1914, but the building was not completed until 1922.

Lowry must have been familiar with the library from his visit to Oslo on his 1931 trip to Norway.

Nasjonalgalleriet, Oslo

The National Gallery of Norway (Norwegian: Nasjonalgalleriet) is a gallery in Oslo, Norway. Since 2003 it is administratively a part of the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design.

It was established in 1842 following a parliamentary decision from 1836. Originally located in the Royal Palace, Oslo, it got its own museum building in 1882, designed by Heinrich Ernst and Adolf Schirmer.

Lowry probably visited the gallery in 1931 as part of his trip to Norway. The assumption of his visit is based on a drawing made on the back of a letter to Conrad Aiken dated September 1931 of Edvard Munch's Gerschrei (1895), which Lowry entitled "The Shriek". Munch's lithograph was then housed in the Nasjonalgalleriet.

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.

Cirkus Verdensteater, Oslo

Circus World Theatre built in 1895 near Haakon VII's gate in Oslo on a site called the tivoli. It was one of two national circuses, the second being in Trondheim.

Until 1897, the building was owned by Danish businessman Bernard Jacobsen, who had acquired the land in 1887. The building was constructed of red brick and total cost 300,000 ore. The Circus had an inside diameter of 40 metres, a height of 32 metres, a floor area of ​​3,200 m² and seating for nearly 2,500 people with facilities for artists, horses and equipment.

Interior 1900

Circus was not a permanent one but was visited by other travelling circuses such as the Danish "Circus Schumann". The building was also used as a cinema as well as for music festivals and performances. It had its own orchestra and conductor, and had performances by artists such as Heinrich Botel, Thorvald Lammers / Mally Lammers and Ellen Gulbranson. After demolition in 1935 it was replaced on the site by the Klingenberg cinema in 1937.

Interior 1908

Lowry possibly refers to the circus in his novel Ultramarine when he describes the protagonist Dana Hilliot thinking back to his time in Oslo with his girlfriend Janet Travena (Pg. 68) and continues with; "Nevermore stand in the gallery at Revy Circus Globus. Do you remember? Vi nar program for alle og enhvers smak. Hand balances from a Springboart and Tumpling act! Morsomme Klovner! Akrobater! Balansekunstuere! Slangemennesker! Luftakrobater Obs! Populaere billetpriser: Galleri kr. 1." (Pg. 69). Lowry is possibly basing his description on a possible visit to the circus on his 1931 trip to Norway though there is no documentary evidence. The description seems to be based on a programme for the circus - a device Lowry used many times in his writing. Further evidence that this is the circus he refers to is that he visited the nearby  Røde Mølle restaurant and also refers to other places in the general area of the Tivoli/Stortingsgata area in both letters and Ultramarine.

The circus is marked on the 1917 map of Oslo (Christiania) below (click to enlarge):

Bygdøy, Oslo

Bygdøy or Bygdø is a peninsula on the western side of Oslo, Norway. Administratively, Bygdøy belongs to the borough of Frogner.

Bygdøy has several museums, like the Kon-Tiki Museum, which shows all year long the legendary expeditions of Thor Heyerdahl; the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History (Norsk Folkemuseum); the Viking Ship Museum; the Norwegian Maritime Museum and the ship Fram, used by Roald Amundsen. Bygdøy Royal Estate (Norwegian: Bygdøy Kongsgård, Bygdø Kongsgård), the official summer residence of the King of Norway and Oscarshall Castle are also located here.

Read more on Wikipedia

Click on map to enlarge to see Bygdøy peninsula and surrounding area:

Lowry recommended to his wife Jan Gabrial to visit the peninsula in a letter dated Summer 1933; " And I should visit Bygdø itself & see the Viking ship & drink wine & look out on the fjord. (Collected Letters Vol 1 Pg. 130).

Holmenkollbanen, Oslo

The Holmenkollen Line (Norwegian: Holmenkollbanen) is an 11.4-kilometre (7.1 mi) long line of the Oslo Metro between Majorstuen and Nordmarka in Oslo, Norway. It is served by Line 1 of the metro, and is the line with the least passengers and the only to still have level crossings and short station platforms. The line runs mostly through residential areas with single dwellings, but the upper parts of the line mainly serve the recreational area of Nordmarka. Holmenkollen Station is located close to Holmenkollen National Arena which hosts international Nordic skiing tournaments.

The line is the oldest of the metro, and was opened as a light rail in 1898 by the company Holmenkolbanen. Originally it ran 6.2 kilometers (3.9 mi) from Majorstuen Station to Besserud. In 1916, the line was extended to Tryvann, with the last 1.4 kilometers (0.87 mi) only being used for freight. In 1928, the city terminus was moved 2.0 kilometres (1.2 mi) to the underground Nationaltheatret Station.

Read more on Wikipedia

The line was extended in 1916 to Frognersaeteren which is how Lowry must have travelled to the resort on his 1931 trip to Norway. He later described to his wife Jan Gabrial in a letter dated Summer 1933 how to get there; "go down the Holmerkollen, from there, which is the Oslo underground, just turn to the left at the Nationaltheatret exit from Røde Mølle, that being an ugly looking theatre with Ibsen, Bjornsen & Heiberg outside it, & walk up the hill a bit, the entrance to the underground is on the middle of the square behind the Nationaltheatre - go down the right entrance, & when you see a tram come along with Frognarsaeteren on its forehead, take it, pay 90 ore I think it is, go all the way; it will take you up a mountain which is just the best thing in the world & there's a restaurant up there where they speak German for you." (Collected Letters Vol. 1 Pgs. 130-131).

Frognersaeteren, Norway

Originally this place was the seter (mountain dairy farm) of Frogner Manor.

Frognerseteren is the end station of the Holmenkollen Line of the Oslo Metro, located in the Marka section of Oslo. It is the station after Voksenkollen. The line to Frognerseteren was completed on 16 May 1916. The station has two platforms which, like other stations on the Holmenkollen Line, only accommodate two-car trains. The elevation of the station is 469 meters (1,539 ft) above sea level, the highest of all the stations in Oslo.

The area around Frognerseteren has very little population, but is popular for recreation, with a restaurant and hiking trails or, during the winter, skiing. Tryvannstårnet is also within walking distance although Voksenkollen station is slightly closer.

Lowry took the tram there in 1931, later describing it to Jan Gabrial in a letter dated Summer 1933; "& when you see a tram come along with Frognarsaeteren on its forehead, take it, pay 90 ore I think it is, go all the way; it will take you up a mountain which is just the best thing in the world & there's a restaurant up there where they speak German for you." (Collected Letters Vol. 1 Pgs. 130-131). Dana Hilliot recalls a boomerang he had there (Ultramarine Pg.18).

Chat Noir, Oslo

Chat Noir was established as a cabaret in 1912 in the Tivoli building by singer Bokken Lasson and her husband, writer Vilhelm Dybwad, modelled after the Paris cabaret Le Chat Noir from the 19th century.

During a visit to Paris in the early 1890s, Bokken Lasson had found the inspiration of her life. She experienced the literary cabarets of the time, and performers such as Yvette Guilbert. The next years she toured European cities, wearing a self-composed costume, singing gypsy songs and playing lute, performing on the street, at restaurants, cabarets and occasionally in musical comedies. Bokken Lasson managed the cabaret from 1912 to 1917.

Chat Noir became a cultural meeting place, with the artists Christian and Oda Krohg (Bokken's sister) as leading figures. Their son Per Krohg painted the first decorations. To begin with Chat Noir was a literary cabaret. Herman Wildenvey and Arnulf Øverland contributed with poetry, Vilhelm Dybwad composed melodies, and Bokken Lasson was singing. In 1913 the first revue, called 1913, was played at Chat Noir. In 1916 Lalla Christensen was introduced, singing children's songs.

Victor Bernau led the theatre from 1920 to 1928, and during this period Chat Noir won its reputation as a modern revue theatre. Johan Henrik Wiers-Jenssen took over as manager from 1926, with Bernau as artistical director during the early years.

Lowry refers to the cabaret in his novel Ultramarine; "the Nationaltheatret or the Circus or the Chat Noir?" (Pg. 68). There is no record of Lowry visiting the Chat Noir.

Tostrupkjelleren, Oslo

One of the more monumental buildings in the centre of Oslo. Finished in 1898 for the a jeweller named Tostrup. One of the first buildings in Norway to be built on steel framework, and likewise with an lift (elevator). Clad partially in black Labrador and white Fauske marble its a striking building.

The main architect behind the building was Torolf Prytz and he was assisted by the two architects Christian Fürst and Waldemar Hansteen. Prytz got the idea to building when he visited 1893 Chicago World's Fair named World's Columbian Exposition. The American architects Daniel Burnham and Frederick Law Olmsted stood behind the masterplan for the fair where Torolf Prytz saw styles that he wanted to incorporate into his own building at home. Tostrupgården therefore had a facade that was similar in composition to a lot of American pre-modern skyscrapers.The building was built to house Torolf Prytzs goldsmith business.

Tostrupkjelleren was famous bar (or actually a press club), located in the Tostrup building opposite the parliament in Oslo. The fame comes from being a sort of officially unofficial (or possibly unofficially official) meeting spot for journalists and MPs, and anybody else who is important or famous.

Lowry refers to the bar in his novel Ultramarine; "Tonight dinner, modestly, at the Tostrupkjaelderen (sic Tostrupkjelleren!" (Pg. 68).

Bjørnson's Statue, National Theatre, Oslo

A statue of the Norwegian writer Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson stands outside the National Theatre in Oslo. The statue was sculpted by Stephan Sinding and erected in 1899.

Lowry refers to the statue in his novel Ultramarine when the novel's protagonist Dana Hilliot is thinking of girlfriend Janet Travena and their time in Oslo; "while  Bjørnson watches the park attendant gather up the autumn leaves." (Pg. 68). Lowry most probably saw the statue on a possible visit to theatre on his 1931 trip to Norway.

Gamle Heidelberg, Stortingsgt, Oslo

A bar/restaurant on the Stortingsgt 12 Oslo. Lowry refers to the bar/restaurant in his novel Ultramarine; "past the Hotel Plaza restaurant and the Gamle Heidelberg, always forward." (Pg. 68). There is no record of Lowry visiting the Gamle Heidelberg.

Sangren fra Sevilla (The Singer From Seville) 1930

Lowry refers to the film The Singer From Seville in his novel Ultramarine; "past where Ramon Novarro is playing in Sangren fra Sevilla." (Pg. 68). This reference is made by Dana Hilliot when he is thinking of Oslo which reflects Lowry's visit to the city in 1931. This is the only reference made by Lowry to the film and there is no other record of whether he saw the film. The cinema where Dana sees the film is showing is possibly in Stortingsgata as Lowry mentions that Dana is walking down that street in Oslo. The cinema could possibly have been Scala cinema, Stortingsgt 28; National cinema, Stortingsgt 10; Cordial, Stortingsgt 16; Circus World Theater Stortingsgt 20; Bio-Rama Stortingsgata 14; Kosmorama Stortingsgt 14 or the Boulevard Theatre Stortingsgt which can be seen below in early 1940's.

The film was called Call of the Flesh in America directed by Charles Brabin. The film stars Ramon Novarro, Dorothy Jordan, and Renée Adorée. It featured several songs performed by Novarro and originally included a sequence photographed in Technicolor. Read more on Wikipedia

The version which Lowry possibly saw may be different to the original one. As with several American films made between 1930 and 1932, Call of the Flesh was remade into two alternate language versions. Novarro appears in both, reprising his role as Juan de Dios Carbajal, and directed both of them. They were filmed using a different crew and supporting cast on the same sets at MGM Studios. A German-language version, also to be directed by Novarro, was never filmed for financial reasons.

Casino Restaurant, Oslo

Lowry refers to the Casino restaurant in his novel Ultramarine; "past the gutted Casino restaurant" (Pg. 68). The Casino building stood on the Stortingsgata and was replaced by the building below sometime in mid-30s.

Photos courtesy of Oslobilder

Stortingsgata, Oslo

Stortingsgata is a street in the centre of Oslo which stretches from Wessels place at the Parliament of Henrik Ibsen's gate at the Royal Palace . It received its present name in 1865, the year before the building was opened, before it was called the Drammensveien. The southern part is dominated by shops, restaurants and hotels, to the north runs along Stortingsgata Eidsvolls place and the National Theatre .

Lowry refers to the street in his novel Ultramarine when the novel's protagonist Dana Hilliot is thinking of girlfriend Janet Travena and their time in Oslo; "The geraniums are out: Ibsen, the author of Ghosts, looks sternly down the Storlingsgaten (sic Stortingsgata) ." (Pg. 68). Lowry most probably walked down the street on his possible visit to National Theatre on his 1931 trip to Norway.