Andreas Munch

Andreas Munch (1811–1884) – a Norwegian poet, novelist and playwright. He was closely linked to the Norwegian national movement, and his work is defined as Norwegian poetical realism. He debuted in 1836 with the collection of verse Ephemera. His first play was Kong Sverres Ungdom (1837), commissioned for the opening of the new Christiania Theatre. In the years 1846–1848, he travelled around Europe (France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland). To his words, Grieg composed the choral works Den sildige rose (1863?) and Kantate ved avsløringen av Christie-stauen (1868) and also the set of songs Romancer og Ballader, Op. 9 (1863–1866). From 1860, Munch was the first poet to receive a salary from the Norwegian parliament.