England

ENGLAND

Pier of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. Drawing by Per Teigen.

In 1910, only 14 years old, Ingeborg travelled to England to work as a nanny. Later she described her first impression of Newcastle in the poem "Innseiling" ("Arriving from the sea"), from "Den gamle pioner" (1937):

"Towards land, as far as one can see,
grows a pitch-black crowd of poles
as a forest, dead and burnt
or a group of rotten gallows.
Even though the moon is hidden,
dancing shadows appear.
The swan from the Oslo fjord
throws its light in all directions"

Again, please compare with the Norwegian version of the poem.

Ingeborg stayed in England from 1910 till 1913. She learnt English so well that she read Shakespeare dramas!

Her sisters and brothers in America were reluctant to tell their family in Norway how hard their lives were - but when Ingeborg lived in England, they felt they could tell her everything. In the semi-biographical book "Vi må greie oss selv", we find a letter from her brother Gustav in the US:

"Dear Ingrid
I need someone to talk to, and since you are not at home anymore, it doesn't matter if I tell you that I've been ill. I had a log cutting job, and earned quite well, but was so unfortunate to cut my knee a week ago. I was 20-30 km from the lumber camp, too far to walk. Thus, I had a blood poisoning. "

These experiences were the first inspirations for her later migration poetry.

The nanny also saw the English class system. She discovered the ignorance among her fellow servants, and the need for enlightenment and education. The so-called "quay rats", children from the quays, staying alive by stealing and begging, made such a strong impression that she never forgot this picture of those who were completely outside society.

Drawing: Per Teigen

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