David M. Smith "Tarjei Vesaas: Translating a legendary 20th-century Norwegian author" Tarjei Vesaas (20 August 1897 – 15 March 1970) was a Norwegian poet and novelist. Vesaas is widely considered to be one of Norway’s greatest writers of the twentieth century and perhaps its most important since He was the oldest of three sons. He was guilt-ridden by his refusal to take over the family farm, and this guilt permeates much of his authorship. He spent much of his youth in solitude, seeking comfort and solace in nature. His authorship covers almost 50 years, from 1923 to 1970. Tarjei Vesaas (20 August 1897 – 15 March 1970) was a Norwegian poet and novelist. Vesaas is widely considered to be one of Norway’s greatest writers of the twentieth century and perhaps its most important since He was the oldest of three sons. He was guilt-ridden by his refusal to take over the family farm, and this guilt permeates much of his authorship. He spent much of his youth in solitude, seeking comfort and solace in nature. His authorship covers almost 50 years, from 1923 to 1970. Written in Nynorsk, his work is characterized by simple, terse, and symbolic prose. David M. Smith entered the Nordic Studies program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as a PhD student in 2020. He will be speaking about the life and authorship of Tarjei Vesaas, his translation history in English, and his own process of translating him. Live in the Livsreise auditorium **Mask wearing is mandatory in our auditorium for this presentation.**