Johan Bojer was a prominent Norwegian novelist and dramatist. He primarily wrote about the life of poor farmers and fishermen, both in his native Norway and among Norwegian immigrants in America. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature five times. Bojer was born Johan Kristoffer Hansen in the settlement of Orkedalsoren, today known as Orkanger in Sor-Trondelag County. Hans Christophersen Bojer and Johanna Iversdatter Elgaaen, his unmarried parents, raised him as a foster child in an impoverished home in Rissa, near Trondheim, Norway. Bojer was exposed to poverty at a young age. He spent his early years working on a farm and as a bookkeeper. After his father's death in 1894, he adopted the surname Bojer. His literary career began with the publishing of Unge tanker in 1893 and continued to grow into the 1920s. He received critical recognition in Norway for the wide range of issues he covered. Many of his writings were translated into other languages, bringing him international recognition. Critics largely agree that his novel Den siste viking (English title: The Last of the Vikings) is his best effort. This story recounts the lives of Trondelag fisherman who spend the winter in the Lofoten islands in Norway's far north coast.
