, where she lived as an adult
Inger Johanne Halsør was born in
Bergen, Norway. Her father died when she was five years old. For several years, her family moved around, until they settled in the
Nordfjord district and later in
Volda Municipality. In 1931, she married Anders Askevold Hagerup (1904–1979), who was a teacher, translator and children's book author. They settled at
Haugerud, Oslo, and became the parents of two distinguished Norwegian authors,
Klaus Hagerup and
Helge Hagerup. Her son, Klaus Hagerup, wrote extensively about his mother in
Alt er så nær meg: Om Inger Hagerup. Inger Hagerup is mostly known for her
lyric poetry, but has also been recognized for writing many important theatrical pieces. Hagerup published her first poetry collection,
Jeg gikk meg vill i skogene, in 1939. While studying in
Trondheim she was also a member of the Communist organisation
Mot Dag. Both Inger Hagerup and her husband Anders participated in resistance activities during the
occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany and in 1943 they fled to Sweden. She was known for opposing the German occupation, writing many lyrics against what she saw as a brutal and careless enemy, such as in
"Aust Vågøy". The latter was inspired by an incident that occurred in the Second World War. The Nazis retaliated against locals after a successful British raid-attack in March 1941 in the
Lofoten Islands. Many Norwegians can recite from memory the first lines,
De brente våre gårder. De drepte våre menn. La våre hjerter hamre det om og om igjen. ("They burned our houses. They killed our men. Let our hearts pound it, over and over again). In 1944 she was awarded the
Gyldendal's Endowment, the
Sarpsborg Prize in 1955 and in 1962 Inger Hagerup was recognized with the
Dobloug Prize. She died in Fredrikstad, Østfold on 6 February 1985. Her poem "Två tungor" (Two tongues) has been sung by
Fred Åkerström on
his 1972 album of that name, and by
Sofia Karlsson on her 2007 album
Visor från vinden. ==Selected works==