Background
Olav was born on November 21, 1876, in Jøa, Norway; son of Ellen Dahan and Johannes Antonius Duun.
Olav was born on November 21, 1876, in Jøa, Norway; son of Ellen Dahan and Johannes Antonius Duun.
Olav went to normal school in 1901 and taught country school from 1904 to 1927. He showed his interest in the quirks of human character in LøglegeLoglege skruvar (1907) ("Queer Ducks"), gradually deepening his understanding in the stories that followed, most of them dealing with children. After 1911 he started to study the roots of his rural culture and gradually built up to his absorbing masterpiece, the epic six-volume series entitled Juvikfolke (1918-1923; Men of Juvik, 1930-1935). The impact of current events led Duun to explore the problem of evil in his later books, particularly the trilogy opened by Medmenneske (1929; "Fellow Men"). Dunn's subtle virtuosity of dialogue and description, the classic form of his New Norse language, as well as the universality of his themes, have won him a reputation as one of the great Norwegian writers of modern times. He died Sept. 13, 1939.
Olav was married to Emma Dahan (married from 1908 to 1939).