Not so long ago

The traditional Greenlandic narrative, until then oral, became a written work when printing appeared in the south of the country in 1857. We owe much to the Moravian linguist Samuel Petruc Kleinschmidt (1814-1886) who invented, between 1851 and 1873, the spelling used to write Greenlandic! He also translated parts of the Bible into Greenlandic. There is also Hinrich Johannes Rink (1819-1893) who founded the first Greenlandic language newspaper Atuagagdliutit in 1861, and who was the first to collect stories of oral tradition from the locals. Then came Knud Rasmussen (1879-1933) who was a Danish explorer and anthropologist. He is even nicknamed "the father of Eskimo-mulogy". He wrote down legends, tales, myths and tales of the ancients. Some of his writings have been translated into French, such as En traîneau du Groenland à l'Alaska; La Chasse

à l'ours

; Du Groenland au Pacifique: deux ans d'intimité avec des tribus d'esquimaux inconnus

... At the same time, Hans Hendrik (1834-1889) marked the history of literature in the country. He was the first to publish his memoirs on his trips to the Arctic (1878). Jean Malaurie draws a remarkable portrait of him in his book Ultima Thule where he describes him as the first Greenlandic explorer to have observed the Thule population in the north of the country, where he lived for a time.

The 20th century

The Dream of a Greenlander (1914) by Mathias Storch (1883-1957) is the first Greenlandic novel to be published. He was a pastor and a local child, and was one of the proponents of the modernization of Greenland. His main character, Paavia, becomes aware of the underdevelopment of his people compared to the Danes and tries to remedy this. In the end, in a dream, he imagines a free and prosperous Greenland in the distant future. A few years later, Augo Lynge's (1899-1959) anticipatory novel Three Hundred Years Later was published. In it he describes the Arctic in 2021 as seen from 1931, and it may be incredible, but he was not mistaken! Lynge already had a perfect understanding of his time, the developments that were taking place and where they could lead the country. As for Anita Conti (1899-1997), the first French woman oceanographer, she wrote in 1993 Racleurs d'océans, a sea book between literature and ethnology. Finally, we must mention Jonathan Petersen (1881-1961) who is the composer of the Greenland national anthem. Author of articles for newspapers, he also translated short stories, wrote a spelling manual and a dictionary!

Nowadays

Some names have managed to cross the sea to reach the bookstore shelves of France. Kelly Berthelsen (born in 1967), author of short stories in black realism, published in 2001 Je ferme les yeux pour couvrir l'obscurité. A defender of Greenlandic identity and language, his discourse is tinged with deep dismay. This author clearly reveals the Greenland of the 1970s and 1980s and is the first to gain international recognition. He was awarded the Nordic Council's Grand Prize for Literature. Another Danish author who lived in Greenland for several years is Jorn Riel (born 1931). His works are of some ethnological interest. He wrote a series of novels Les Racontars arctiques, which were later adapted into comic strips by Gwen de Bonneval and Hervé Tanquerelle: La Communauté, Les Voleurs de Carthage, Un petit détour and other narratives. Other writers have had some success. Starting with Kim Leine (born in 1961) who lived for many years in Greenland. His first autobiographical novel, Kalak, was published in 2007. He has written superb books such as Tunu in 2009 and The Prophets of the Fjord of Eternity in 2012. For this historical novel, which has been translated all over the world, he was awarded the Nordic Council's Grand Prize for Literature. In 2015, his novel The Abyss is set in the Europe of the inter-war period. Another name in literature is Hans Anthon Lynge, born in 1947. He is particularly renowned for Just before the arrival of the ship for which he received the Nordic Council Grand Prize for Literature. As for the author Niviaq Korneliussen, she won a short story competition with her book San Francisco. In 2014, her novel Homo Sapienne will be a great success. It is a controversial novel about the gay community. In it, she describes the lives of five young people in the town of Nuuk. In 2019 her novel Last Night in Nuuk is published. Finally, let us mention the former president of the International Inuit Organization ICC and member of parliament, Aqqaluk Lynge (born in 1947). He is one of the intellectuals who participated in identity claims: he worked for the autonomy of Greenland and for the recognition of the Inuit of the Arctic as a unique people. Author of several books, he is particularly known for his poetic work(Des veines du cœur au sommet de la pensée, 2012). Finally, let us not forget the television and radio man Flemming Jensen (born in 1948 in Denmark). In 2012, his novel Imaqa: An Adventure in Greenland tells the story of a Danish schoolteacher who, feeling a void in his life, moves to Greenland, to a hamlet called Nunaqarfik, and discovers a new life between adventure, harmony, love and immensity!

The goddess of the sea

The Inuit of the Arctic regions have always survived on natural resources and thus have always been aware that they are an integral part of nature. Greenland's most famous legend, Sassumap arnaa, is about the sea goddess who collects all the animals in her tousled hair to punish men for their greed. A shaman is sent to appease her and promise her that men will improve their behaviour. He is then allowed to comb his hair so that the animals can escape from his mane. The anthropologist Jean-Michel Huctin explains as follows: "This traditional personification of a stingy and generous nature teaches the Inuit to respect its hidden laws. They followed certain rites so as not to offend the seals, whales and bears that offered themselves to them. Nothing was wasted. "At a time of global warming and the threat of pollution, the sea goddess remains more than ever a strong symbol for the fight to preserve the environment. And a beautiful literary subject.