Name Peer Stromme Role Journalist | Died September 15, 1921 Education Luther College | |
Peer Stromme also Per Olsen Strømme (September 15, 1856 - September 15, 1921) was an American pastor, teacher, journalist, and author.
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Biography
Peer Olson Strømme was born in Winchester, Wisconsin to immigrant parents from Norway; Ole and Eli Haugen. Stromme graduated from Luther College (Iowa) and attended Concordia Theological Seminary. In 1879, he was ordained into the Lutheran ministry. He subsequently held a teaching post at St. Olaf College. Peer Stromme was editor of Norden, a Norwegian language paper in Chicago. Additionally he was the founding editor of the Norwegian language newspaper Dagbladet. He also translated books for the John Anderson Publishing Company in Chicago and the Lutheran Publishing House of Decorah, Iowa.
Stromme was the author of several books written in the Norwegian language which explored the Norwegian immigrant experience. His articles appeared in the Norwegian-American literary magazine, Symra. Stomme was influenced in his writing style by other Norwegian American writers who had provided a truthful renditions of the lives of immigrant settlers, in particular Hans Andersen Foss. Stomme employed many major themes common to immigrant fiction, including the process of settling and assimilating into a new culture. His settings are detailed and realistic, with his books frequently depicting individuals who are at odds with society. He is best remembered for his 1896 novel Hvorledes Halvor blev prest. It was translated and published into English as Halvor: A Story of Pioneer Youth by David T. Nelson (1891-1969), Professor of English at Luther College.