PhD Candidate

– What are the most important aspects of your job?

– I am currently a member the NFR (The Research Council of Norway) funded project ImagiNation 1814–1905, which examines literary geographies of Norway in the nation building era. As a PhD candidate, most of my time is devoted to working on my dissertation on Nynorsk (New Norwegian) literature and the philosophy of dwelling in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Basically, this means that I examine how Nynorsk novels, plays, and poetry continually refer to a motif of “home” and “dwelling,” through the lens of Heidegger’s philosophy. I am one of 11 researchers in ImagiNation, and everyone is doing something quite unique and interesting in relation to literature, spatial humanities and geography. 

Being in a research group makes academic life a bit less solitary, which is very important. There is also a lot of discussion and evaluation regarding other work being produced by members. We also have a lively reading group for members to present theoretical works to each other and engage in relevant discussions. 

– What do you like most about your job?

– It is an incredible privilege to sit at my desk and read or write about a niche little topic. Sometimes PhD candidates lose track of that, but it certainly is a wonderful thing; this is a job for which we get paid! Otherwise, perhaps what I like most is being surrounded by relatively like-minded people, who take an interest in what I do, and want to see people in their field succeed. This is an irreplaceable aspect for a researcher. But I’m very lucky to get so much freedom at a workplace. 

– In what ways are the studies that you have undertaken at the Centre for Ibsen Studies/Faculty of Humanities relevant to your job?

– I was lucky to have an advisor for my master’s degree who took an interest in what I did and helped prepare me for an “academic life,” so to speak. This means we often discussed what I wanted to do, how I could do it, and what I needed to do to get there. I gained a lot of opportunities at the Centre for Ibsen Studies (CIS) that helped me grow as a student into a PhD candidate. After I graduated, I worked as both a research assistant at the CIS, as well as at the Ibsen Museum in Oslo, which was incredibly relevant work, to say the least.  

– What is the best tip for students who are thinking about job opportunities after graduation?

– It depends on what one wants to do. If it is academic research than my advice would be to try and experience non-academic life (a job outside of a university desk) before that, so that perspective can be gained, work ethic can be grown, and a certain ability to combine theory and praxis can be achieved. The world beyond the university offers a lot of challenges that some only meet in theory.

I probably would not have succeeded as much as I did without my advisor and professors who took an interest in what I was doing. Only if it comes naturally, do not fear asking questions and being curious around professors to whom you look up. And finally, do not worry about being painted into a corner if you have more than one interest. My bachelor’s degree is in French literature, my master’s in Ibsen Studies and, now I write about Nynorsk at NTNU. 

– What is your favorite Ibsen work and why?

– It’s a difficult question! I tend to favor Ibsen’s earlier plays, particularly Brand (1866), and the late plays, particularly The Master Builder (1899). I wrote my thesis on Peer Gynt (1867), so it is dear to me (particularly in Henrik Rytter’s proper Nynorsk translation!). Ghosts (1881), is, for me, the best of the middle period. It is so disturbing and genuinely haunting, and reads, at times, like it is meant to intentionally discombobulate both reader and spectator; everything is out of joint! After reading it, one can read Frode Helland and Arnfinn Åslund’s study of the play “Dette er ikke en pipe” (1996). 

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