Career
Other info : Bibliography
Pram was an enthusiastic member of the Norwegian Society in Copenhagen, and assumed various positions in Commercekollegiet (the Copenhagen College of Commerce), where he was appointed in 1781.[1] He made his literary breakthrough in 1782, with the poem "Emilias Kilde".[2] His best known literary work is the epic cycle of poems Stærkodder of 1785,[3] based on the legendary hero Starkaðr from Saxo Grammaticus' monumental work Gesta Danorum. He co-founded and co-edited the cultural magazine Minerva from 1785, in cooperation with Knud Lyne Rahbek.[1] He was the sole editor of Minerva from 1789, but after having received warnings over his enthusiasm for the French Revolution, he resigned as editor in 1793.[2]
He is regarded as the first Norwegian novelist.[1] Among his novels are Jørgen, en Dosmers Levnedsbeskrivelse (Jørgen, the Biography of a fool) and Hans Kruuskop of 1786, and John Thral. Bidrag til Frihedens Historie (John Thral. A Contribution to the History of Freedom) of 1787.[1] He wrote the comedy Ægteskabsskolen (The School for Marriage) in 1795. In the same year he delivered a prize-winning contribution to the preparations for a university in Norway.[1]
