Astrid Hjertenæs Andersen

Astrid Gerd Judith Hjertenæs was born in Horten (now Borre) in Vestfold County, Norway. Her father was a naval officer assigned to Karljohansvern. She attended a secretary and journalist school for women (Hallings sekretær- og journalistskole for damer). She later worked as a typist and journalist for Aftenposten, Norway's largest newspaper. In 1939, she married the painter Snorre Andersen (1914–1979), who later illustrated several of her poetry collections. Her work contained nature poems written to her husband's watercolors. Dating from 1942, she devoted herself entirely writing. Her poems appeared often in both Aftenposten and Dagbladet. From the 1950s, Andersen wrote in the modernist direction of Norwegian post-war poetry. She had studied American poetry and drama during a one-year scholarship at Yale University. The poems show a clear connection to the symbolism of the past century and were often inspired by music and visual art. A strong personal artistic style, often with the use of free forms, together with the suggestive use of images and symbols, characterize her writings.