Harald Grieg

Who was Harald Grieg?

Harald Grieg was a Norwegian publisher.

He was a relative of Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg. Harald's brother Nordahl Grieg was a writer and an active member of the Norwegian Armed Forces in exile during the Second World War. However, Harald's own relationship with the resistance was rather more ambivalent, rendering publishing services to the Germans during their occupation of Norway.

Grieg had been director of the publishing house Gyldendal Norsk Forlag since 1925. Starting in 1940, the Nazi occupation authorities used Gylendal to publish its propaganda material. Noted novelist Knut Hamsun was heavily involved in the propaganda project.

Grieg was also chairman of the board of Nationaltheatret. In June 1941 the board rejected subordination under the so-called Ministry of Culture and Enlightenment. This provoked the authorities, and Grieg, board member Francis Bull and theatre director Johannes Sejersted Bødtker were arrested. Grieg was incarcerated at Grini concentration camp, but was later released. Knut Hamsun's son Tore Hamsun was installed as acting director of Gyldendal publishing house.