Odd Nansen died forty-three years ago today. Having read his diary multiple times, and having frequently discussed Nansen with his eldest child, daughter Marit (Nansen) Greve, the best way I can sum up his character is to borrow the words Primo Levi used to describe his best friend in Auschwitz, Alberto Dalla Volta (Dalla Volta subsequently died in the Auschwitz Death March—the same march young Tommy Buergenthal endured). Here’s how Levi describes Dalla Volta in his memoir, Survival in Auschwitz: “I always saw, and still see in him, the rare figure of the strong yet peace-loving man against whom the weapons of night are blunted.”
Search
People are talking
"Tim Boyce was the perfect speaker, and delivered a fantastically engaging presentation about an incredibly moving human story. Among the 150 programs we produce each year, this one stood out."
- Matt Burriesci Executive Director Providence Athenaeum Providence, RI
Most Recent Posts
- Marit (Nansen) Greve 11/8/28–3/26/21 March 26, 2024
- 2023 Year-End Potpourri December 31, 2023
- December 26, 1941: The Boxing Day Odd Nansen Would Never Forget December 26, 2023
- Happy Birthday Odd Nansen December 6, 2023
- December 2, 1942: The Graphite Piles Up December 2, 2023
- Justice at Nuremberg–or Not? November 20, 2023
- Happy Birthday Marit November 8, 2023
- October 6, 1943: Nansen Arrives at Sachsenhausen October 6, 2023
- September 26, 1905: Einstein Publishes a Paper September 26, 2023
- “O, Why Should the Spirit of Mortal be Proud?” September 17, 2023
- Odd Nansen in the News September 1, 2023
- August 10, 1941: The Atlantic Conference August 10, 2023
- Profiles in Courage: Peter Deinboll July 30, 2023
- German Gold July 24, 2023
- Thomas Buergenthal (1934–2023): A Remembrance June 30, 2023
- In Memoriam: Thomas Buergenthal June 1, 2023
- Memorial Day: Remembering the Fallen May 29, 2023
- Mary Berg’s Secret Is Discovered (Part V) May 16, 2023
- The Warsaw Ghetto Claims Its Final Victim (Part IV) April 30, 2023
- Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (April 19, 1943): Part III April 19, 2023
- Norway Invaded/New Article Published April 9, 2023
- April 4, 1945: Ohrdruf Liberated April 4, 2023
- In Memoriam: “Fiskerjente” Marit (Nansen) Greve March 26, 2023
- Tom Buergenthal and the World Court February 15, 2023
- Profiles in Courage: Adolfo Kaminsky January 28, 2023
For more posts please see our archives.
Archives
On This Date
S | M | T | W | H | F | S |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4
| 5 | 6
| |
7
| 8 | 9
| 10 | 11 | 12
| 13
|
14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18
| 19 | 20 |
21 | 22
| 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27
|
28 | 29 | 30 |
Legend
Previous/Upcoming Engagements
This day in history
Previous/Upcoming Engagements
This day in history