Gateavisa (Norwegian: Street Newspaper) is a countercultural magazine. It was first produced by an anarchist collective in 1970 at Hjelmsgate 3 in Oslo and focuses on anti-authoritarian topics. In it heyday in the early 1980s, an issue examining the stolen rubbish of two prime ministerial candidates sold over 20,000 copies. In 2020, a book celebrated 50 years of the magazine.

Gateavisa
Refer to caption
A cover from 1982
First issue1970
LanguageNorwegian
Websitewww.gateavisa.xxx

History edit

 
Assorted Gateavisa covers

Gateavisa was first produced at Hjelmsgate 3 in 1970, as an anarchist magazine, released monthly.[1][2] The editorial collective included anthropologist Thomas Hylland Eriksen.[3] The anti-authoritarian magazine at first covered occultism and mysticism then changed its focus.[4][5]

Inspired by Kristiania Bohemians, surrealism, Dadaism and existentialism, at its peak in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the magazine had a greater circulation than Klassekampen and Ny Tid. It had between 4,000 and 5,000 subscribers and sent copies to prisoners for free.[6] There were 50 street vendors across the country.[5] All editors worked as volunteers and the magazine was early in its support of issues such as gay rights and the legalization of cannabis.[6]

Gateavisa published work from Christopher Nielsen, Stig Sæterbakken and Merethe Lindstrøm.[7] The magazine achieved notoriety in 1981, when it published an article about the stolen rubbish of the two prime ministerial candidates Gro Harlem Brundtland and Kåre Willoch. The issue sold over 20,000 copies.[8]

Between 1987 and 1988, the magazine was known as Glasnost.[8] The book Alt mulig fra Gateavisa, 1970–1986 (Everything possible from Gateavisa, 1970–1986) was published in 2020 to mark 50 years of the magazine.[6]

References edit

  1. ^ A Cultural History of the Avant-Garde in the Nordic Countries 1950–1975. BRILL. 31 March 2016. p. 818. ISBN 978-90-04-31050-6. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  2. ^ Førland, Tor Egil (December 2008). "'1968' in Norway: Piecemeal, Peaceful and Postmodern". Scandinavian Journal of History. 33 (4): 382–394. doi:10.1080/03468750802305283. S2CID 144880885.
  3. ^ Døving, Runar (2020). "Thomas Hylland Eriksen, Dag Herbjørnsrud: Gå inn i din tid. Thomas Hylland Eriksen i samtale med Dag Herbjørnsrud". Norsk Antropologisk Tidsskrift (in Norwegian). 31 (3): 236–238. doi:10.18261/issn.1504-2898-2020-03-07. S2CID 229219454. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  4. ^ Western Esotericism in Scandinavia. BRILL. 31 March 2016. p. 307. ISBN 978-90-04-32596-8. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  5. ^ a b Engh, Audun (4 September 2020). "Jens Bjørneboe and Gateavisa". Modern Times. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  6. ^ a b c Lie, Truls (4 September 2020). "Bjørneboe, Gateavisa, og post-anarkisme". NY TID (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  7. ^ Eriksen, Thomas Hylland (9 September 2020). "A Late Hippie Confessions". Modern Times. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  8. ^ a b Linstad, Arnsten (12 January 2020). "Sjeldne utgaver av Gateavisa fra 70-tallet til salgs. – Det vi kjempet for er i dag akseptert". Vart Oslo (in Norwegian). Retrieved 12 February 2021.

External links edit