Age, Biography and Wiki

Martha Ostenso was born on 17 September, 1900 in Bergen, Norway, is an American screenwriter. Discover Martha Ostenso's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is she in this year and how she spends money? Also learn how she earned most of networth at the age of 63 years old?

Popular As N/A
Occupation writer
Age 63 years old
Zodiac Sign Virgo
Born 17 September 1900
Birthday 17 September
Birthplace Bergen, Norway
Date of death 24 November, 1963
Died Place Seattle, WA
Nationality Norway

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 17 September. She is a member of famous Writer with the age 63 years old group.

Martha Ostenso Height, Weight & Measurements

At 63 years old, Martha Ostenso height not available right now. We will update Martha Ostenso's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible.

Physical Status
Height Not Available
Weight Not Available
Body Measurements Not Available
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Who Is Martha Ostenso's Husband?

Her husband is Douglas Durkin (1944 - 1963) ( her death)

Family
Parents Not Available
Husband Douglas Durkin (1944 - 1963) ( her death)
Sibling Not Available
Children Not Available

Martha Ostenso Net Worth

Her net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is Martha Ostenso worth at the age of 63 years old? Martha Ostenso’s income source is mostly from being a successful Writer. She is from Norway. We have estimated Martha Ostenso's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2024 $1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2024 Under Review
Net Worth in 2023 Pending
Salary in 2023 Under Review
House Not Available
Cars Not Available
Source of Income Writer

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Timeline

1900

Martha Ostenso (17 September 1900 – 24 November 1963) was a Norwegian American novelist and screenwriter who is also an important figure in Canadian literary history.

Martha Ostenso was born in Haukeland (now part of Bergen), in Hordaland County, Norway.

Her parents were Sigurd and Olina (née Tungeland) Ostenso.

She emigrated with her family to the province of Manitoba, Canada, where she first settled in Brandon before moving to Winnipeg.

Ostenso taught in a rural school and attended the University of Manitoba for approximately one year; she never graduated.

While studying at the University of Manitoba, she was a student of Douglas Durkin, a professor in the English Department.

Shortly thereafter Durkin left his wife and children and moved to New York City; Ostenso joined him there.

They lived together in New York, where she studied at Columbia University.

Martha Ostenso worked as a social worker in New York; she and Durkin were active in the literary circles of the time.

1925

Ostenso's best-known novel, Wild Geese, was published in 1925.

The book, about a young schoolteacher sent to teach in rural Manitoba, was hailed by critics, including in analysis by Faye Hammill, as a landmark in Canadian realism; it won the 1925 Dodd, Mead and Company Best Novel of the Year Award.

It made her a well-known and best-selling author.

1927

A film version of Wild Geese was made in 1927.

Ostenso and Durkin later moved to South Dakota and then to Minnesota.

Many of her novels were based on Minnesota farm life; most incorporate elements of romance and melodrama.

Ostenso portrays the lives of rural immigrants with dignity.

Although none of her later novels ever reached the acclaim Wild Geese attracted, most continued to explore a similar theme: the relationship between men and women and the land they work.

A number of her other works were translated and have been reprinted several times.

1929

Another significant novel is The Young May Moon (1929), which critic Stan Atherton identified as possibly the best in the canon.

A new edition of this novel was published by Borealis Press in 2022.

Asked how to pronounce her name, she told The Literary Digest, "Of the three syllables in Ostenso, the first receives the major accent, the second is without accent, the third receives a minor accent. The final result is as if you spoke the name Austin and added so as an afterthought."

1930

Martha Ostenso and Durkin lived for a time in Hollywood, California, where they had friends among the movie stars of the 1930s and 40s.

1931

In 1931, Ostenso acquired American citizenship.

She continued to publish short stories, magazine serials and novels, and wrote a number of screenplays.

Although it is now known that Ostenso collaborated with Durkin, all their writing appeared under her name alone.

1943

She produced fifteen more novels, the most successful of which was O River, Remember, a novel about a family in the Red River Valley of Minnesota which won a Literary Guild selection in 1943.

1945

After Durkin's wife died, he and Ostenso married in 1945.

1961

Ostenso's novel Wild Geese was filmed as The Cry of the Wild Geese in 1961 as a West-German and Austrian co-production and later as After the Harvest in 2001 as a made-for-television movie for Canadian TV starring Sam Shepard.

The film industry lifestyle impacted Ostenso's and Durkin's health, as well as their productivity and the quality of their work.

1963

In 1963, the couple moved to Seattle, Washington, to be near Durkin's sons.

Shortly after the move, Ostenso died from cirrhosis of the liver, the result of years of heavy drinking.