Residents Recommend by Lene Therese Teigen

Taubanesentralen, Longyearbyen built in 1956

This month resident Lene Therese Teigen shares her recommendations, including places to visit in Longyearbyen and a book to read, first published in 1854.

I want to recommend a fantastic book written by a woman and published in France in 1854. 

The first thing I did when I arrived in Longyearbyen as a resident at Artica Svalbard, was to go to the library and borrow a huge amount of books. I had a list and followed that, but also asked Lars the librarian, if he had some other ideas for me. He immediately showed me an old book – translated to Norwegian in 1968. I read it in a couple of days and fell in love with the writer and her story. As I did my research I met and talked to a whole bunch of people living in Longyearbyen, and only a handful had read the book. I recommended it to everyone, and everyone wanted to read it – so I now imagine there is a long list of borrowers in Longyearbyen waiting to get to read the book. I hope so!

The book, called «En pariserinnes reise gjennom Norge til Spitsbergen anno 1838» in Norwegian, was written by the French woman Léonie d’Audet in 1854, the original title being «Voyage d'une femme au Spitzberg», published by Hachette. In English one might translate it as «A woman’s journey to Spitzbergen». It depicts her journey to Svalbard in 1838 – or 1839 as the French sources say – on the French corvette La Recherche. An international research expedition which took them all the way to Svalbard, through Hammerfest. 

Leonie d’Aunet was only 19 years old and engaged to be married to the 21 year older painter François-Auguste Biard. Léonie met the famous French leader of the Recherche-expeditions Paul Gaimard 3 weeks before he was going to leave from France, and told him that she was envious at the people leaving with La Recherche and that she was more than prepared to travel with them in 3 weeks. Gaimard wished to have a painter on board who could document the journey, and that is how Léonie who had managed to talk her fiancé into coming with her, was accepted to join, even if women were forbidden on board. She got men’s outfits made for her and with her fiancé travelled all the way to Hammerfest in the far north of Norway where they joined La Recherche. 

The book is written as a series of letters to her brother in France, and is a detailed history of the travels through Norway up to Svalbard where they stayed in Magdalena Bay, and on their return walking from Hammerfest through Lapland and Sweden.

It seems like this title is not available in English, but for readers of French or Norwegian you have a chance to read something quite unique!

Two other Longyearbyen-recommendations: In September I visited Longyearbyen with my theatre company, performing my play «Time without books». It was shown in the old Taubanesentralen – which really is worth a visit! An adventurous place on high stilts placed a little above the town – so you always see it when you are out and about! But you really should take the time to go inside. 

And if you want to spend some money on food I would also recommend the restaurant Gruvelageret almost in the bottom of Longyearbyen valley, away from the other restaurants in town. It tells a story of the mining town along with serving real gourmet food.

Lene Therese Teigen was nominated for a residency at Artica in March and November 2022 by our key partner Norsk Pen.