March 12, 2024 at 12:29 p.m
The author and environmentalist Sidsel Mørck has died
The author Sidsel Mørck, known both for his strong environmental commitment and for children’s poems such as “Erta berta sukkererta”, has died, aged 86.
Mørck passed away earlier in March after a long illness, leaving behind an extensive body of writing, including poetry collections, short story collections, novels and children’s books – some of them in verse form. She was also an active debater in the media.
She received a number of awards, both for her writing and for her strong commitment, not least to the environment. As recently as 2013, she received the Ossietzky Prize, which is given to people who have made an “outstanding effort for freedom of expression”. In the justification it was stated:
“Sidsel Mørck has stood by his main campaign issues, environmental protection and women’s issues, through changing times and with varying levels of support and interest. It takes courage and endurance to stay in the fight for so long.”
Among those who paid tribute to Mørck when her death became known were the Zola Prize, for which she sat on the board for many years, and the Grandparents’ Climate Action – which stated in its memorial that “her lifelong commitment to the environment has meant a lot to many”.
Mørck debuted in 1967 with a collection of poems, and already in 1969 the first “environmental poem” appeared. After living in Grenland, industrial pollution became the subject of several poems and novels. In 1987 – when the Brundtland Commission presented its report “Our common future” – she wrote the powerful poem “Our only sky”, which begins like this:
“Blue is our only sky, green is our only earth. Here is our only future, now we leave our mark”.
(©NTB)