Playwright, PAUL ENGER traces his roots back to Norway where all four of his grandparents were born - his paternal grandparents in the area of Eggedal (Enger Valley, as it was known) and his maternal grandparents in Lillehammer. They came to America in the great migration of Norwegians during the 19th Century, settling in what was then Dakota Territory. Later - in 1890 when it became a state - it was North Dakota. One of Enger's great-aunts remained in Norway and so a branch of his family is still there, living in the environs of Honnefos.
Paul Enger was born in Fargo, North Dakota, surrounded by Norwegian-speaking relatives, including his mother and father. Then, as now, the culture of North Dakota's Red River Valley - where Fargo is located - was strongly influenced by its Norwegian settlers. The church to which Enger's parents belonged was the Norwegian Lutheran Church (the services were in Norwegian); their school classes were conducted in Norwegian; and, of course, Norwegian was spoken at home.
Paul Enger's play, In The Air, reflects that culture through its depiction of two young sisters - caught up in the flu epidemic of 1918 - who talk about their parents migrating from Norway to North Dakota and reminisce about the farm on which they were raised, as so many Norwegian-Americans were during that time period.
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