Andreas Leigh Aabel

Morten Andreas Leigh Aabel was a Norwegian physician and poet.

Biography

He was born at Sogndal in Nordre Bergenhus county, Norway. His father, Peter Pavels Aabel, was the vicar and senior priest in Sogndal from 1824–1833. He was a brother of priest, Oluf Andreas Aabel.
He enrolled as a student in 1848, graduated with the cand.med. degree in 1856. Professionally, he worked as a physician from 1853 to 1899, and was a district physician in several Norwegian districts. He first worked as a district physician for western Finnmark, based in Hammerfest followed by private practice in Åsnes Municipality. At the end of the 1850s, Aabel became a doctor at Nes Municipality in Romerike. In 1864 he was appointed a district physician in Sunnfjord, and the family settled at Falkenstein in Førde Municipality. From 1876 to 1885 he was a doctor in Nord-Aurdal Municipality in Valdres. In 1885, he was appointed a district doctor for Toten where he stayed for ten years. Aabel moved to Gjøvik Municipality in 1895 and in 1899 he retired.
While studying he was a member of the Literary Association and the Norwegian Students' Society. He started writing poems and songs, and continued after graduation.
In 1857 he married Wilhelmine Louise Collett, a descendant of Christian Ancher Collett. Their son Hauk Aabel was a notable actor and through him, Andreas was a grandfather of actors Per Aabel and Andreas Aabel. Through his sister Christine Margrethe Aabel, he was the uncle of Hartvig Andreas, Gerhard, Margrethe and Carl Oscar Munthe.

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