Henriette Gislesen
Henriette Jakobine Martine Gislesen, née Vibe was a Norwegian writer.
Biography
Gislesen was born in Bergen, Norway. She was the sixth of eight children born to Niels Andreas Vibe and Margery Kierulff. Her notable siblings were Ludvig Vibe and Nicoline Thaulow. Her father served as County Governor of Nordre Bergenhus Amt.Gislesen was a sister of Ludvig Vibe, sister-in-law of Heinrich Arnold Thaulow and second cousin of Ludvig Cæsar Martin Aubert. When she was two years old, her family moved to Christiania in 1811 when her father was made General War Commissioner of Norway.
Gislesen's father died when Henriette was five years old and her family established residence with Benoni Aubert who was married to a cousin of her mother.
Gislesen settled in Eiker near Drammen where she lived from 1844 to 1853. In 1851, she came into contact with Andreas Hauge, son of Hans Nielsen Hauge and founder of the Norwegian Missionary Society. Subsequently, she became involved in missionary work. Together with Gustava Kielland, Gislesen was one of the most important spreaders of missionary interest among women. After some years she also debuted as a moralistic writer. In 1843 she released the book En Moders veiledende Ord til sin Datter.
Gislesen also wrote poems and stories that were published in newspapers and magazines. Like most female writers in her contemporary, she wrote anonymously. In time, Gislesen used her real name and published several books including textbooks for missionaries. Her memoirs were published posthumously in 1861, and a collection of her letters was published in 1885.