The Glossolalia debate (Norwegian: Tungetaledebatten) was a literary debate on modernist poetry in Norway in the 1950s. The debate started with Arnulf Øverland's nationwide touring with the speech Tungetale fra Parnasset (English: Glossolalia from the Parnassus) in 1953, characterizing modernist literature as babble and nonsense.[1] His talk was published in Arbeiderbladet in 1954, and resulted in a fierce debate. Among the defenders of modernist poetry were Odd Solumsmoen, Olav Dalgard and Paal Brekke,[2][3] while poet and literary critic André Bjerke joined Øverland's criticism.[2]
The glossolalia debate was discussed in the literary magazine Profil in 1968.[2]