Vinje was born into a poor but well-read family in Vinje, Telemark. He had a voracious appetite for learning and supported himself in part by teaching. He earned his university entrance exam after attending the same school as Henrik Ibsen, studied law, and became an attorney.
In 1858, Vinje founded the periodical Dølen (The dales-man), in which he published travel accounts and editorial comments on art, language and politics that serve as records for the period in which he lived. Dølen ceased publication in 1870.
Vinje did much to articulate the difference between urban and rural life in Norway and was among the sophisticated exponents of Norwegian romantic nationalism. But he was also known for his critical scepticism and "dual vision" (Norwegian: tvisyn)—looking at both sides of the coin. He was politically active to the extent that the government fired him as an attorney for criticizing its foreign policy.
Among his writings, the Ferdaminni fraa Sumaren 1860 (Travel memories from the summer of 1860, translated into English as Travel memories from Norway 1860) is highly esteemed in Norwegian literature, describing a journey on foot from OslotoTrondheim in order to cover the coronation of King Charles in the Nidarosdomen cathedral for Dølen. The work deals more warm-heartedly with the ordinary people he met on his journey than with the royalty he encountered at the coronation.
In 1863, he wrote A Norseman's View of Britain and the British, which was translated into Norwegian ten years later.
Some of Vinje's poetry is still very much alive in Norway, especially Ved Rundarne (English: AtRondane) and Våren (English: The Last Spring), which Edvard Grieg set to music.
Grieg set many of Vinje's poems, and in 1881 published Tolv Melodier til Digte af A. O. Vinje (English: Twelve melodies to Poems of A. O. Vinje, for voice and piano), Opus 33, which includes The Last Spring and At Rondane.[2][3]
A 2014 Dagsavisen article said that Vinje coined the most Norwegian of slogans, "Det er saa viktig aa kosa seg!":[5] "It is so important to enjoy oneself!"
Glienke, Bernhard (1999) Vinje in London (Frankfurt: Peter Lang in Metropolis und nordische Moderne) Norwegian
Vesaas, Olav (2001) A.O. Vinje. Ein tankens hærmann (Oslo: Cappelen) Norwegian
Langslet, Lars Roar; Jon H. Rydne (1993) Villmann, vismann og veiviser : en essaysamling om A. O. Vinje (Oslo, Cappelen) ISBN82-02-14070-6Norwegian
Glomnes, Eli; Øyvind T. Gulliksen; Olav Solberg (1992) At føle paa nationens puls : åtte artiklar om Aasmund O. Vinje (Oslo, Novus) ISBN82-7099-196-1Norwegian