A Glimpse of Danish Literature [Part 9]

We would like to introduce some representative authors to help readers gain more information and understanding about Danish literature.

BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS IN THE GARDEN (3)

HOEG Peter (born 1957) is a Danish writer of international stature. In 1992, he became famous for his novel Miss Smilla and the Sense of Snow (a critique of civilization, describing the split between European and Eskimo literature), a writing style that is both coldly analytical, compassionate and poetic (it was made into a film).

Love and conditions; art and science are central to the theory “Danish Dream History” (in a century) and the short story collection Night Stories ; the novel The Woman and the Monkey (1966) depicts the ego-realization of an alcoholic upper-class woman who rescues a rare monkey from the hands of scientists.

Through the characters, the author always reminds us that there is something wrong in modern life.

JENSEN Erik Aalbaek (1923-1997) was a Danish writer, born in Ballerum. He came from a family of teachers, studied theology, wrote novels, essays, and worked in journalism, radio, and television. His first novel, Dommen (The Judgment , 1949), had an existentialist aesthetic. Jensen realistically described the oppressive religious atmosphere of a Jutland village on the eve of World War II.

KIRK Hans (1898-1962) was a Danish writer. The son of a doctor, he worked as a civil servant and later as a journalist. From 1930, he collaborated with the communist press. He was arrested by the fascists in 1941. Two years later, he escaped from prison and became underground. He wrote novels and short stories; political and sociological topics; describing the class struggle, against capitalism and fascism.

The Fishermen (Fiskerne, 1928) is the first novel in Danish literature to describe the development of a social group (rather than a single character); The Day Laborer (Daglejerne, 1936), The New Times (De ny Tider, 1939), The Slave (Slaven, 1948).

KLITGAARD Mogens (1906-1945) was a Danish writer. He grew up in an orphanage. He worked as a laborer without a fixed job, unemployed, and taught himself to write. When the Nazis occupied Denmark, he fought against them and had to flee to Sweden. He was a progressive writer. His active wandering life helped Klitgaard write critical realist novels with an ironic tone that readers loved. Klitgaard reflected the poetic side of everyday life of ordinary people against the ruling class.

The Man on the Tram Track (Der Sidder en Mand I en Sporvogn, 1937) tells the story of a petty bourgeois family proletarianized by the general economic crisis. The Red Feathers (De Rode Fjer, 1940) and Ballade paa Nytofv (Ballade paa Nytofv, 1940) analyze fascism in historical context.

KNUDSEN Erik (born 1922) is a Danish poet and playwright. He was born in Slagelse, the son of a teacher, and was a teacher himself. He was an anti-war thinker, seeking a third way to protect peace. His first collection of poems , Flowers and Swords (Blomsten og Svoerdet, 1949), expressed his anxiety about the atomic bomb and his hope that the world would survive. Knudsen wrote political plays; Freedom is the Best Gold (Frihed – det Bedste Guld, 1961) and Down with Culture (Ned med Kulturen, 1965) bitterly criticized the spiritual and cultural decline of capitalist society.

KRISTENSEN Aage Tom (1893-1974) was a Danish poet and novelist, born in London, England. Kristensen expressed the bewilderment of the post-World War I writing generation. His writing style expressed skepticism about the development of society. He was influenced by modernism, emphasized psychology, and liked to describe in meticulous detail.

Works: Poetry collection Pirates' Dreams (Fribytterdromme, 1920), poetry collection Earthly Songs (Verdslige Sange, 1927), novel Colorful Life (Livets Arabesk, 1921), essay collection Between the Wars (Mellem Krigene, 1946), My Time (I Min Tid, 1963).

OEHLSCHLÀGER Adam (1779-1850) was a leader of the Danish Romantic movement. His collection Digte (Poems, 1803) initiated the movement with sentimental reflections that would remain part of the Danish literary tradition until the 20th century. His poetic drama Poetiska Skrifter (1950) was equally influential.

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