Danish Literature – Something to Write Home About!
However, when it comes to Danish literature, one man stands out as Denmark’s greatest ever author and that is of course Hans Christian Andersen. Born in 1805 and raised in poverty, he moved from Odense to the capital Copenhagen at the tender age of 14. He became a poet and a novelist; but most famously a writer of fairy tales, which went onto immortalize the man’s genius.
The earliest Danish literature has been traced back to some 275 stone monuments, erected by the Vikings sometime between 850 and 1050, and are preserved in the runic alphabet and includes epitaphs of warriors, kings and priests.
Danish literature of the middle ages, primarily in Latin, was formal and was based around chronicles, legends and poetry. Danish translation of the New Testament was completed in 1531 by Christian Pedersen and it was this that proved a huge influence in the future writings and ideas of the Danish people. Four years later the Old Testament was also translated into the Danish language by Hans Tausen.
Literary renaissance reached Denmark in the 1600’s with an influx of religious literature, chiefly in the form of pamphlets reflecting the superstitions of that time. A truly great poet from around then was a gentleman by the name of Thomas Kingo, who was a real master with words, writing about any subject matter. Indeed much of his work demonstrated a keen interest in the more unruly side of things, as they tended to be of a somewhat violent nature.
Someone who genuinely transcended in Danish literature was Nikolai Frederik Severin Grundtvig, who was widely acclaimed as the person who was responsible for reviving interest in Anglo-Saxon literature. The epoch-making ‘Northern Mythology’, which loosely recreates old Norse myths was one of his best known workings. Other famous Danish writers include: Isak Dinesen – pseud. of Baroness Karen Blixen, who wrote in English; very much with a bias towards fantasy. She had a strong liking for the supernatural, so many of her tales were a little on the eerie side. Another who would be deserving of a mention is Hans Adolf Brorson who was a lyrical poet; he created some wonderful stories which were both witty and of good nature; plus he devised some drinking songs which would have the present day rugby players blushing!
By the mid 20th century names such as: Martin Hansen; Aage Dons; Tove Ditlevsen and Knut Sønderby dominated Danish literature, and these were followed later by Klaus Rifbjerg, a distinguished short story writer, with linguistic originality – best known for ‘Chronic Innocence’; and Peter Hoeg, a fiction writer who received a Master of Arts from The University of Copenhagen. He had previously been a sailor, an actor, a ballet dancer, a fencer and a mountaineer; so naturally he drew on these experiences and used them throughout his writing career. His ‘Smilla’s Sense of Snow’ (1992) brought him immediate and International celebrity status and he went on to have books produced in over 30 different countries. Nevertheless, the variety in his work didn’t always help, as he wasn’t recognized in any one particular category. Indeed, following indifferent reviews of his ‘The Woman and the Ape’ in 1996, he all but disappeared for ten years.
However, when it comes to Danish literature, one man stands out as Denmark’s greatest ever author and that is of course Hans Christian Andersen. Born in 1805 and raised in poverty, he moved from Odense to the capital Copenhagen at the tender age of 14. He became a poet and a novelist; but most famously a writer of fairy tales, which went onto immortalize the man’s genius. World wide, people delight at, amongst others: ‘The Little Match Girl’, ‘The Ugly Duckling’, ‘The Little Mermaid’ and ‘Thumbelina’. They have been translated into over 150 languages and for this he is not only the most noteworthy author in Denmark’s history, he is also one of the country’s most prominent and esteemed figures of all time.
