Johannes Vilhelm Jensen

Johannes Vilhelm Jensen (January 20, 1873 - November 25, 1950) was a Danish author, often considered the first great Danish writer of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1944.One of his sisters, Thit Jensen, was also a well-known writer beides being a feminist.

Related Topics:
January 20 - 1873 - November 25 - 1950 - Danish - Nobel Prize - Literature - 1944 - Thit Jensen

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He was born in Farsø, a village in North Jutland, Denmark as the son of a veterinary and he grew up in rural environments. After giving up a career as a doctor he worked as a journalist. The first phase of his work as an author was influed by fin-de-siécle-pessimism. 1900-01 he wrote his first masterpiece Kongens Fald (eng. transl. 1933 The Fall of the King) a modern historical novel centred around the Danish renaissance king Christian II and a deperate settlement with Danish doubt and lack of acting. 1999 it was acclaimed the best Danish novel of the 20th century.

Related Topics:
Farsø - Jutland - The Fall of the King

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1906 Jensen created his greatest literary conquest by the collection of verses Digte 1906 (i. e. Poems 1906). In this he introduced the prose poem in Danish lyrics.

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Jensen's literary career began near the turn of the century with the publication of Himmerland Stories (1898-1910), comprising a series of tales set in the part of Denmark where he was born. He also wrote poetry, a few plays, and many essays, chiefly on anthropology and the philosophy of evolution.

Related Topics:
Himmerland Stories - 1898 - 1910 - Poetry - Anthropology - Philosophy - Evolution

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He developed his theories of evolution in a cycle of six novels, Den lange rejse (1908-22) eng. transl. The Long Journey 1923-24, which was published in a two-volume edition in 1938. This is often considered his main work, a daring and often great attempt on creating a Darwinist alternative to the Biblic Genesis myth. In this work we see the development of man from the Ice Age to the times of Columbus, centred around pioneering individuals.

Related Topics:
Novel - 1908 - 22 - The Long Journey - 1938

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Like his compatriot Hans Christian Andersen, he travelled extensively, even to the United States. A poem of his, "Paa Memphis Station" is well known in Denmark. Walt Whitman was among the writers who influenced Jensen.

Related Topics:
Hans Christian Andersen - United States - Memphis, Tennessee - Walt Whitman

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The most interesting period of Jensen's litterary work goes to about 1920. After this he mostly concentrated of ambitionus biological and zoological writing trying to create an ethics based upon Darwinism together with attempt of renewing the classic poetry.

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For many years he worked in journalism, writing articles and chronicles for the daily press without ever joining the staff of any newspaper.

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Jensen was a controversial figure of Danish cultural life. He was a reckless polemic and his often dubious racial theories and prejudices also damaged his reputation. However he never showed any Fascist leanings.

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Today Jensen is still considered the father of Danish modernism especially of modern lyrics by his introduction of the prose poem and by his use of a direct and straightforward language. His influence has been felt as late as in 1960s modernism. Without being a Danish answer to Kipling, Hamsun or Sandburg he bears resemblance with all three authors. He combines the work of the regional writer with the view of the modern academic and semi-scientific observer.

Related Topics:
Kipling - Hamsun - Sandburg

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Johannes Vilhelm Jensen is NOT to be confused with Wilhelm Jensen (1837-1911), German writer, whose short story, Gradiva (1903), became famous for being analysed by Sigmund Freud in Delusion and Dream in Jensen's Gradiva.

Related Topics:
Sigmund Freud - Delusion and Dream in Jensen's Gradiva

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