Karl Adolph Gjellerup

Karl Gjellerup (June 2, 1857 - October 13, 1919) was a Danish poet and novelist who together with his compatriot Henrik Pontoppidan won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1917. He belonged to the Modern Break-Through.

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Gjellerup was the son of a vicar in Zealand and grew up in a national and romantic idealistic atmosphere. In the 1870s he broke with his background and at first he became en enthusiastic supporter of the naturalist movement and Georg Brandes, writing audacious novels about free love and atheism. Strongly influenced by his origin he gradually left the Brandes line and 1885 he broke totally with the naturalists, becoming a new romanticist. A central trace of his life was his Germanophile attitude, he felt himself strongly attracted to German culture (his wife was a German) and 1892 he finally settled in Germany, which made him unpopular in Denmark on both the right and left wing. As years passed he totally identified with the German Empire, including its war aims 1914-18.

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Among the works of Gjellerup must be mentioned his most important novel Germanernes L?rling (1882, i.e. The Pupil of the Teutons) a partly autobiographic tale of the development of a young man from being a conformist theologist to a pro-German atheist and intellectual. Some Wagnerian dramas show his growing romanticist interests. An important work is the novel M?llen (1896, i. e. The Mill) a sinister melodrama of love and jealousy. In his last years he was clearly influed by Buddhism and Oriental culture.

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In Denmark Gjellerup's Nobel award was received with little enthusiasm. He had been regarded long as a German writer. Because Sweden was neutral during World War I, the divided prize did not arouse political speculations about partial decision, but showed on the other hand allegiance between the Nordic neighbors.

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Today Gjellerup is almost forgotten in Denmark and most of his works is regarded as unoriginal and marked by superficious attitudes. In spite of this he is however normally regarded as "an honest seeker after truth".

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June 2: 2 June is the 153rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (154th in leap years), with 212 days remaining....

1857: 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar)....

October 13: October 13 is the 286th day of the year (287th in leap years). There are 79 days remaining....

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