Johannes Vilhelm Jensen (20 January 1873 – 25 November 1950) was a Danish author, known as one of the great Danish writers of the first half of 20th century. He was awarded the
Nobel Prize in Literature
)
, image = Nobel Prize.png
, caption =
, awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature
, presenter = Swedish Academy
, holder = Annie Ernaux (2022)
, location = Stockholm, Sweden
, year = 1901
, ...
in 1944 "for the rare strength and fertility of his poetic imagination with which is combined an intellectual curiosity of wide scope and a bold, freshly creative style". One of his sisters,
Thit Jensen
Maria Kirstine Dorothea Jensen (19 January 1876 – 14 May 1957) was a Danish novelist and author who wrote under the name Thit Jensen. She is known for her short stories, plays, and socially-critical articles.
For her writing, Jensen was honored ...
, was also a well-known writer and a very vocal, and occasionally controversial, early
feminist
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
.
Early years
He was born in
Farsø, a village in North
Jutland
Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...
, Denmark, as the son of a veterinary surgeon and he grew up in a rural environment. While studying medicine at the
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...
he worked as a writer to fund his studies. After three years of studying he chose to change careers and devote himself fully to literature.
Literary works
The first phase of his work as an author was influenced by ''
fin-de-siècle''
pessimism. His career began with the publication of
Himmerland Stories (1898–1910), comprising a series of tales set in the part of Denmark where he was born. During 1900 and 1901 he wrote his first masterpiece, ''Kongens Fald'' (translated into English as ''
The Fall of the King
''The Fall of the King'' ( da, Kongens Fald) is a novel by Danish author Johannes V. Jensen, published in three parts from 1900 to 1901. It tells the story of Mikkel Thøgersen and the social entanglements which bring him into the service of king ...
'' in 1933), a modern historical novel centred on King
Christian II. Literary critic
Martin Seymour-Smith
Martin Roger Seymour-Smith (24 April 1928 – 1 July 1998) was a British poet, literary critic, and biographer.
Biography
Seymour-Smith was born in London and educated at Highgate School and St Edmund Hall, Oxford, where he was editor of '' Isi ...
said it is an "indictment of Danish indecision and lack of vitality, which Jensen saw as a national disease. Apart from this aspect of it, it is a penetrating study of sixteenth-century people."
In 1906 Jensen created his greatest literary achievement: the collection of verses ''Digte 1906'' (i.e. ''Poems 1906''), which introduced the prose poem to Danish literature. He also wrote
poetry
Poetry (derived from the Greek '' poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meani ...
, a few plays, and many essays, chiefly on
anthropology
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of be ...
and the
philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. ...
of
evolution
Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...
. His short story "Ane og Koen" ("Anne and the Cow") was translated into English by incarcerated author and translator
Victor Folke Nelson
Victor Folke Nelson (June 5, 1898 – December 9, 1939) was a Swedish-American writer,"Prison Ethics." ''The Tennessean''. March 6, 1933."Bound to be Read." ''The Evening Sentinel''. Carlisle, Pa. March 16, 1933."The Articulate Convict Studies Pri ...
in 1928.
[Hanna Astrup, ed. ''Denmark's Best Stories: An Introduction to Danish Fiction'' (New York: Norton, 1928)]
He developed his theories of evolution in a
cycle of six novels, ''Den lange rejse'' (1908–22), translated into English as ''
The Long Journey
''The Long Journey'' ( da, Den Lange Rejse) is a series of six novels by Danish author and poet Johannes V. Jensen, appearing between 1908 and 1922. The books deal with the author's theories on evolution, backdropped against a description of huma ...
'' (1923–24), which was published in a two-volume edition in 1938. This is often considered his main work in prose, a daring and often impressive attempt to create a Darwinian alternative to the Biblical Genesis myth. In this work we see the development of mankind from the Ice Age to the times of Columbus, focusing on pioneering individuals.
Like his compatriot
Hans Christian Andersen, he travelled extensively; a trip to the United States inspired a poem of his, "Paa Memphis Station"
t_the_train_station,_Memphis,_Tennessee.html" ;"title="Memphis,_Tennessee.html" ;"title="t the train station, Memphis, Tennessee">t the train station, Memphis, Tennessee">Memphis,_Tennessee.html" ;"title="t the train station, Memphis, Tennessee">t the train station, Memphis, Tennessee which is well known in Denmark. Walt Whitman was among the writers who influenced Jensen. Jensen later became an atheist.
Late career
Jensen's most popular literary works were all completed before 1920, a year which also marks his initiation of the 'Museumcentre Aars' in the town of
Aars in
Himmerland
Himmerland is a peninsula in northeastern Jutland, Denmark. It is delimited to the north and the west by the Limfjord, to the east by the Kattegat, and to the south by the Mariager Fjord. The largest city is Aalborg; smaller towns include Hobro ...
. After this he mostly concentrated on ambitious biological and zoological studies in an effort to create an ethical system based upon
Darwinian ideas. He also hoped to renew classical poetry.
For many years he worked in
journalism
Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the " news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (p ...
, writing articles and chronicles for the daily press without ever joining the staff of any newspaper.
Nobel Prize in Literature
In 1944 Johannes V. Jensen was awarded the
Nobel Prize in Literature
)
, image = Nobel Prize.png
, caption =
, awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature
, presenter = Swedish Academy
, holder = Annie Ernaux (2022)
, location = Stockholm, Sweden
, year = 1901
, ...
"for the rare strength and fertility of his poetic imagination with which is combined an intellectual curiosity of wide scope and a bold, freshly creative style." At the award ceremony in Stockholm on 10 December 1945
Anders Österling
Anders Österling (13 April 1884 – 13 December 1981) was a Swedish poet, critic and translator. In 1919 he was elected as a member of the Swedish Academy when he was 35 years old and served the Academy for 62 years, longer than any other me ...
, permanent secretary of the
Swedish Academy
The Swedish Academy ( sv, Svenska Akademien), founded in 1786 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. Its 18 members, who are elected for life, comprise the highest Swedish language authority. Outside Scandinavia, it is bes ...
said:
Jensen had been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature on 53 occasions, the first time in 1925. He was nominated every year between 1931 and 1944.
Legacy
Jensen was a controversial figure in Danish cultural life. He was a reckless
polemic
Polemic () is contentious rhetoric intended to support a specific position by forthright claims and to undermine the opposing position. The practice of such argumentation is called ''polemics'', which are seen in arguments on controversial topic ...
ist and his often dubious racial theories have damaged his reputation. However, he never showed any
fascist
Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and the ...
leanings.
Today Jensen is still considered the father of Danish modernism, particularly in the area of modern poetry with his introduction of the prose poem and his use of a direct and straightforward language. His direct influence was felt as late as the 1960s. Without being a Danish answer to
Kipling,
Hamsun
Knut Hamsun (4 August 1859 – 19 February 1952) was a Norwegian writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920. Hamsun's work spans more than 70 years and shows variation with regard to consciousness, subject, perspective a ...
or
Sandburg, he bears comparison to all three authors. He combines the outlook of the regional writer with the view of the modern academic and scientific observer.
In 1999, ''The Fall of the King'' (1901) was acclaimed as the best Danish novel of the 20th century by the newspapers ''
Politiken'' and ''
Berlingske Tidende'', independently of each other.
Johannes V. Jensen Land in Northern
Greenland
Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland ...
was named in his honor.
Bibliography
;Works in English
* ''The Long Journey'', vol 1–3, (''Fire and Ice''; ''The Cimbrians''; ''Christopher Columbus'') New York, 1924.
* ''The Fall of the King'', 1933.
References
External links
*
*
*
List of Works*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jensen, Johannes V.
1873 births
1950 deaths
People from Vesthimmerland Municipality
Danish Nobel laureates
Danish male short story writers
20th-century Danish dramatists and playwrights
Danish male poets
Danish essayists
Nobel laureates in Literature
Danish male novelists
Danish male dramatists and playwrights
Burials at East Bispebjerg Cemetery
Male essayists
Danish male writers
20th-century Danish poets
20th-century Danish short story writers
20th-century essayists
20th-century Danish novelists