Poul Frederik Joensen (best known as Poul F.) (18 November 1898 in

Sumba Sumba ( id, Pulau Sumba) is an island in eastern Indonesia. It is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands and is in the province of East Nusa Tenggara. Sumba has an area of , and the population was 779,049 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as a ...

– 27 June 1970 in

Froðba Froðba ( da, Frodebø) is a village located farthest out on the north brink of Trongisvágsfjørður, an inlet on the east coast of the island of Suðuroy in the Faroe Islands. History The village has eventually merged with the harbour-city of Tv ...

) was a Faroese poet and writer. He is best known for his poems, both the satirical ones and his love poems. He worked as a school teacher for some years, but most of his life he worked as a sheep farmer and a labourer. Poul F.'s work include translated poems by

Heinrich Heine Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was a German poet, writer and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of '' Lied ...

and

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...

. His first collection of poems ''Gaman og álvara'' (Novelty and severity) was published in 1924; it was the second collection of poetry by a Faroese poet published in the Faroe Islands. It was published by ''Felagið Varðin'' with Richard Long. The first collection of poems in the

Faroese language Faroese ( ; ''føroyskt mál'' ) is a North Germanic language spoken as a first language by about 72,000 Faroe Islanders, around 53,000 of whom reside on the Faroe Islands and 23,000 in other areas, mainly Denmark. It is one of five languages de ...

was published in 1914, these poems were written by

Janus Djurhuus Jens Hendrik Oliver Djurhuus, called Janus Djurhuus, (26 February 1881, Tórshavn – 1 September 1948, Tórshavn) was the first modern Faroese poet. He and his younger brother Hans Andreas Djurhuus, also a poet, are called the ''Áarstova'' ...

, the title was ''Yrkingar'' which means ''Poems''. He was awarded with the Faroese Literature Prize in 1963.

Biography

Sumba and Beinisvord in Suduroy, Faroe Islands

Poul (Pól) F. Joensen was the son of Daniel Jacob Joensen from Hørg, Sumba and Anna Sofia, born Langaard, both came from the village of

. Later he married Julia Mortensen from

. When Poul F. was 14 years old he tried to become a seaman as did many of his friends. He was a fisherman for one year. He wished to continue with life at sea and had plans to go fishing aboard the fishing vessel ''Robert Miller'', but his parents wouldn't permit him to do so. Instead they sent him to

Tórshavn Tórshavn (; lit. " Thor's harbour"), usually locally referred to as simply ''Havn'', is the capital and largest city of the Faroe Islands. It is located in the southern part on the east coast of Streymoy. To the northwest of the city lies the ...

, to study to become a teacher in public schools. Later it turned out that if he had gone fishing on ''Robert Miller'' on that trip, it would have been the last thing that he did, and no one would have known about his poetry ever. ''Robert Miller'' never returned from that trip in March 1914, and all the men onboard lost their lives. Poul F. Joensen graduated as a school teacher in 1917. He was teaching from 1919–27 in Froðba and again 1947–49 in Lopra; both villages are on

Suðuroy Suðuroy (literally South Island, da, Suderø) is the southernmost of the Faroe Islands. The island covers 163.7 square kilometres (63.2 sq mi). In 2018 the population was 4,601. Suðuroy region (sýsla) comprises this island and Lítla ...

. After teaching for eight years he decided to give up teaching and live as a writer and a sheep farmer and by working various jobs.

Bibliography

* ''Gaman og álvara''; poems (1924) * ''Millum heims og heljar''; poems (1942) * ''Lívsins kvæði''; poems (1955) * ''Seggjasøgur úr Sumba I''; folkloristic stories (1963) * ''Ramar risti hann rúnirnar''; poems (1967) * ''Heilsan Pól F''., collection of all four collections of poems by Poul F. Joensen, 556 pages. Collected and edited by Jonhard Mikkelsen, published by Sprotin (a Faroese publishing house) in 2012. The book includes a part of a recorded dialogue between Poul F. Joensen and Tórður Jóansson, made on the Poul F.'s 70-year's birthday in 1968. The conversation is an autobiography.

Poems by Poul F. on albums

The Faroese singer and composer Hanus G. Johansen has released two albums with poems by Poul F. Joensen. The first album, ''Gaman og álvara'' was released in 1988, the second in 2012. Gaman og álvara was first released as a vinyl LP and cassette, but some years later in 2008 it was released as a CD. * ''Gaman og álvara – Hanus syngur Poul F''. (Album released in 1988 by Hanus G. Johansen, who composed melodies for 14 poems by Poul F. Joensen) * ''Hypnosan'', 1990. Cassette with songs by various poems, at least one of the poems was by Poul F. Joensen: Kvæðið um Hargabrøður. Song by the football team of Sumba, which were promoted to the best division that year for the first time. Georg eystan Á arranged the songs. Hargabrøður means "The brothers from Hørg", Hørg is the placename of the neighbourhood of the village Sumba, where Poul F. grew up. The poem tells stories about how strong and bold they were (9 verses). * ''Hørpuspælarin'' – (released on 19 November 2010) – Poems by Poul F. Joensen and in translation by Poul F., composed and sung by Hanus G. Johansen. * '' Á fold eru túsund gudar'' – Poems by Poul F. Joensen, composed and sung by Hanus G. Johansen. Released on 18 November 2012 on Poul F's birthday

Honour

* 1963 – Faroese Literature Prize (M.A. Jacobsens Heiðursløn).

Memorial stone

On 17 June 2007 a memorial stone was erected in Froðba by Lions Club Suðuroy, near his home. The stone was taken from a hillside in Sumba, the village where he was born and grew up. A metal plate with a portrait of Poul F. Joensen was placed on the stone, made by Nordisk Metalkunst of Kalsing in Denmark. Árni Ziska made the text and put the plate into place. Trúgvi Gudmundarson made the stone base beneath the memorial stone.Suduroy.lions.dk
Minnissteinur yvir Poul F avdúkaður

Literature

* Árni Dahl, Bókmentasøga 2, from page 104; Fannir, 1981

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Joensen, Poul Frederik 1898 births 1970 deaths People from Sumba Municipality Faroese writers 20th-century Faroese poets Faroese songwriters Folklore writers Faroese-language poets Faroese male poets 20th-century Danish male writers