''The Stolen Spring'' (, The Neglected Spring) is a Danish novel by

Hans Scherfig Hans Scherfig (April 8, 1905 – January 28, 1979) was a renowned Danish writer and artist. His most famous works of literature include '' Stolen Spring'', ''Frydenholm'', ''Idealists'', and ''The Scorpion'', the last of which was published in ...

, first published in 1940. It has been described as "part murder mystery, part social criticism" by The Review of Contemporary Fiction. ''The Stolen Springs main theme is the solidarity of a group of boys in a school with harsh discipline. This, alongside other factors, makes the book stand out as being very socialist in its message. It is highly critical of the Danish educational system in the 20th century, a system Scherfig himself was a product of, and it is considered to be broadly based on some of his own experiences as a student at

Metropolitanskolen Metropolitanskolen ("The Metropolitan School") was a school in Copenhagen, Denmark founded in 1209 by the Bishop , and for centuries one of the most prestigious schools in the country. History The school was founded in 1209 next to the Church of ...

Reception

''The Stolen Spring'' is considered a very important part of the Danish literary heritage by various experts and writers. It is not featured in the new

Danish Culture Canon The Danish Culture Canon ( da, Kulturkanonen) consists of 108 works of cultural excellence in eight categories: architecture, visual arts, design and crafts, film, literature, music, performing arts, and children's culture. An initiative of Bri ...

. Some have speculated that the socialist message of the book may have been the deciding reason for this. However, other socialist works have been placed on the canon, e.g. the films ''

Ditte Menneskebarn ''Ditte, Child of Man'', ( da, Ditte Menneskebarn), is a 1946 socio-realistic Danish drama directed by Bjarne Henning-Jensen based on the novel by Martin Andersen Nexø. The film stars Tove Maës in the tragic story of an impoverished young girl ...

'' and ''

Pelle the Conqueror ''Pelle the Conqueror'' ( da, Pelle Erobreren, sv, Pelle Erövraren) is a 1987 epic film co-written and directed by Bille August, based upon the 1910 novel of the same name by Danish writer Martin Andersen Nexø. The film tells the story of t ...

'' both based on books by

Martin Andersen Nexø Martin Andersen Nexø (26 June 1869 – 1 June 1954) was a Danish writer. He was one of the authors in the Modern Breakthrough movement in Danish art and literature. He was a socialist throughout his life and during the second world war moved t ...

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