Herman Joachim Bang (20 April 1857 – 29 January 1912) was a Danish journalist and author, one of the men of the

Modern Breakthrough The Modern Breakthrough (; ; ) is the common name of the strong movement of naturalism and debating literature of Scandinavia which replaced romanticism near the end of the 19th century. The term "The Modern Breakthrough" is used about the per ...

Biography

Early life and education

Bang was born in Asserballe, on the small Danish island of

Als Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, terminal neurodegenerative disorder that results in the progressive loss of both upper and low ...

, the son of vicar Frederik Ludvig Bang (1816–75) and Thora Elisabeth Salomine Blach (1829–71). His paternal grandfather was the medical doctor

Ole Bang Ole Bang (27 July 1788 – 12 October 1877) was a Denmark, Danish medical doctor and professor at the University of Copenhagen. He was a co-founder of Rosenborg Brøndanstalt. He was the paternal grandfather of author Herman Bang. Early life and ...

. He was also related to

N. F. S. Grundtvig Nikolaj Frederik Severin Grundtvig (; 8 September 1783 – 2 September 1872), most often referred to as N. F. S. Grundtvig, was a Danish pastor, author, poet, philosopher, historian, teacher and politician. He was one of the most influential p ...

. His family history was marked by insanity and disease. During the

Second Schleswig War The Second Schleswig War (; or German Danish War), also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War, was the second military conflict over the Schleswig–Holstein question of the nineteenth century. The war began on 1 Februar ...

, Bang moved with his family to

Horsens Horsens () is a city on the east coast of the Jutland region of Denmark. It is the seat of the Horsens municipality. The city's population is 64,418 (1 January 2025) and the municipality's population is 97,921 (), making it the List of cities and ...

. His father was later appointed as pastor of Tersløse, on

Zealand Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous islands of Denmark, island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 Januar ...

. His mother died in 1871. His father was hit by mental disease and died just four years later. Bang matriculated from

Sorø Academy Sorø Academy ( Danish: ''Sorø Akademi'') is a boarding school and gymnasium located in the small town of Sorø, Denmark. It traces its history back to the 12th century when Bishop Absalon founded a monastery at the site, which was confiscated by ...

in 1875 and earned his Cand. Phil. degree from the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen (, KU) is a public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University. ...

in 1877. He spent his first student years living with his grandfather, Old Bang, whom he later described in the novel ''Det graa hus''. He began to study law but gave up his studies with aspirations to become an actor.

Writing career

When he was twenty he published two volumes of critical essays on the realistic movement. In 1880 he published his novel ''Haabløse Slægter'' (''Families Without Hope''), which aroused immediate attention. The main character was a young man who had a relationship with an older woman. The book was considered obscene at the time and was banned. After some time spent in travel and a successful lecture tour of Norway and

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, he settled in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

and produced a series of novels and collections of short stories which placed him in the front rank of

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

n novelists. Among his more famous stories are "Fædra" (1883) and "Tine" ("Tina", 1889). The latter won for its author the friendship of

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...

and the enthusiastic admiration of Jonas Lie. Among his other works are ''Det hvide Hus'' (''The White House'', 1898), ''Excentriske Noveller'' (''Eccentric Stories'', 1885), ''Stille Eksistenser'' (''Quiet Existences'', 1886), ''Liv og Død'' (''Life and Death'', 1899), ''Englen Michael'' (''The Angel Michael'', 1902), a volume of poems (1889), and recollections, ''Ti Aar'' (''Ten Years'', 1891). Bang was homosexual, a fact which contributed to his isolation in the cultural life of Denmark and made him the victim of smear campaigns. He lived most of his life with his sister, but spent a few years living in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

in 1885–86, with the German actor Max Eisfeld (1863–1935). Uninterested in politics, he was distant from most of his colleagues in the naturalist movement. Failed as an actor, Bang earned fame as a theatre producer in Paris and in

. He was a very productive journalist, writing for Danish, Nordic and German newspapers, developing modern reporting. His article on the fire at

Christiansborg Palace Christiansborg Palace (, ) is a palace and government building on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It is the seat of the Danish Parliament (), the Danish Prime Minister's Office, and the Supreme Court of Denmark. Also ...

is a landmark in Danish journalism. Bang's works earned him renown as a leading European

impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

writer. Bang's last years were embittered by persecutions and declining health. He traveled widely in Europe, and during a lecture tour of the United States he was taken ill on the train and died in

Ogden, Utah Ogden ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Weber County, Utah, Weber County, Utah, United States, approximately east of the Great Salt Lake and north of Salt Lake City. The population was 87,321 in 2020, according to the United States Census ...

Themes

Bang is primarily concerned with "quiet existences", the disregarded and ignored people living boring and apparently unimportant lives. He is especially interested in describing lonely or isolated women. ''

Ved Vejen ''Ved Vejen'' (meaning ''By the Wayside'' or ''At the Roadside'') is a short novel written by the Danish author Herman Bang in 1886. It was originally published in Copenhagen by Det Schubotheske Forlag as part of a collection of four stories ...

'' (''Katinka'', 1886) describes the secret and never fulfilled passion of a young wife of a stationmaster, living in a barren marriage. ''Tine'' (1889), which has the war with Prussia in 1864 (the

Second War of Schleswig The Second Schleswig War (; or German Danish War), also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War, was the second military conflict over the Schleswig–Holstein question of the nineteenth century. The war began on 1 Februar ...

) as background, tells the tragic love story of a young girl on the island of

. ''Stuk'' (''Stucco'', 1887) recounts a young man's love affair that is fading away without any real explanation, against the background of the "

Gründerzeit The (; ) was a period of Economic history of Europe (1000 AD–present), European economic history in mid- and late-19th century German Empire, Germany and Austria-Hungary between Industrialization in Germany, industrialization and the great P ...

" of Copenhagen and its superficial modernization and economic speculation. In ''Ludvigsbakke'' (1896) a young nurse squanders her love on a spineless childhood friend, who eventually deserts her, in order to save his estate by marrying a rich heiress. Some of his books, including ''Tina'' and ''Katinka'' (English titles), have been translated into many languages and filmed. Bang's 1902 novel ''Mikaël'', based on the life of

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (; ; 12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a u ...

,Mark Nash, ''Dreyer'' BFI Publishing (October 1977). p. 7 proved especially popular for adaptations in the silent era, having been made into two films: 1916's '' The Wings'', directed by

Mauritz Stiller Mauritz Stiller (born Moshe Stiller, 17 July 1883 – 8 November 1928) was a Finnish film director of Jewish origin, best known for discovering Greta Garbo and bringing her to America. Stiller was a pioneer of the Swedish film industry, writing ...

, and 1924's ''

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...

'', directed by

Carl Theodor Dreyer Carl Theodor Dreyer (; 3 February 1889 – 20 March 1968), commonly known as Carl Th. Dreyer, was a Danish film director and screenwriter. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers in history, his movies are noted for emotional austerity ...

References

Notes

Sources

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bang, Hermann Joachim 1857 births 1912 deaths 19th-century Danish novelists 20th-century Danish novelists 19th-century Danish journalists 20th-century Danish journalists 20th-century Danish male writers Danish gay writers Danish LGBTQ novelists Danish LGBTQ journalists Gay journalists Gay novelists People from Sønderborg Municipality Burials at Vestre Cemetery, Copenhagen Danish male novelists