Rudolf Kristian Albert Broby-Johansen (25 November 25, 1900 – 9 August 1987) was a Danish art historian, communist activist and writer. Born in

Aalborg Aalborg or Ålborg ( , , ) is Denmark's List of cities and towns in Denmark, fourth largest urban settlement (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an Urban area, urban populati ...

, North Jutland to a working-class family, Broby-Johansen grew up in Lunde, Otterup Municipality,

Funen Funen (, ), is the third-largest List of islands of Denmark, island of Denmark, after Zealand and North Jutlandic Island, Vendsyssel-Thy, with an area of . It is the List of islands by area, 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in th ...

. He published a poetry collection in 1922 called ''Blod'' ("Blood"), containing poems on the themes of misery and poverty as well as tabooed topics such as

prostitution Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...

and

necrophilia Necrophilia, also known as necrophilism, necrolagnia, necrocoitus, necrochlesis, and thanatophilia, is sexual attraction or acts involving corpses. It is classified as a paraphilia by the World Health Organization (WHO) in its ''International ...

, was considered scandalous and confiscated by the authorities (re-published in 1968). However, it has gained long-lasting influence in Danish literature by influencing such poets as Michael Strunge and Yahya Hassan. Moreover, it is seen as a prime example of Danish modernist and expressionist poetry. He joined the Communist Party of Denmark (DKP) and became one of the key personalities behind several Danish left-wing journals such as ''Monde'', ''Plan'' and ''Frem''. Broby-Johansen ended his political activism in 1935, following the exile of

Leon Trotsky Lev Davidovich Bronstein ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky,; ; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky'' was a Russian revolutionary, Soviet politician, and political theorist. He was a key figure ...

and the persecution of

Trotskyism Trotskyism (, ) is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Russian revolutionary and intellectual Leon Trotsky along with some other members of the Left Opposition and the Fourth International. Trotsky described himself as an ...

in the Soviet Union, and he focused on artistic work. Among his publications on

art history Art history is the study of Work of art, artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Tradit ...

are works on costume history and the

history of painting The history of painting reaches back in time to artifacts and artwork created by pre-historic artists, and spans all cultures. It represents a continuous, though periodically disrupted, tradition from Antiquity. Across cultures, continents, and ...

. As art historian, he was also responsible for the reconstruction of the colouring of the copy of the greater Jelling stone commissioned in the 1930s, which he dubbed "Denmark's baptismal certificate".''Lokalhistorie fra Sydøstjylland''
, Historisk Samfund for Sydøstjylland og bidragyderne (2010), p. 83

, Lærere i grundskolen: Historie, EMU, Danmarks Undervisningsportal He also published a children's book (''Gaga og siksak, holger og dig'', 1949) and a Danish re-telling of

Aesop's Fables Aesop's Fables, or the Aesopica, is a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a Slavery in ancient Greece, slave and storyteller who lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 564 Before the Common Era, BCE. Of varied and unclear origins, the stor ...

(''Den lille Æsop'' 1945; ''Den danske Æsop'' 1961). He returned to political activism in the 1960s in support of

Maoism Maoism, officially Mao Zedong Thought, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed while trying to realize a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic o ...

and the

Chinese Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

, and in the 1970s he campaigned against the accession of Denmark to the

European Communities The European Communities (EC) were three international organizations that were governed by the same set of Institutions of the European Union, institutions. These were the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the European Atomic Energy Co ...

. He re-joined the DKP in 1983, a few years before his death. As the author of several books, he received the '' Holberg Medal'' (1970), the ''Danish Authors' Association's Prize of Literature'' (1975), the '' LO's Culture Prize'' (1980), the '' PH Prize'' (1984) and a nomination for an honorary doctorate at the University of Odense (1985).

References

*Olav Harsløf (ed.), ''Rudolf Broby-Johansen – en central outsider i det 20. århundrede'', Museum Tusculanum (2000). *Morten Thing, ''Portrætter af 10 kommunister'' (1996).

External links

Broby Johansen, Rudolf (leksikon.org 2008)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Broby-Johansen, Rudolf 1900 births 1987 deaths 20th-century Danish non-fiction writers Danish art historians Danish children's writers Danish communists Danish Trotskyists People from Aalborg