Sophus Michaëlis (1865–1932) was a Danish poet,

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

and

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

. His works were translated, published, and performed in

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, and

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during his lifetime, in addition to his native Denmark.

Personal life

Sophus August Berthel Michaëlis was born in

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (after Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2025, the city proper had a population of 185,480 while Odense Municipality had a population of 210, ...

on 14 May 1865 to Hedevig Greve and Johan August Michaëlis, a tailor. He studied in Odense and received a cand.mag. degree in 1891. In the course of his studies he was taught by

Georg Brandes Georg Morris Cohen Brandes (4 February 1842 – 19 February 1927) was a Danish critic and scholar who greatly influenced Scandinavian and European literature from the 1870s through the turn of the 20th century. He is seen as the theorist behind ...

and Julius Lange. He was married to Karin Michaëlis, whom he had met while she was training 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 ...

as a piano teacher. The couple were married in 1895 and initially earned their living predominantly through theater reviews. Their marriage was terminated in 1911. In November 1911, Michaëlis married Astrid Nyström, with whom he divorced in 1921. He was married a third time to Louise Luci Charlotte Peschardt in December 1921. Michaëlis died on 28 January 1932 in Copenhagen, and is buried at

Vestre Cemetery Vestre Cemetery (, meaning "Western Cemetery") is located in a large park setting in the Kongens Enghave district of Copenhagen, Denmark. With its 54 hectares it is the largest cemetery in Denmark. The cemetery is landscaped and serves as an imp ...

Career

Michaëlis contributed to several operas and theatrical works over the course of his career. he wrote the

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

for August Enna's opera ''Aucasin og Nicolette'', which was performed at the

Royal Danish Theatre The Royal Danish Theatre (RDT, Danish: ') is both the national Danish performing arts institution and a name used to refer to its old purpose-built venue from 1874 located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The theatre was founded in 1748, first s ...

. In 1898 he wrote the libretto for an opera titled ''Portia'' in collaboration with

Carl Nielsen Carl August Nielsen (; 9 June 1865 – 3 October 1931) was a Danish composer, conductor, and violinist, widely recognized as his country's most prominent composer. Brought up by poor yet musically talented parents on the island of Funen, he d ...

, which was based on

William Shakespeare's William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...

''. It became much delayed on Nielsen's end, and was ultimately never produced. Despite this, Nielsen went on to compose the music to five of Michaëlis' other productions. As a reporter in Copenhagen, Michaëlis wrote reviews on literature, fine art, and performances. In particular, he wrote a variety of theater reviews on performances in Copenhagen. One of the publications he contributed during this period was ''

Taarnet ''Taarnet'' (Danish language, Danish: ''The Tower'') was a monthly art and literary magazine founded and edited by Johannes Jørgensen in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was subtitled as Illustreret Tidsskrift for Kunst og Litteratur (Danish: Illustrated ...

'' published between 1893 and 1894. He was an editor for the newspaper ''Tidens Krav'' from 1896 to 1898, and was later an editor for the magazine ''Kunst'' from 1900 until 1906. Over the course of his career, Michaëlis published a number of Danish translations of other authors' poetry. He published a translation of Gustave Flaubert's ''

Salammbô ''Salammbô'' is an 1862 historical novel by Gustave Flaubert. It is set in Carthage immediately before and during the Mercenary Revolt (241–237 BCE). Flaubert's principal source was Book I of the '' Histories'', written by the Greek hist ...

'' in 1902, and '' The Temptation of Saint Anthony'' (Danish: ''Den hellige Antonios Fristelser'') in 1904. In 1917 he authored a translation of Wolfram von Eschenbach's ''

Parzival ''Parzival'' () is a medieval chivalric romance by the poet and knight Wolfram von Eschenbach in Middle High German. The poem, commonly dated to the first quarter of the 13th century, centers on the Arthurian hero Parzival (Percival in English) ...

''. Between 1924 and 1928 he released a translation of Goethe's ''Faust''. In addition to his work as a translator, reviewer, and lyricist, Michaëlis authored several original novels. His 1912 novel, ''The Eternal Sleep'' (Danish: ''Den evige søvn'') described Napoleon's march into

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

and his eventual defeat there. The novel, though popular elsewhere, garnered strict criticism in Russia. Michaëlis became a member of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V of Denmark, Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single cla ...

in 1919 and was further awarded the

Dannebrogordenens Hæderstegn Dannebrogordenens Hæderstegn, also referred to as the Cross of Honour of the Order of the Dannebrog (post-nominals: D.Ht.), is a meritous award connected to the Danish Order of the Dannebrog. The cross was instituted by King Frederick VI of Den ...

in 1929. He was the chairman of the Danish Authors' Society (Danish: ''Dansk forfatterforening'') from 1915 until his death. The Society founded a scholarship in his memory in 1937.

Bibliography

* ''Digte'', 1889 * ''Synd'', 1891 * ''Vanemennesker'', 1892 * ''Solblomster'', 1893 * ''Æbelø'', 1895 * ''Aucassin og Nicolette'', 1896 (lyrics) * ''Sirener'', 1898 * ''Dødedansen'', 1900 * ''Livets Fest'', 1900 * ''Giovanna'', 1901 * ''Palmerne'', 1904 * ''Billedhuggeren Jens Adolph Jerichau'', 1906 * ''Revolutionsbryllup'', 1906 * ''Lægen'', 1906 * ''St. Helena'', 1910 * ''Den evige søvn'', 1912 * ''Blaaregn'', 1913 * ''Hellener og Barbar'', 1914 * ''Træbukken'', 1918 * ''Vilhelm Hammershøi'', 1918 * ''Dommeren'', 1921 * ''Himmelskibet'', 1921 * ''Romersk Foraar'', 1921

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Michaelis, Sophus 1865 births 1932 deaths 19th-century Danish dramatists and playwrights 19th-century Danish novelists 19th-century Danish poets 19th-century Danish male writers 20th-century Danish dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Danish novelists 20th-century Danish poets Danish male dramatists and playwrights Danish male novelists Danish male poets