Thorkild Hansen (9 January 1927 – 4 February 1989) was a Danish novelist most noted for his historical fiction. He is popularly known for his trilogy of novels about the Danish slave trade which is composed of '' Coast of Slaves'' (1967), '' Ships of Slaves'' (1968), and '' Islands of Slaves'' (1970; for which he received the

Nordic Council Literature Prize The Nordic Council Literature Prize is awarded for a work of literature written in one of the languages of the Nordic countries, that meets "high literary and artistic standards". Established in 1962, the prize is awarded every year, and is worth ...

in 1971).

Biography

Hansen was born at Ordrup in Gentofte Municipality, Denmark. He attended Holte Gymnasium and from 1945-47 studied literature at the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...

. In 1947, he moved to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

where he wrote dispatches for the Copenhagen-based ''

Ekstra Bladet ''Ekstra Bladet'' is a Danish tabloid newspaper, published by JP/Politikens Hus in Copenhagen.About
(in Danish) ''E ...

''. After returning to Denmark in 1952, he devoted his efforts to a series of novels. Several featured aspects of the Danish era of imperialism. ''Det Lykkelige Arabien: En Dansk Ekspedition'' (1962) covered the Danish Arabia expedition (1761–67) led by

Carsten Niebuhr Carsten Niebuhr, or Karsten Niebuhr (17 March 1733 Lüdingworth – 26 April 1815 Meldorf, Dithmarschen), was a German mathematician, cartographer, and explorer in the service of Denmark. He is renowned for his participation in the Royal Danis ...

. His book ''Jens Munk'' (1965) was about Danish-Norwegian sea captain Jens Munk and his attempt to locate the

Northwest Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The eastern route along the Arct ...

. He died prematurely during a voyage in the Caribbean.

Awards

* Søren Gyldendal Prize (1963) *

De Gyldne Laurbær De Gyldne Laurbær (English: The Golden Laurel) (earlier: Boghandlernes Gyldne Laurbær) is a Danish literature award, which was established in 1949. The award is handed by ''The Committee De Gyldne Laurbær'', formerly ''Boghandlerklubben'' (The ...

(1966) *

(1971)

Selected works

*''Resten er Stilhed'' (1953) * ''Arabia Felix: The Danish Expedition of 1761-1767'' (''Det Lykkelige Arabien: En Dansk Ekspedition, 1761 67 '', 1962) * '' Coast of Slaves'' (''Slavernes kyst'', 1967) * '' Ships of Slaves'' (''Slavernes skibe'', 1968) * ''The Way to Hudson Bay: The Life and Times of Jens Munk'' * '' Islands of Slaves'' (''Slavernes øer'', 1970) * ''Processen mod Hamsun'', (1978) apparently never translated into English), adapted as a film (1996) with

Max von Sydow Max von Sydow ( , ; born Carl Adolf von Sydow; 10 April 1929 – 8 March 2020) was a Swedish-French actor. He had a 70-year career in European and American cinema, television, and theatre, appearing in more than 150 films and several television ...

as Knut Hamsun

References

External links

Thorkild Hansen
Gyldendal 1927 births 1989 deaths People from Gentofte Municipality University of Copenhagen alumni Danish male novelists 20th-century Danish memoirists Knut Hamsun researchers Nordic Council Literature Prize winners 20th-century Danish novelists {{Denmark-writer-stub