Johannes V. Jensen

Johannes V. Jensen
Johannes V. Jensen
Born	Johannes Vilhelm Jensen; 20 January 1873; Farsø, Jutland, Denmark
Died	25 November 1950 (aged 77); Østerbro, Copenhagen, Denmark
Occupation	Writer
Notable awards	Nobel Prize in Literature ; 1944 ;

Johannes Vilhelm Jensen (Danish pronunciation: [joˈhænˀəs ˈvilhelˀm ˈjensn̩];^[1] 20 January 1873 – 25 November 1950) was a Danish author, known as one of the great Danish writers of the first half of 20th century. He was awarded the 1944 Nobel Prize in Literature "for the rare strength and fertility of his poetic imagination with which is combined an intellectual curiosity of wide scope and a bold, freshly creative style".^[2] One of his sisters, Thit Jensen, was also a well-known writer and a very vocal, and occasionally controversial, early feminist.

Early years

He was born in Farsø, a village in North Jutland, Denmark, as the son of a veterinary surgeon^[3] and he grew up in a rural environment. While studying medicine at the University of Copenhagen he worked as a writer to fund his studies. After three years of studying he chose to change careers and devote himself fully to literature.

Literary works

The first phase of his work as an author was influenced by fin-de-siècle pessimism. His career began with the publication of Himmerland Stories (1898–1910), comprising a series of tales set in the part of Denmark where he was born. During 1900 and 1901 he wrote his first masterpiece, Kongens Fald (translated into English as The Fall of the King in 1933), a modern historical novel centred on King Christian II. Literary critic Martin Seymour-Smith said it is an "indictment of Danish indecision and lack of vitality, which Jensen saw as a national disease. Apart from this aspect of it, it is a penetrating study of sixteenth-century people."^[4]

In 1906 Jensen created his greatest literary achievement:^{[citation needed]} the collection of verses Digte 1906 (i.e. Poems 1906), which introduced^{[citation needed]} the prose poem to Danish literature. He also wrote poetry, a few plays, and many essays, chiefly on anthropology and the philosophy of evolution. His short story "Ane og Koen" ("Anne and the Cow") was translated into English by incarcerated author and translator Victor Folke Nelson in 1928.^[5]

He developed his theories of evolution in a cycle of six novels, Den lange rejse (1908–22), translated into English as The Long Journey (1923–24), which was published in a two-volume edition in 1938.^[6] This is often considered his main work in prose, a daring and often impressive attempt to create a Darwinian alternative to the Biblical Genesis myth. In this work we see the development of mankind from the Ice Age to the times of Columbus, focusing on pioneering individuals.

Like his compatriot Hans Christian Andersen, he travelled extensively; a trip to the United States inspired a poem of his, "Paa Memphis Station" [At the train station, Memphis, Tennessee], which is well known in Denmark. Walt Whitman was among the writers who influenced Jensen. Jensen later became an atheist.^[7]

Late career

Jensen's most popular literary works were all completed before 1920,^{[citation needed]} a year which also marks his initiation of the 'Museumcentre Aars' in the town of Aars in Himmerland. After this he mostly concentrated on ambitious biological and zoological studies in an effort to create an ethical system based upon Darwinian ideas. He also hoped to renew classical poetry.

For many years he worked in journalism, writing articles and chronicles for the daily press without ever joining the staff of any newspaper.

Nobel Prize in Literature

In 1944 Johannes V. Jensen was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature "for the rare strength and fertility of his poetic imagination with which is combined an intellectual curiosity of wide scope and a bold, freshly creative style."^[8] At the award ceremony in Stockholm on 10 December 1945 Anders Österling, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy said:

This child of the dry and windy moors of Jutland has, almost out of spite, astonished his contemporaries by a remarkably prolific production. He could well be considered one of the most fertile Scandinavian writers. He has constructed a vast and imposing literary œuvre, comprising the most diverse genres: epic and lyric, imaginative and realistic works, as well as historical and philosophical essays, not to mention his scientific excursions in all directions.^[9]

Jensen had been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature on 53 occasions, the first time in 1925. He was nominated every year between 1931 and 1944.^[10]

Legacy

Jensen was a controversial figure in Danish cultural life. He was a reckless polemicist and his often dubious racial theories have damaged his reputation. However, he never showed any fascist leanings.

Today Jensen is still considered the father of Danish modernism, particularly in the area of modern poetry with his introduction of the prose poem and his use of a direct and straightforward language. His direct influence was felt as late as the 1960s. Without being a Danish answer to Kipling, Hamsun or Sandburg, he bears comparison to all three authors. He combines the outlook of the regional writer with the view of the modern academic and scientific observer.

He was famous for experimenting with the form of his writing, amongst other things. In a letter sent to publisher Ernst Bojesen in December 1900, he includes both a happy and sad face. It was in the 1900s that the design evolved from a basic eye and mouth design into a more recognizable design.^[11]

In 1999, The Fall of the King (1901) was acclaimed as the best Danish novel of the 20th century by the newspapers Politiken and Berlingske Tidende, independently of each other.^[12]

Johannes V. Jensen Land in Northern Greenland was named in his honor.

Bibliography

Danskere, 1896
Einar Elkjær, 1898
Himmerlandsfolk, 1898
Intermezzo, 1899
Kongens Fald, 1900–1901 – The Fall of the King
Den gotiske renæssance, 1901
Skovene, 1904
Nye Himmerlandshistorier, 1904
Madame d'Ora, 1904
Hjulet, 1904
Digte, 1906
Eksotiske noveller, 1907–15
Den nye verden, 1907
Singaporenoveller, 1907
Myter, 1907–45
Nye myter, 1908
Den lange rejse, 1908–22 – The Long Journey – I: Den tabte land, 1919; II: Bræen, 1908; Norne Gæst, 1919; IV: Cimbrernes tog, 1922; V: Skibet, 1912; VI: Christofer Columbus, 1922
Lille Ahasverus, 1909
Himmerlandshistorier, Tredje Samling, 1910
Myter, 1910
Bo'l, 1910
Nordisk ånd, 1911
Myter, 1912
Rudyard Kipling, 1912
Der Gletscher, Ein Neuer Mythos Vom Ersten Menschen, 1912 - The Glacier, A New Myth Of The First Man
Olivia Marianne, 1915
Introduktion til vor tidsalder, 1915
Skrifter, 1916 (8 vols.)
Årbog, 1916, 1917
Johannes Larsen og hans billeder, 1920
Sangerinden, 1921
Den lange rejse, 1922–24 – The Long Journey
Æstetik og udviking, 1923
Årstiderne, 1923
Hamlet, 1924
Myter, 1924
Skrifter, 1925 (5 vols.)
Evolution og moral, 1925
Årets højtider, 1925
Verdens lys, 1926
Jørgine, 1926
Thorvaldsens portrætbuster, 1926
Dyrenes forvandling, 1927
Åndens stadier, 1928
Ved livets bred, 1928
Retninger i tiden, 1930
Den jyske blæst, 1931
Form og sjæl, 1931
På danske veje, 1931
Pisangen, 1932
Kornmarken, 1932
Sælernes ø, 1934
Det blivende, 1934
Dr. Renaults fristelser, 1935
Gudrun, 1936
Darduse, 1937
Påskebadet, 1937
Jydske folkelivsmalere, 1937
Thorvaldsen, 1938
Nordvejen, 1939
Fra fristaterne, 1939
Gutenberg, 1939
Mariehønen, 1941
Vor oprindelse, 1941
Mindets tavle, 1941
Om sproget og undervisningen, 1942
Kvinden i sagatiden, 1942
Folkeslagene i østen, 1943
Digte 1901–43, 1943
Møllen, 1943
Afrika, 1949
Garden Colonies in Denmark, 1949
Swift og Oehlenschläger, 1950
Mytens ring, 1951
Tilblivelsen, 1951

Works in English

The Long Journey, vol 1–3, (Fire and Ice; The Cimbrians; Christopher Columbus) New York, 1924.
Johannes V. Jensen (1933), The Fall of the King, translated by P. T. Federspiel; Patrick Kirwan, London, Wikidata Q124218629{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Johannes V. Jensen (1958), The Waving Rye, Copenhagen: Gyldendal, Wikidata Q124218987
Johannes V. Jensen (1992), The Fall of the King, translated by Alan G. Bower, Wikidata Q104691326

References

^ "Danish pronunciation dictionary". en.udtaleordbog.dk. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
^ "The Nobel Prize in Literature 1944". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. Web. 2 Feb 2017.
^ Jensen, Johannes V. (c. 1945). "Johannes V. Jensen – Autobiography". The Official Web Site of the Nobel Foundation. Sweden: Nobel Web AB. Retrieved 24 November 2009.
^ Martin Seymour-Smith (1985). The New Guide to Modern World Literature, 3rd ed. p. 1101.
^ Hanna Astrup, ed. Denmark's Best Stories: An Introduction to Danish Fiction (New York: Norton, 1928)
^ Nobel Lectures, Literature 1901–1967, Editor Horst Frenz, Elsevier Publishing Company, Amsterdam, 1969.
^ Flynn, T. (2007). The new encyclopedia of unbelief. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books. "Danish atheists include the authors...Johannes V. Jensen."
^ "The Nobel Prize in Literature 1944". nobelprize.org.
^ "The Nobel Prize in Literature 1944 Award Ceremony speech". nobelprize.org.
^ "Johannes V. Jensen - Nominations". nobelprize.org.
^ Johannes V. Jensen var først ude med smileyen
^ "Århundredes danske bog". litteraturpriser.dk. Retrieved 2014-08-08.