Johannes Vilhelm Jensen

Johannes Vilhelm Jensen, in Denmark always called Johannes V. Jensen, (January 20, 1873—November 25, 1950) was a Danish author, often considered the first great Danish writer of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1944. 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 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 3 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 (eng. transl. 1933 The Fall of the King), a modern historical novel centred around King Christian II and his characteristically Danish hesitancy and failures to act.

In 1906 Jensen created his greatest literary achievement: the collection of verses Digte 1906 (i.e. Poems 1906), which introduced the prose poem to Danish literature. He also wrote poetry, a few plays, and many essays, chiefly on anthropology and the philosophy of evolution.

He developed his theories of evolution in a cycle of six novels, Den lange rejse (1908-22) eng. transl. The Long Journey 1923-24, which was published in a two-volume edition in 1938. 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.

Late Career

Jensen's most popular literary works were all completed before 1920. 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.

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.

In 1999 The Fall of the King was acclaimed as the best Danish novel of the 20th century.

Johannes Vilhelm Jensen is not to be confused with Wilhelm Jensen (1837-1911), German writer, whose short story, Gradiva (1903), became famous for being analysed by Sigmund Freud in Delusion and Dream in Jensen's Gradiva.

Literature

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
Nordisk ånd, 1911
Myter, 1912
Rudyard Kipling, 1912
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
The Waving Rye, 1959 (tr. R. Bathgate)

Works in English

The Long Journey, vol 1-3, (Fire and Ice; The Cimbrians; Christopher Columbus) New York, 1924.
The Fall of the King, 1933.

Translation

The phrase "Johannes Vilhelm Jensen" occurs as such in the following languages: English, Aragonese, Min Nan, Breton, Catalan, Czech, German, Estonian, Spanish, Croatian, Indonesian, Italian, Swahili, Lithuanian, Hungarian, Dutch, Norwegian (Bokmål), Norwegian (Nynorsk), Occitan, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Finnish, Turkish, Vietnamese.

Translation(s) in other languages: Arabic: يوهانس فلهلم ينسن, Azeri: Yohannes Yensen, Bengali: ইয়োহানেস ইয়েনসেন, Bulgarian: Йоханес Йенсен, Danish: Johannes V. Jensen, French: Johannes V. Jensen, Korean: 요하네스 빌헬름 옌센, Hindi: योहानेस विल्हेल्म जेन्सेन, Hebrew: יוהנס וילהלם ינסן, Kurdish: Johannes V. Jensen, Latin: Iohannes Gulielmus Jensen, Japanese: ヨハネス・ヴィルヘルム・イェンセン, Polish: Johannes Jensen, Russian: Йенсен, Йоханнес Вильхельм, Swedish: Johannes V. Jensen, Chinese: 约翰内斯·威廉·延森.