Johannes V. Jensen

I had never heard of Johannes Jensen outside of seeing his name as a Nobel Prize winner. In the course of picking something to read, I learned that in 1999, two leading Danish newspapers, independently of each other, both named this the best Danish book of the 20th century! Now, having read it, I am completely baffled: why on earth isn’t Jensen better known? The book is about the fall of a king as well as about many people whose life stories Jensen weaves together brilliantly. But in some ways, every person and every story of those people is incidental. The book is not so much about the characters as it is about Denmark under King Christian II in the early 16th century. Warning: unless you know something about Denmark’s conquest of Sweden in that period or the Stockholm Bloodbath of 1520, do yourself a favor and read a little in Wikipedia first. I got lost trying to follow the story given how Jensen presents it. But the book is brilliant. The writing is sometimes straightforward narrative, sometimes lyrical description, sometimes metaphysical musing. Some scenes are so vivid that I had to stop reading to let myself calm down a bit. What a gifted writer!… (more)

En bog, der fik mig til at ligge vågen og være ked af livets ligegyldighed og dødens sikkerhed. Så ingen fornøjelse som sådan, men uden tvivl en læseoplevelse, jeg ikke sådan lige ryster af mig. Sproget var helt fantastisk nogle steder, særligt i krigsbeskrivelserne, andre steder noget tungt. Bogens struktur er spøjs og springer meget brat fra kapitel til kapitel. Personerne er påfaldende statiske, som om forfatterens pointe er, at vi uundgåeligt må følge en bestemt skæbne lagt fast tidligt i livet.… (more)

" He was a witness to a cataclysmic event in the history of the North.,
By sally tarbox on 23 Aug. 2013
Format: Paperback
In 1520, Denmark's king Christian II secured his position by instigating the notorious Stockholm Bloodbath. Ultimately, however, this 'highly gifted but despotic and unstable ruler' (Prof T K Derry, cited in Insight Guide to Denmark) was imprisoned for the rest of his life.

Jensen's novel is the story of the life of one Mikkel Thogersen, an impoverished student, who goes through life in the king's service:
'Throughout his life Mikkel had felt that his fate was wedded to the king's. It was as if their paths were ever converging. the closer Mikkel had come to the king, the farther the king had fallen!'
This is quite a lyrical book; the Danish countryside, rural life of the 16th century, love...and against this the brutality of life: violent battles, animals slaughtered, the coldness and bleakness of winter.
Although I've given this 3 stars for enjoyability - found my concentration drifting at times - I must just say that it does remain with you when you've finished. Worth reading.… (more)

The Fall of the King (1901) is a Danish novel by Nobel-laureate Johannes V. Jensen (1944). Jensen is not well known or read in English but this is his most popular work in translation. In Denmark the novel was recently voted as one of the most important Danish works of the 20th century. It's technically historical fiction, set in the early 16th century during the violent upheavals of the wars of religion, centered around the 1520 rel="nofollow" target="_top">Stockholm Bloodbath which was a very important event for the next 300 years of Danish history. But really the novel is a mix of hard realism, and beautiful lyrical prose poetry - the two mix in a way that creates something greater than the parts. For Jensen the history is a setting and the small details of the 16th century are illuminating. Even though it's only about 260 pages it felt like a 3-volume epic. This is because Jensen believed that plot was less important than getting to the heart of the matter and giving the impression of a thing through key details and scenes. Thus a lot can happen in a short space. I found it quite effective. The main theme is indecision and futility of life, which Jensen saw as a negative trait of the Danish character. It's evident throughout but is most memorable when King Christian sails back and forth between Sweden and Denmark unable to decide what to do. Even though I am not Danish or know much of its history I was really moved by the story.… (more)