Liam
Administrator
A special thanks you to Daniel, who has brought this author to our attention.
Tom Kristensen (1893-1974) was a Danish author, writing for the most part in the "expressionist" mode. He was born in London but lived mostly in Copenhagen, where he led a "dissolute lifestyle," according to one critic (reportedly almost drinking himself to death).
Kristensen had been married five times.
In the 1920s, he undertook a long journey to Spain, which resulted in a travelogue/traveling memoir. The book contained many colorful descriptions of bullfighting, which have drawn the author comparisons with Hemingway. At some point, Kristensen even attempted to learn the Spanish language (Wikipedia does not mention if he had succeeded).
Most of his published work consists of volumes of poetry: Pirate Dreams (1920), Peacock's Feather (1922), Miracles (1922), Windroots (1934) and Against the Furthest Edge (1936).
There is also an autobiography: Candid Concealments: Flashes of Memory (1966).
Perhaps Kristensen's most well-known book is Havoc (Hærværk, 1930), which was recently reissued by NYRB Classics. In its English translation, the novel is approximately 525 pp.
The most famous line from the novel is: "Do not cultivate your soul but be afraid of it, for it is a burden that you must carry..."
How incredibly bleak, or Scandinavian, or both,
Tom Kristensen (1893-1974) was a Danish author, writing for the most part in the "expressionist" mode. He was born in London but lived mostly in Copenhagen, where he led a "dissolute lifestyle," according to one critic (reportedly almost drinking himself to death).
Kristensen had been married five times.
In the 1920s, he undertook a long journey to Spain, which resulted in a travelogue/traveling memoir. The book contained many colorful descriptions of bullfighting, which have drawn the author comparisons with Hemingway. At some point, Kristensen even attempted to learn the Spanish language (Wikipedia does not mention if he had succeeded).
Most of his published work consists of volumes of poetry: Pirate Dreams (1920), Peacock's Feather (1922), Miracles (1922), Windroots (1934) and Against the Furthest Edge (1936).
There is also an autobiography: Candid Concealments: Flashes of Memory (1966).
Perhaps Kristensen's most well-known book is Havoc (Hærværk, 1930), which was recently reissued by NYRB Classics. In its English translation, the novel is approximately 525 pp.
The most famous line from the novel is: "Do not cultivate your soul but be afraid of it, for it is a burden that you must carry..."
How incredibly bleak, or Scandinavian, or both,
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