Elsa Judith Elisa Gress (17 January 1919 – 18 July 1988) was a
Danish
Danish may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark
People
* A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark
* Culture of Denmark
* Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...
essayist, novelist and dramatist. In Denmark, she is remembered above all for her essays.
Biography
Born in
Frederikshavn
Frederikshavn () is a Danish town in Frederikshavn municipality, Region Nordjylland, on the northeast coast of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. Its name translates to "Frederik's harbor". It was originally named Fladstrand.
The town h ...
, Gress was brought up in
Ordrup
Ordrup is a district of Gentofte Municipality in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located circa north of the city centre.
History
Ordrup was originally a small village which only consisted of eight farms and a forge. The area ...
where her father lost the family fortune at the races. She went through a difficult childhood as the family was forced to move frequently from one home to another. After matriculating from Ordrup Gymnasium in 1937, she studied literature at
Copenhagen University
The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public research university in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia after Uppsala Unive ...
. During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, she participated in the
resistance
Resistance may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Comics
* Either of two similarly named but otherwise unrelated comic book series, both published by Wildstorm:
** ''Resistance'' (comics), based on the video game of the same title
** ''T ...
, narrowly avoiding capture on one occasion. As a result of the war atrocities, both her boyfriend and her brother Palle committed suicide, causing her great pain.
Her debut consisted of a volume of essays, ''Strejftog'' (Raids, 1947), and a novel, ''Mellemspil'' (Interlude, 1947), both inspired by her war experiences and her subsequent grief. Her other novels, ''Salamander'' (1977) and ''Simurghen'' (1986) were written much later.
Gress's memoirs openly describe the events of her life. They were published in three volumes: ''Mine mange hjem'' (My Many Homes, 1965), ''Fuglefri og fremmed'' (Free as a Bird and a Stranger, 1971) and ''Compania 1—2'' (1976).
She wrote her first play ''Philoctetes Wounded'' (1969) in English,
publishing the Danish version, ''Den sårede Filoktet'', the following year.
Gress met her first lover, the American literary critic
R.W.B. Lewis in 1950 while attending a seminar on American Studies in
Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the ...
, continuing the affair in the United States until 1952. Although she was pregnant, her visa was not renewed forcing her to return to Denmark where her first son
David
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
was born. Her interest in the United States continued, encouraging her to write critical but well-informed accounts of the
McCarthy era
McCarthyism is the practice of making false or unfounded accusations of subversion and treason, especially when related to anarchism, communism and socialism, and especially when done in a public and attention-grabbing manner.
The term origina ...
in ''Nye strejftog'', a collection of essays published in 1957.
[
While in New York in 1952, she met the painter Charles Clifford Wright at the Yaddo Artists Colony. In 1956, he joined her in Copenhagen where they married and had two children together, Barbara and Jonathan. Together with her husband, Gress created the Decenter artistic centre in ]Glumsø
Glumsø is a railway town, with a population of 2,121 (1.January 2022), located on the southern part of Zealand in Denmark. Until 1.January 2007 it was the seat of Suså Municipality.
Glumsø Station is located in Glumsø, serving the Sydbanen ...
, attracting guests from around the globe to exhibitions, theatrical performances and lectures. The American film director Tom O'Horgan
Tom O'Horgan (May 3, 1924 – January 11, 2009) was an American theatre and film director, composer, actor and musician. He is best known for his Broadway work as director of the hit musicals ''Hair'' and ''Jesus Christ Superstar''. During his ca ...
, whom Gress had met in the United States, staged her play ''Den sårede Filoktet'' on television in 1976, establishing her reputation as a dramatist. As a result of financial difficulties, the family had to sell Decenter in 1971, after which they moved to the forester's residence at Marienborg
Marienborg, a mid 18th-century country house perched on a small hilltop on the northern shore of Bagsværd Lake, Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality, north of downtown Copenhagen, has served as the official residence of Denmark's prime minister since ...
in Damsholte
Damsholte is a village on the Danish island of Møn. It is located some 6 km south-west of Stege.
The first reference to Damsholte dates back to 1664.
Damsholte Church, the only Rococo village church in Denmark is to be found in the western par ...
on the island of Møn
Møn () is an island in south-eastern Denmark. Until 1 January 2007, it was a municipality in its own right but it is now part of the municipality of Vordingborg, after merging with the former municipalities of Langebæk, Præstø, and Vordingbo ...
. Elsa Gress died there on 18 July 1988.[
]
Works
Elsa Gress's principal works include:
* ''Strejftog'' (1945)
* ''Mellemspil'' (1947)
* ''Jorden er ingen stjerne'' (1956)
* ''Nye strejftog'' (1957)
* ''Prometheus på flugt'' (1961)
* ''Er der nogen der hører efter?'' (1964)
* ''Det uopdagede køn'' (1964)
* ''Mine mange hjem'' (1965)
* ''Det professionelle menneske'' (1966)
* ''Den sårede Filoktet'' (1970)
* ''Fuglefri og fremmed'' (1971)
* ''Den sårede Filoktet'' (1974)
* ''Compañia'' (1976)
* ''Salamander'' (1976)
* ''Blykuglen'' (1984)
* ''Simurghen'' (1986)
* ''Udsigter og Indsigter'' (1981)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gress, Elisa
1919 births
1988 deaths
Writers from Copenhagen
Danish women novelists
Danish women dramatists and playwrights
Danish essayists
20th-century Danish translators
Danish women essayists
20th-century Danish novelists
20th-century Danish dramatists and playwrights
20th-century Danish women writers
Danish women memoirists
Danish female resistance members
20th-century essayists
People from Frederikshavn