''Emmy Drachmann'' (23 October 1854 – 20 January 1928) 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 a ...

writer and the wife of

Holger Drachmann Holger Henrik Herholdt Drachmann (9 October 1846 – 14 January 1908) was a Danish poet, dramatist and painter. He was a member of the Skagen artistic colony and became a figure of the Scandinavian Modern Breakthrough Movement. Early yea ...

Biography

Emmy Drachmann (née Culmsee) was born as the youngest of nine children parented by Frederik Leopold Culmsee (1811–95) and Nicoline Rasmussen (1818–86). She was born in

Køge Køge (, older spelling ''Kjøge'') is a seaport on the coast of Køge Bugt (''Bay of Køge'') 39 km southwest of Copenhagen. It is the principal town and seat of Køge Municipality, Region Sjælland, Denmark. In 2022, the urban area had a p ...

but grew up at the Havreholm Paper Mill which her father owned. She first met Holger Drachmann, a friend of her elder brother, Valdemar, when he visited Havreholm in 1866. At the age of 13, Emmy moved to

Kristiania Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

with her parents and stayed there until 1876 when she moved to

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

to study language. Drachmann paid her a visit but when she realized it was due to his interest in her sister Polly Thalbitzer she left for England where she assumed a position as German teacher in a pastor's house. During a holiday with friends in Hamburg in 1878, she was contacted by Drachmann's sister who informed her about the writer's breakdown after Polly had left him. She went to Copenhagen to nurse him and they were later married in St Paul's Church on 17 May 1879. They adopted Drachmann's daughter with Polly and had four more children. Their marriage marked the beginning of a calm and productive period for Holger Drachmann. Emmy assisted him with the translation of Byron's ''

Don Juan Don Juan (), also known as Don Giovanni (Italian), is a legendary, fictional Spanish libertine who devotes his life to seducing women. Famous versions of the story include a 17th-century play, '' El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra'' ...

''. She later translated

Gottfried Keller Gottfried Keller (19 July 1819 – 15 July 1890) was a Swiss poet and writer of German literature. Best known for his novel '' Green Henry'' (German: ''Der grüne Heinrich'') and his cycle of novellas called ''The People from Seldwyla'' (''Die Leu ...

's '' Der grüne Heinrich'' (1883–84) as well as works by authors such as

Rudolf Baumbach Rudolf Baumbach (28 September 1840 – 21 September 1905) was a German poet. Life Born in Kranichfeld in Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, the son of a local medical practitioner, he received his early schooling at the gymnasium of Meiningen, to which pl ...

Peter Rosegger Peter Rosegger (original ''Roßegger'') (31 July 1843 – 26 June 1918) was an Austrian writer and poet from Krieglach in the province of Styria. He was a son of a mountain farmer and grew up in the woodlands and mountains of Alpl. Rosegger (or ...

Sergey Stepnyak-Kravchinsky Sergey Mikhaylovich Stepnyak-Kravchinsky (russian: Серге́й Миха́йлович Степня́к-Кравчи́нский; July 1, 1851 – 23 December 1895), known in the 19th century London revolutionary circles as Sergius Stepniak, was ...

and

Peter Kropotkin Pyotr Alexeyevich Kropotkin (; russian: link=no, Пётр Алексе́евич Кропо́ткин ; 9 December 1842 – 8 February 1921) was a Russian anarchist, socialist, revolutionary, historian, scientist, philosopher, and activis ...

. In 1887, Holger Drachmann began an affair with the cabaret singer "Edith" and in 1892 left their home. Emmy Drachmann travelled with her children to

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

, where they lived for five years while she began her career as an author. Emmy and Holger Drachmann were divorced in 1903. She died in

Roskilde Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 51,916 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...

in 1928 and is buried at

Vestre Cemetery Vestre Cemetery ( da, Vestre Kirkegård, meaning "Western Cemetery") is located in a large park setting in the Kongens Enghave district of Copenhagen, Denmark. With its 54 hectares it is the largest cemetery in Denmark. The cemetery is landscape ...

in Copenhagen.

Works

Emmy Drachmann published the novel ''Grevinde Cossel'' in 1899. It was followed by ''Villa Mackenzie'' (1902), ''Inger'' (1910), a fictional account of her marriage, and ''Mødre'' (1914). Her memoir ''Erindringer. Barndom og Ungdom til 1883'' (until 1883) was published in 1925.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drachmann, Emmy Danish women novelists 19th-century Danish translators 20th-century Danish translators Danish memoirists 1854 births 1928 deaths People from Køge Municipality Burials at Vestre Cemetery, Copenhagen Holger Drachmann