Hans Scherfig (April 8, 1905 – January 28, 1979) was a renowned

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 ...

writer and artist. His most famous works of literature include '' Stolen Spring'', ''Frydenholm'', ''Idealists'', and ''The Scorpion'', the last of which was published in over 20 countries. He is also well known for his distinctive Naivist lithographs which depict

jungle A jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past recent century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''jaṅ ...

and

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

scenes that owe something to Henri Rousseau, and various drawings and paintings with satirical, political, and

biblical The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

subject matter. Central to Scherfig's work was his lifelong political engagement. Already in his early years he became a dedicated communist and remained so until his death in 1979. He was also a long-standing member of the

Communist Party of Denmark The Communist Party of Denmark ( da, Danmarks Kommunistiske Parti, DKP) is a communist party in Denmark. The DKP was founded on 9 November 1919 as the Left-Socialist Party of Denmark (, VSP), through a merger of the Socialist Youth League and ...

. Because of this Scherfig was imprisoned by the Nazi

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military occupation Military occupation, also known as belligerent occupation or simply occupation, is the effective military control by a ruling power over a territory that is outside of that power's sovereign territory.Eyāl Benveniśtî. The international law ...

forces in Denmark during

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. During the Cold War, Scherfig intensified his critical attitude against the United States. Scherfig lies in an unmarked grave in

Assistens Cemetery (Copenhagen) Assistens Cemetery ( Danish: Assistens Kirkegård) in Copenhagen, Denmark, is the burial site of many Danish notables as well as an important greenspace in the Nørrebro district. Inaugurated in 1760, it was originally a burial site for the poor l ...

. His grave can be identified by the stone sculpture of a turtle which lies beside it

Work

Novels

*'' Den Døde Mand'', 1937 *'' Den forsvundne fuldmægtig'', 1938 *'' Det Forsømte Forår'' (''Stolen Spring''), 1940 *'' Idealister'' (''Idealists''), 1945 *'' Skorpionen'' (''The Scorpion''), 1953 *'' Frydenholm'', 1962 *'' Den Fortabte abe'', 1964

Prizes

Scherfig won a number of prizes within the field of Danish literature, including the following: * 1973 '' Grand Prize of the Danish Academy'' * 1965 '' Jeanne and Henri Nathan's Memorial Grant'' * 1963 '' Adam Oehlenschläger legatet'' * 1954 '' Holger Drachmann Scholarship'' * 1952 '' Jeanne and Henri Nathan's Memorial Grant''

References

1905 births 1979 deaths Danish artists Danish male writers Danish communists Recipients of the Grand Prize of the Danish Academy {{denmark-artist-stub