Klaus Rifbjerg (15 December 1931 – 4 April 2015) was a Danish writer. He authored more than 170 novels, books and essays. In 1965 he co-produced the film ''
4x4
Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...
'' which was entered into the
4th Moscow International Film Festival
The 4th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 5 to 20 July 1965. The Grand Prix was shared between the Soviet film ''War and Peace'' directed by Sergei Bondarchuk and the Hungarian film '' Twenty Hours'' directed by Zoltán Fábri.
Ju ...
.
Biography
Rifbjerg was born in
Copenhagen and grew up on the island of
Amager
Amager ( or, especially among older speakers, ) in the Øresund is Denmark's most densely populated island, with more than 212,000 inhabitants (January 2021) a small appendage to Zealand. The protected natural area of ''Naturpark Amager'' (includi ...
, which is part of the city, the child of two teachers. Later he studied English and literature, in Copenhagen and for a year in the US at
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nin ...
.
His breakthrough was in 1958 with the novel ''Den kroniske Uskyld''. It was made into a film in 1985, directed by Edward Fleming. From that time on he published more than 100 novels as well as poetry and short story collections, plays, TV and radio plays, film scripts, children's books and diaries. Rifbjerg is also known for having been a journalist and critic. Along with
Villy Sørensen, he was editor of the publication ''
Vindrosen'', and from 1984 to 1991 he was the literary director of
Gyldendal
Gyldendalske Boghandel, Nordisk Forlag A/S, usually referred to simply as Gyldendal () is a Danish publishing house.
Founded in 1770 by Søren Gyldendal, it is the oldest and largest publishing house in Denmark, offering a wide selection of ...
.
Among other honors, he was awarded the
Swedish Academy Nordic Prize (1999), known as the 'little Nobel';
The Nordic Council's Literature Prize (1970), the
Rungstedlund Award (2009) and the
grand prize
A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements. of the
Danish Academy
Danish Academy is an independent organisation founded in 1960 by a circle of Denmark, Danish intellectuals "to promote Danish esprit and language, especially within the field of literature". It has up to 20 members, currently 18, and is based at R ...
(1966).
Rifbjerg has been seen as the first true modernist author in Danish, as he became increasingly more experimental though the 1960s, culminating with ''
Anna (jeg) Anna''. Many of his works from 1970 and some 25 years on are seen as being looser in scope and composition, often humorous or sarcastic, often leaving the protagonist chaotically alone with his or her existential and psychological hangups, subtly exemplifying modernism as the breakdown of the normality of the bourgeoisie. A principal theme is the portrayal of children and their difficulties establishing their own identity. Rifbjerg's works from the 2000s opened a new line of inspiration: historic events.
On 4 April 2015 Rifbjerg died in Copenhagen after a long illness, aged 83.
/ref>
Works
* ''Under vejr med mig selv'' (1956)
* ''Efterkrig'' (1957)
* ''Den kroniske uskyld'' (1958)
* ''Konfrontation'' (1960)
* ''Og andre historier'' (1964)
* ''Operaelskeren'' (1966)
* ''Lonni og Karl'' (1968)
* '' Anna (jeg) Anna'' (1969)
* ''Lena Jørgensen Klintevej 4 2650 Hvidovre'' (1971)
* ''Tak for turen'' (1975)
* ''De hellige aber'' (1981); English translation '' Witness to the Future'' by Steven T. Murray (1987)
* ''Falsk forår'' (1984)
* '' Tukuma'' (1984)
* ''Krigen'' (1991); English translation ''War'' by Steven T. Murray & Tiina Nunnally
Tiina Nunnally (born August 7, 1952) is an American author and translator.
Early life and education
Nunnally was born in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and St. Louis Park, Minnesota. She was an AFS exchange student to ...
(1995)
* ''Nansen og Johansen'' (2002)
* ''Knastørre digte/Strohtrockene Gedichte'' (2009); German translation by , edited by Paul Alfred Kleinert
References
External links
Bibliografi profileDanmarks Radio clips
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rifbjerg, Klaus
Danish male poets
1931 births
2015 deaths
Nordic Council Literature Prize winners
Recipients of the Grand Prize of the Danish Academy
Danish male novelists
20th-century Danish poets
21st-century Danish poets
20th-century Danish novelists
21st-century Danish novelists
Danish male short story writers
Writers from Copenhagen
20th-century Danish short story writers
21st-century Danish short story writers
20th-century Danish male writers
21st-century Danish male writers
Critics employed by Politiken