Niels Ingwersen (May 18, 1935 - November 14, 2009) was a Danish scholar in Scandinavian Studies and a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison."On the death of Professor Emeritus Niels Ingwerson"
University of Wisconsin–Madison. Retrieved 13 February 2013. His courses on

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fairy tales, consisti ...

were particularly popular.

Early life

Born in Horsens, Denmark, Ingwersen studied Scandinavian literature at the University of Copenhagen,

Stockholm University Stockholm University ( sv, Stockholms universitet) is a public research university in Stockholm, Sweden, founded as a college in 1878, with university status since 1960. With over 33,000 students at four different faculties: law, humanities, so ...

and the University of Oslo. When in Oslo, he met an American student, Faith Boswell Sloniger, whom he married in Tybjerg, near Næstved, Denmark, in 1961.

Career

In the early 1960s, Ingwersen and his wife moved to the United States, first spending a year at the University of Chicago and then, after he completed his studies in Denmark, the couple moved to

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

in 1965 where he joined the Department of Scandinavian Studies as an assistant professor, becoming a full professor in 1973.Susan C. Brantly, "Niels Ingwersen: An Appreciation"
in "The Nordic Storyteller", ''Cambridge Scholars Publishing''. Retrieved 13 February 2013. He was a key member of the faculty, chairing Scandinavian Studies and Folklore several times and serving as president of the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Studies Department (SASS) from 1969–1971. He was also visiting professor at the universities of Odense and

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...

and at the University of California, Los Angeles. His multimedia course on Hans Christian Andersen attracted a record 873 students, later being offered through the university's public television extension. He served almost 40 years at Madison, retiring in 2003."In Memoriam"
''SASS News and Notes'', Vol. 36, No. 3, December 2009. Retrieved 13 February 2013. In addition to Hans Christian Andersen, Ingwersen's regular courses included

Søren Kierkegaard Søren Aabye Kierkegaard ( , , ; 5 May 1813 – 11 November 1855) was a Danish theologian, philosopher, poet, social critic, and religious author who is widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopher. He wrote critical texts on ...

as well as special attention to ballads and

folktale A folktale or folk tale is a folklore genre that typically consists of a story passed down from generation to generation orally. Folktale may also refer to: Categories of stories * Folkloric tale from oral tradition * Fable (written form of the a ...

s, addressing more than 15,000 students over the years. From 1985 to 1990, together with his wife, Ingwersen edited the prestigious North-American journal ''Scandinavian Studies''.

Assessment

In the ''Festschrift'' in honour of Ingwersen's retirement, Susan Brantly commented: "Niels possesses the rare talent of making complex issues seem simple, and the backbone of his teaching method is telling stories that engage students and get the message across."

Works

* * * * *

Awards

Ingwersen was awarded the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known a ...

in 1997 for promoting Danish literature and culture in the United States. He also received several awards for excellence in teaching and for his courses at Wisconsin-Madison.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ingwersen, Niels Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog Danish male writers Danish emigrants to the United States University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty 1935 births 2009 deaths Scandinavian studies scholars People from Horsens