Sonja Hauberg (1918–1947) was a Danish writer who is remembered mainly as a

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

. After initially writing poems and short stories, she made her promising book debut in 1942 with ''Hvad vil du mig?''. Her most successful work was ''Syv Aar for Lea'' (Seven years for Lea, 1944), a puberty novel which was republished several times by 1980 and most recently in 2019. A member of the Danish Communist Party, she died when only 27 after contracting

typhus Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposure. ...

at a writers' convention she had organized in Finland.

Early life and family

Born on 5 March 1918 in the

Frederiksberg Frederiksberg () is a part of the Capital Region of Denmark. It is formally an independent municipality, Frederiksberg Municipality, separate from Copenhagen Municipality, but both are a part of the City of Copenhagen. It occupies an area of ...

district of Copenhagen, Sonja Hauberg was the daughter of the architect (1883–1956) and his wife Anna née Giersing (1888–1977), sister of the painter

Harald Giersing Harald Giersing (24 April 1881 – 15 January 1927) was a Danish painter. He was instrumental in developing the classic modernism movement in Denmark around 1910-1920. He is remembered as one of Denmark's most important 20th-century artists both f ...

. After matriculating from Ordrup Gymnasium in 1937. she studied Danish literature at the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...

. In July 1938, she married the diplomat Vagn Hoffmeyer Hoelgaard. The marriage was dissolved in 1941. In July 1945, she married the painter

Richard Mortensen Richard Mortensen (23 October 1910 – 6 January 1993) was a Danish painter. Biography Richard Strange Mortensen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. He studied between 1931 and 1932 at the Royal Danish Academy of Art in Copenhagen. Influenced by the ...

. Together they had a son

Finn Hauberg Mortensen Finn Hauberg Mortensen (26 July 1946 – 21 February 2013) was a Danish literature researcher and Professor of Nordic Literature at Odense University. He was the son of the artist Richard Mortensen and the author Sonja Hauberg. From 1970-1974, h ...

(1946) who became a Nordic literature researcher.

Career

While still a student, Hauberg published poems, short stories and sketches in the periodical '' Vild Hvede'' and contributed articles to daily newspapers. Together with the poerts

Tove Ditlevsen Tove Irma Margit Ditlevsen (14 December 1917 – 7 March 1976) was a Danish poet and author. With published works in a variety of genres, she was one of Denmark's best-known authors by the time of her death. Life Tove Ditlevsen was born i ...

, Morten Nielsen and Piet Hein, she was a member of the Unge Kustnernes Klub (Youg Artists Club). During the Second World War, she contributed to poetry published by the

Danish resistance The Danish resistance movements ( da, Den danske modstandsbevægelse) were an underground insurgency to resist the German occupation of Denmark during World War II. Due to the initially lenient arrangements, in which the Nazi occupation autho ...

. In 1942, she published her first novel ''Hvad vil du mig?'' (What do you want of me?), about a female student's mental breakdown. Much more successful was ''Syv Aaår for Lea'', vividly based on how the loss of her own childhood led to alienation as she attended secondary school and encountered city life. It traces the life of Ruth, first living with her family in the countryside, then as a student of mathematics in Copenhagen who also travels to Norway. It became even more popular after winning ''

Politiken ''Politiken'' is a leading Danish daily broadsheet newspaper, published by JP/Politikens Hus in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was founded in 1884 and played a role in the formation of the Danish Social Liberal Party. Since 1970 it has been independe ...

's Kunstnerpris (Artist Award) in 1945. The book has been republished several times, most recently in 2019. Hauberg's works all feature a woman who is amorously attracted by two men, a friend and a lover. This is also true of her play ''Ebbe Skammelsøn'' which shortly after Denmark's liberation was performed at Frederiksberg Teater in June 1945. Depicting a lost friend killed in the resistance, her last work, the symbolic novel ''April'', was published posthumously in 1961 and has been described as her ''mærkeligste bog'' (strangest book). It was published together with a moving postscript in poetic prose which she wrote on her deathbed, ending "Véd I hvor stille et Hjerte er naar det dør" (Do you know how quiet a heart is when it dies).

Death

An active member of the Danish Communist Party, in 1947 she helped to organize a writer's meeting in Finland together with participants from the Nordic countries and the Soviet Union. While away, she contracted typhus. After an extended stay in hospital, she died in Copenhagen on 2 August 1947. In his ''Danske Digtere i det 20. århundrede'' (Danish Poets of the 20th Century, 1980), her son Finn Hauberg Mortensen includes a chapter on her life.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hauberg, Sonja 1918 births 1947 deaths People from Frederiksberg 20th-century Danish writers 20th-century Danish women writers Danish novelists Danish women novelists University of Copenhagen alumni Danish communists