Søren Ulrik Thomsen (born 8 May 1956) is 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 ...

poet. His debut was ''City Slang'', 1981.

Life

Søren Ulrik Thomsen was born in 1956 in

Kalundborg Kalundborg () is a Danish city with a population of 16,211 (1 January 2022),Store Heddinge, Stevns, south of

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

, where he went to school together with another Danish poet, Jens Fink-Jensen from 1968 to 1972. During his childhood he often heard readings of literature and sang evening songs. This early exposure to the rhythm and poetry of language influenced his later writing. In school he became familiar with the songs of B.S.Ingemann, a poet who has had significant influence on Thomsen's poetry. He moved with his family to Copenhagen at sixteen and enrolled in secondary school at Rysensteen and, after being expelled, at Det Frie Gymnasium, where he completed his upper secondary education, making him eligible for university studies. His encounter with Copenhagen influenced his early poetry, and was reflected in themes such as the strangeness and loneliness of the big city. Søren Ulrik Thomsen studied comparative 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 ...

, but prioritized writing poetry rather than completing his degree. His debut was in the review Hvedekorn (Wheatgrain) in 1977.

Publishing and style

His first collection of poetry was ''City Slang'' (

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

; this and other links to years are to the corresponding "

ear An ear is the organ that enables hearing and, in mammals, body balance using the vestibular system. In mammals, the ear is usually described as having three parts—the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The outer ear consists of ...

in-poetry" articles). It is poetry about human alienation in a city. In 1984, the Danish singer Lars H.U.G. scored these poems on an album of the same title, expanding Thomsen's audience. Thomsen's collections of poetry City Slang, ''Ukendt under den samme måne'' ("Unknown Under the Same Moon";

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

) and ''New poems'' (

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

) belonged to the group of 80s poets who were reacting against the political poets of the seventies. The 80s poets, which included

Michael Strunge Michael Strunge Jensen (19 June 1958 – 9 March 1986) was a Denmark, Danish poet. He is regarded as perhaps the most influential Danish postmodern poet, and his works are among the most studied poems in Denmark. As a member of the original circle ...

, was focused on the body, sensations, and existential subjects in a tight, minimalistic language. Later Thomsen published ''Hjemfalden'' (

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

), ''Det skabtes vaklen'' ("The Shaking of Creation",""
, blog post, March 6, 2009, "CLA blog" ("College of Liberal Arts"), University of Minnesota website, retrieved January 1, 2009 1996) and ''Det værste og det bedste,'' illustrated by Ib Spang Olsen, (

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

). With these collections he moved away from the school 80s poets and establishes himself as a poet with a truly individual expression. Søren Ulrik Thomsen is interested in great existential human conditions such as death and loneliness, creation and destruction. His poems in Hjemfalden are rhythmic arabesques, which comes through strongly in his public readings. He has also published two poetics, where he tries to define the essence of poetry and what happens in the process of creating a poem, ''Mit lys brænder. Omrids af en ny poetik'' ("In My Candle Burns: Outline of a New Poetics",

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

) and ''En dans på gloser, essays'' ("Dancing Attendance on the Word," 1996). As a writer Søren Ulrik Thomsen also participates in public debate and has published a book of essays with Frederik Stjernfeldt, ''Kritik af den negative opbyggelighed.'' His books have always enjoyed a great deal of attention as the subject of numerous books and essays, and he is seen as one of the more significant Danish contemporary poets. He was the focus of the only conference (as of 2009) ever devoted to a living Danish writer. Søren Ulrik Thomsen's poetry has been translated in the book ''Selected Poetry'', based on poems from ''Hjemfalden'' and ''Det skabtes vaklen''.Søren Ulrik Thomsen: Selected Poems. Translated by Susanna Nied. Meeting Eyes Bindery 1999.

Awards

* 1985 –

Otto Gelsted Prize The Otto Gelsted Prize (''Otto Gelsted-prisen'') is a Danish literary award which was founded in 1970 by the Otto Gelsted Memorial Fund (''Otto Gelsteds Mindefond''), heir of the Danish author Otto Gelsted (1888–1968). The prize is awarded annua ...

* 2015 –

Søren Gyldendal Prize The Søren Gyldendal Prize (Danish: ''Søren Gyldendal-Prisen'') is a Danish literary award, which was established in 1958 by Gyldendal Publishing House. The prize is awarded annually on 12 April, the anniversary of the birthday of Søren Gyldend ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomsen, Soren Ulrik 21st-century Danish poets Danish male poets University of Copenhagen alumni People from Kalundborg 1956 births Living people 20th-century Danish poets 20th-century Danish male writers 21st-century Danish male writers