''The Fishermen'' ( da, Fiskerne) is a 1928 Danish novel by

Hans Kirk Hans Kirk (11 January 1898 – 16 June 1962) was a Danish lawyer, journalist and celebrated author, who penned the best-selling novel of all-time in his native Denmark, '' The Fishermen'' (1928). From 1926 to 1928 he was among the contributors of ...

, based on the true story of the conflict between the residents of the town of

Gjøl Gjøl is a town on the north coast of the Limfjord in North Jutland, Denmark. It is located in Jammerbugt Municipality, west of Aalborg, extending along the base of a glacial moraine. The shallow part of the fjord to the west of the ridge, Gjøl ...

and a group of fishermen who moved there from the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

coast. The novel is based on a true story, and concerns the conflict between the newcomers, who observe a stricter form of Christian faith, and the existing residents. Kirk had a connection to the area through his father, and wrote the book while living at the old inn in the town, Gjøl Kro.Morten Pedersen
"Gjøl fishermen hung out to dry?"
1001 Fortællinger om Danmark,

Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces The Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces ( da, Slots- og Kulturstyrelsen) is an agency under the aegis of the Danish Ministry of Culture. The agency carries out the cultural policies of the Danish government within the visual and performing arts, ...

, retrieved 20 June 2017. It caused consternation in the town, but has sold more than 400,000 copies, more than any other books in Denmark except the Bible and the hymn book."Introduction", Hans Kirk, ''The Fishermen'', 2000, , p. v. It was Kirk's first novel, and in 1931 the Danish parliament awarded him an artist's stipend based on it. The novel was adapted for radio in 1935, with Kirk as co-writer, and for television as a six-hour

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...

by DR in 1977 (rebroadcast in 1987).

References

1928 Danish novels Danish novels adapted into films Novels adapted into radio programs Novels adapted into television shows Novels set in Denmark {{Denmark-stub