Karen Margrethe "Kamma" Rahbek, née ''Heger'' (19 October 1775 – 21 January 1829) was a Danish writer,

salonist A salon is a gathering of people held by an inspiring host. During the gathering they amuse one another and increase their knowledge through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "ei ...

and lady of letters.

Biography

Karen Margrethe Rahbek was born in

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 a ...

, Denmark. She was the daughter of the official Hans Heger (1747–1819) and Anne Louise Drewsen (1751–1799). She grew up in a wealthy home in

Nørregade Nørregade (literally "North Street") is a street in central Copenhagen, Denmark, linking Gammeltorv in the south with Nørre Voldgade in the north. Landmarks in the street include Church of Our Lady, Bispegården, St. Peter's Church and Folk ...

. She received a broad based education and could speak several languages including German, French, Spanish, Latin, Greek and Italian. In 1798, she married the writer

Knud Lyne Rahbek Knud Lyne Rahbek (18 December 1760 – 22 April 1830) was a Danish literary historian, critic, writer, poet and magazine editor. Biography Knud Lyne Rahbek was the son of clergyman . He had always wanted to become an actor. In his youth he tri ...

(1760–1830). Her husband was a writer, poet, literary historian and magazine editor. Her salon at Bakkehuset became a cultural centre and the gathering place for the writers of the Danish Golden age and was considered the salon of the middle class in contrast to the more aristocratic

Friederike Brun Friederike Brun, née ''Münther'' (3 June 1765 – 25 March 1835), was a Danish author and salonist. She was married to the affluent merchant Constantin Brun and during the Danish Golden Age of the first half of the 19th century she arranged lite ...

and Charlotte Schimmelmann. Among her guests were Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger, who was married to her sister Christiane Oehlenschläger (1782-1841). Other notable visitors included

Jens Baggesen Jens Immanuel Baggesen (15 February 1764 – 3 October 1826) was a major Danish poet, librettist, critic, and comic writer. Life Baggesen was born at Korsør on the Danish island of Zealand on February 15, 1764. His parents were very po ...

, Sophie Ørsted,

Poul Martin Møller Poul Martin Møller (21 March 1794 – 13 March 1838) was a Danish academic, writer, and poet. During his lifetime, he gained renown in Denmark for his poetry. After his death, his posthumously published fiction and philosophical writings were wel ...

, N. F. S. Grundtvig, B. S. Ingemann, H. C. Andersen, Peter Oluf Brøndsted and Johan Ludvig Heiberg. Rahbek befriended the writers of the Romantic style, while her spouse preferred the moralists. Kamma Rahbek was also a diligent writer. Several of her letters and memories have been published. She died in 1829 at

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 ...

and was buried in

Frederiksberg Ældre Kirkegård Frederiksberg Ældre Kirkegård is a cemetery in Frederiksberg, Copenhagen. It was established in 1734 behind Frederiksberg Church. Burials * C.F. Gerner Andersen * Kai Normann Andersen * Peter Andersen * Christian Augustinus * Ludvig August ...

In popular culture

* Kamma Rahbek (

Karen Lykkehus Karen Lykkehus (22 October 1904 – 25 October 1992) was a Danish actress. She worked on the stage at the Det Ny Theater from 1928 to 1930 and Frederiksberg Theater. Lykkehus entered film in 1933 in '' De blaa drenge'' in which she starred al ...

) appears in ''

Jeg har elsket og levet ''Jeg har el sket og levet'' is a 1940 Danish family film directed by George Schnéevoigt. The film stars Erling Schroeder and Johannes Meyer. Cast * Erling Schroeder as C.E.F. Weyse * Ellen Gottschalch as Henriette Frisch * Johannes Meyer ...

'', a 1940 romantic musical about the composer C. E. F. Weyse directed by

George Schnéevoigt George Schnéevoigt (born Fritz Ernst Georg Fischer; 23 December 1893 – 6 February 1961) was a Danish film director, cinematographer, and actor of the 1910s to early 1940s. Schnéevoigt was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 23 December 1893 t ...

, Kamma Rahbek. * In 2011, øøKamma'', a biographical novel by Maria Helleberg, was published. * Her

silhouette A silhouette ( , ) is the image of a person, animal, object or scene represented as a solid shape of a single colour, usually black, with its edges matching the outline of the subject. The interior of a silhouette is featureless, and the silhou ...

is used as the logo for Wikipedia's Women in Red initiative.

References

Other sources

* Knud Lyne Rahbek: ''Erindringer af mit liv'' (Copenhagen: Jens Hostrup Schultz) 5 volumes published between 1824-29

External links

Bakkehusmuseet website

Source
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rahbek, Kamma 1775 births 1829 deaths 18th-century Danish writers 19th-century Danish writers Danish salon-holders 18th-century Danish women writers 19th-century Danish women writers writers from Copenhagen Danish socialites

Biography

In popular culture

See also

References

Other sources

Related reading

External links