poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...
,
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 ...
,
literary critic
Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. Th ...
and
journalist
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...
.
Life and work
Kristensen was born in London to Danish parents, but grew up 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 ar ...
and was educated 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 ...
.
Kristensen is considered one of the most colourful poets of his generation. His two collections of poems ''Fribytterdrømme'' (1920, "Freebooter Dreams") and ''Mirakler'' (1922, "Miracles") are classics of Danish expressionism, marked by revolutionary artistic enthusiasm and restlessness. ''Påfuglefjeren'' (1922, "The Peacock Feather") which is inspired by a journey to China, is deeper and more sombre, especially the poem ''Henrettelsen'' ("The Execution") that is depicting a man's intense powers of observation just before he is beheaded, which can be considered a
modernist
Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...
manifesto. The contemporary novel ''Livets Arabesk'' (1921 – "The Arabesque of Life") is a revolutionary futuristic fantasy in expressionist form. He started his career as a literary reviewer and critic in ''
Tilskueren
''Tilskueren'' (Danish: ''The Spectator'') was a monthly cultural and literary magazine published in Copenhagen, Denmark, between 1884 and 1939. It was continuation of another magazine, ''Det nittende Aarhundrede'' (Danish: ''the Nineteenth Cent ...
'' in May 1923.
In 1930 he published perhaps his most well-known work, the novel ''Hærværk'' (literally: ''Vandalism'', published in English as ''Havoc'' in 1968). ''Hærværk'' is the story of Danish journalist Ole Jastrau who is driven to self-destruction by drinking himself to death. Apart from its presumed autobiographical character, it probably reflects the intellectual, political and personal crises of many writers and artists between the
World Wars
A world war is an international conflict which involves all or most of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World WarI (1914 ...
. A poem from this novel, ''Angst'' ("Fear"), with its fascination with
disaster
A disaster is a serious problem occurring over a short or long period of time that causes widespread human, material, economic or environmental loss which exceeds the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources ...
, has become a classic. The book is also considered one of the best literary Danish-language depictions of
alcoholism
Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...
.
During the 1930s, Kristensen concentrated on commemorative poems, of which he was a master – many are found in ''Mod den yderste Rand'' (1936, "Against the furthest Edge") and ''Digte i Døgnet'' (1940, "Poems a Day"). A final collection of poems ''Den sidste Lygte'' (1954, "The last Lamp") parades the themes of his writings.
Besides being a writer of fiction, Kristensen was a sharp and outstanding
critic
A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governmen ...
, and for thirty years he worked as a reviewer, mostly at the radical-liberal daily
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 ...
. As a critic he was lauded for his ability to enter into the spirit of his subject. He also wrote many collections of
essays
An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal a ...
and travel books − most famously ''En Kavaler i Spanien'' (1927, "A Gentleman in Spain").
''A Gentleman in Spain''
''En kavaler i Spanien'' (''A Gentleman in Spain'') is a travel account of one of Kristensen's journeys. It is written in an expressionistic style and is thus a very subjective account. The book follows Tom Kristensen on his journey through Spain in the 1920s. He writes about the various sights, and about the people who he meets on the trip. He also describes his impression of bullfighting. The book contains many poems that were written on the journey. He meets fellow travellers, as well as a thief, all the while trying desperately to learn the Spanish language. In the end he longs for his home in Denmark, the books last sentence being "I have to flee".
Kristensen is one of the most important Danish lyricists of the 20th Century. His restless spirit and fascination with
bullfighting
Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations.
There are several variations, including some forms wh ...
has drawn comparisons with
Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fi ...
.
Kristensen's final years were spent on the island of
Thurø
Thurø is a small Danish island in the south-east of Funen and belongs to the Svendborg municipality. Thurø is part of the South Funen Archipelago, comprising c. 55 islands altogether. The island had 3,555 inhabitants .
Connected to Svendborg ...
near
Svendborg
Svendborg () is a town on the island of Funen in south-central Denmark, and the seat of Svendborg Municipality. With a population of 27,300 (1 January 2022), Svendborg is Funen's second largest city.Nordisk Books
*Tom Kristensen: ''The Land called Atlantis. A Symbol.'' Transl. by W. Glyn Jones (in: Danish literary Magazine. – no. 5 (1993). (English translation of a famous poem from 1920).
Works about the author
*Michael S. Byram: ''Tom Kristensen''. Boston 1982.