I was born on the 20th of January, 1873, in a village in
North Jutland, the second son of the district veterinary surgeon, H. Jensen, a
descendant on both sides of farmers and craftsmen. In 1893, at the age of twenty,
I graduated from the Cathedral School of Viborg, and subsequently studied medicine
for three years at the University of Copenhagen. I earned my living by my pen
until it became necessary for me to choose between further studies and literature.
The grounding in natural sciences which I obtained in the course of my medical
studies, including preliminary examinations in botany, zoology, physics, and chemistry,
was to become decisive in determining the trend of my literary work.
My literary career began near the turn of the century with the publication of
Himmerlandshistorier (1898-1910) [Himmerland Stories], comprising a series
of tales set in that part of Denmark where I was born. This was followed in the
years up to 1944 by «legends» and«myths» representing
literary forms I have particularly liked, and of which nine volumes have appeared
(Myter, 1907-45 [Myths]). I have also written poetry, a few plays, and
many essays, chiefly on anthropology and the philosophy of evolution.
For many years I was engaged in journalism, writing articles and chronicles for
the daily press without ever joining the staff of any newspaper. Nor have I ever
belonged to any political party. After extensive journeys to the East, to Malaya
and China, and several visits to the United States, I inspired a change in the
Danish literature and press by introducing English and American vigour, which
was to replace the then dominant trend of decadent Gallicism. The essence of my
literary work is to be found in my collection of poems, which may be regarded
as a reaction against the fastidious style of the day bearing Baudelaire's poisonous
hall-mark. My poems represented a turn to simple style and sound subject matter
(Digte, 1904-41, 1943 [Poems]).
A probing analysis of the
problems of evolution forms the basis of my prose. During half a century of literary
work, I have endeavoured to introduce the philosophy of evolution into the sphere
of literature, and to inspire my readers to think in evolutionary terms. I was
prompted to do this because of the misinterpretation and distortion of Darwinism
at the end of the 19th century. The concept of the Übermensch had
disastrous consequences in that it led to two world wars, and was destroyed only
with the collapse of Germany in 1945. In the course of opposing this fallacious
doctrine, I have arrived at a new interpretation of the theory of evolution and
its moral implications.
Biographical note on Johannes V. Jensen
Johannes V. Jensen (1873-1950) developed his theories of evolution in a cycle of six novels, Den lange rejse (1908-22) [The Long Journey], which was published in a two-volume edition in 1938.
From Nobel Lectures, Literature 1901-1967, Editor Horst Frenz, Elsevier Publishing Company, Amsterdam, 1969
This autobiography/biography was written at the time of the award and later published in the book series Les Prix Nobel/Nobel Lectures. The information is sometimes updated with an addendum submitted by the Laureate. To cite this document, always state the source as shown above.
Johannes V. Jensen died on November 25, 1950.