Read this when
Niels Lyhne
The novel Rilke told a young poet to keep next to the Bible: grief, doubt, and facing death with your eyes open. 🌫️
Who it's for
Jacobsen immerses the reader in Niels's lyrical, melancholy inner life as he loses person after person: his aunt Edele, his mother, the love he shares with Fennimore, his young wife Gerda and then their small son.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Jens Peter Jacobsen's 1880 Danish novel follows Niels Lyhne from a dreamy childhood, in which his mother hopes he will become a poet, through his abandonment of religious faith and a series of losses. He loves his cousin Fennimore, who marries his friend Erik, and later marries the younger Gerda, with whom he has a son; when Gerda falls gravely ill she turns back to faith and calls for a pastor.
Where to find it
Public domain in the US in its 1880 Danish original and older English translations (e.g., Hanna Astrup Larsen's 1919 version), which can be found free online. Tiina Nunnally's translation in print (Pe.
Before you start
Heads up: Death of a young child and many losses.
Age: Ages 16+
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.Matthew 5:4, Matthew 5:4
