Niels Lyhne

As one of the great authors of the Danish language, Jens Peter Jacobsen body of work is small, including just two novels, seven short stories, and a volume of poetry. Considered his masterpiece, "Niels Lyhne" follows the struggles of an aspiring poet. Torn between a childishly idealized vision of the world and the more practical demands of adulthood in the modern world, the titular Niels's struggle is one of faith versus reason, of romanticism versus realism, and ultimately one of loneliness in a godless world. As a foundational work of the Naturalist literary movement "Niels Lyhne" greatly influenced the works of Henrik Ibsen, Hermann Hesse, Thomas Mann, and Rainer Maria Rilke; and firmly established Jens Peter Jacobsen in the history of Danish literature.