Carl Erik Soya
Encyclopedia
Carl Erik Soya, also known by the single appellation Soya, was a Danish
author
and dramatist. His works were often satirical provocations against double-standards and dishonesty. In 1975, Soya received Denmark's foremost literary award, The Danish Academy's Grand Prize.
, Denmark
on October 30, 1896, the son of the painter and professor Carl Martin Soya-Jensen. His parents died when he was a young boy. The inheritance he received provided Soya with financial independence and enabled him to pursue a career as a writer. In 1915, Soya entered the Metropolitan School in Copenhagen, and received his diploma the following year. He began his career as a freelance journalist for Vore Damer (Our Ladies) writing under the American pseudonyms Lillian D. Green, Martin Arrowhead, and Joseph W. French. In 1920, he changed his name to the single appellation, Soya.
in 1945.
Soya was the first Danish dramatist to attack fascism when he wrote the satirical farce Umbabumba skifter forfatning in 1935. Then during World War II, in 1942, he wrote En Gæst (A Guest) another sharp satire aimed against the German occupation of Denmark, for which he received a 60 day prison sentence. In 1943, he continued his attack with the satire Min Farmors Hus (made into the 1984 film Grandmother's House), and again Soya was sent to prison by the German authorities. After his release from the Horserød Work Camp, Soya went to the State Ministry and gave the National Censor Karl Eskelund a “box on the ear.” He then fled to Sweden.
Soya was a prolific writer and published in a variety of forms including novels, short stories, poems, stage plays, teleplays and collections of aphorisms. Several of his works have been adapted to screen including the 1965 coming-of-age sex comedy Sytten
(Erik Soya's '17') and the 1948 romantic drama Jenny and the Soldier
which won the Bodil Award for Best Danish Film
. During his life, Soya was supported by more than 20 grants and prizes. In 1975, Soya was awarded the Grand Prize from the Det Danske Academi, the foremost literary prize in Denmark.
, Denmark.
in 1948, the 1971 Ingenio et Arti Medal
and the 1975 Grand Prize from The Danish Academy.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and dramatist. His works were often satirical provocations against double-standards and dishonesty. In 1975, Soya received Denmark's foremost literary award, The Danish Academy's Grand Prize.
Early life
Carl Erik Martin Soya-Jensen was born in CopenhagenCopenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
on October 30, 1896, the son of the painter and professor Carl Martin Soya-Jensen. His parents died when he was a young boy. The inheritance he received provided Soya with financial independence and enabled him to pursue a career as a writer. In 1915, Soya entered the Metropolitan School in Copenhagen, and received his diploma the following year. He began his career as a freelance journalist for Vore Damer (Our Ladies) writing under the American pseudonyms Lillian D. Green, Martin Arrowhead, and Joseph W. French. In 1920, he changed his name to the single appellation, Soya.
Career
Soya published his first book in 1923 – a collection of philosophical stories titled Kvinderne i Persian (The Women of Persia) – which revealed his satirical style and quickly earned him a reputation as a provocateur. In 1929, Soya wrote his first stage play, Parasitterne (The Parasites), which was later produced at the Royal Danish TheatreRoyal Danish Theatre
The Royal Danish Theatre is both the national Danish performing arts institution and a name used to refer to its old purpose-built venue from 1874 located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The theatre was founded in 1748, first serving as the theatre of the king, and then as the theatre of the...
in 1945.
Soya was the first Danish dramatist to attack fascism when he wrote the satirical farce Umbabumba skifter forfatning in 1935. Then during World War II, in 1942, he wrote En Gæst (A Guest) another sharp satire aimed against the German occupation of Denmark, for which he received a 60 day prison sentence. In 1943, he continued his attack with the satire Min Farmors Hus (made into the 1984 film Grandmother's House), and again Soya was sent to prison by the German authorities. After his release from the Horserød Work Camp, Soya went to the State Ministry and gave the National Censor Karl Eskelund a “box on the ear.” He then fled to Sweden.
Soya was a prolific writer and published in a variety of forms including novels, short stories, poems, stage plays, teleplays and collections of aphorisms. Several of his works have been adapted to screen including the 1965 coming-of-age sex comedy Sytten
Sytten
Sytten is a 1965 Danish coming-of-age sex comedy directed by Annelise Meineche and starring Ole Søltoft and Ghita Nørby. Søltoft plays a 17-year-old high school student who discovers the youthful excesses of sexual desire during his summer vacation in 1913...
(Erik Soya's '17') and the 1948 romantic drama Jenny and the Soldier
Jenny and the Soldier
Jenny and the Soldier is a 1947 Danish dramatic film written and directed by Johan Jacobsen. The black-and-white film is based on a stage play written by Danish playwright Carl Erik Soya. The gritty romantic drama received critical praise for its authentic portrayal of everyday life...
which won the Bodil Award for Best Danish Film
Bodil Award for Best Danish Film
The Bodil Award for Best Danish Film is one of the categories for the Bodil Awards presented annually by the Danish Union of Film Critics . It was created in 1948 and is one of the oldest film prizes in Europe. The judging committee can decide not to give out the award if no deserving films are...
. During his life, Soya was supported by more than 20 grants and prizes. In 1975, Soya was awarded the Grand Prize from the Det Danske Academi, the foremost literary prize in Denmark.
Personal life
Soya was married in 1919 with Esther Sættem but they divorced two years later. He married a second time in 1925 with Agnes Augusta Zaar. He died on November 10, 1983 at the age of 87 and was buried in a common grave at Mariebjerg Church Cemetery in GentofteGentofte
Gentofte Kommune is a municipality in the Capital Region of Denmark on the east coast of the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark. The municipality covers an area of , and has a total population of 68,913...
, Denmark.
Awards and grants
Soya was the recipient of numerous monetary prizes. Among his greatest awards were a knighthood in the Order of the DannebrogOrder of the Dannebrog
The Order of the Dannebrog is an Order of Denmark, instituted in 1671 by Christian V. It resulted from a move in 1660 to break the absolutism of the nobility. The Order was only to comprise 50 noble Knights in one class plus the Master of the Order, i.e. the Danish monarch, and his sons...
in 1948, the 1971 Ingenio et Arti Medal
Ingenio et Arti
Ingenio et Arti is a Danish medal awarded to prominent Danish and foreign scientists and artists. The honour, a personal award of the Monarch, was instituted by King Christian VIII in 1841 and could be awarded to women as well as men.The medal is awarded irregularly, on average less than twice per...
and the 1975 Grand Prize from The Danish Academy.
- 1931 Emma Bærentzen Grant
- 1937 Astrid Goldschmidt Grant
- 1940 Holger Drachmann Grant
- 1940 The Ancker Grant
- 1945 Jeanne and Henri Nathansen Grant
- 1947 Otto Benzon Writer's Grant
- 1947 Holberg Medal
- 1948 Order of the Dannebrog
- 1949 Henrik Pontoppidan Memorial Grant
- 1950 Herman Bang Memorial Grant
- 1952 Tørsleff & Co Literary Honor
- 1954 Jeanne and Henri Nathansen Memorial Grant
- 1956 Colleague Prize for Blodrødt og blegrødt
- 1961 Adam Oehlenschläger Grant
- 1962 Alexander Foss Award
- 1963 Jeanne and Henri Nathansen Memorial Grant
- 1968 Johannes Ewald Grant
- 1971 Ingenio et Arti MedalIngenio et ArtiIngenio et Arti is a Danish medal awarded to prominent Danish and foreign scientists and artists. The honour, a personal award of the Monarch, was instituted by King Christian VIII in 1841 and could be awarded to women as well as men.The medal is awarded irregularly, on average less than twice per...
- 1971 Otto Rung Writer's Grant
- 1975 The Danish Academy Grand Prize
- 1978 Adam Oehlenschläger Grant
Further reading
- Den Danske Film Database (In Danish)