Ernst Immanuel Cohen Brandes
Encyclopedia
Ernst Immanuel Cohen Brandes (1 February 1844 - 6 August 1892) was a Danish
economist, writer, and newspaper editor best known for editing the Kjøbenhavns Børs-Tidende, which published articles written by leading Danish men of letters, including future Nobel Prize
winner Henrik Pontoppidan
, during a period later hailed as the Modern Breakthrough
in Danish literature
.
Outraged by his politicized blasphemy
conviction for an article anonymously written by Pontoppidan for the Kjøbenhavns Børs-Tidende in 1889, Brandes committed suicide
in 1892.
on 1 February 1844, some two years after his elder brother Georg Brandes
and three years before the youngest, Edvard
.
Trained as an economist
, Brandes spent much of the energies of his brief life on economic and social questions. The chief objects of Brandes' attack in his 1885 Samfundssporgsmaal were the population theories of Thomas Malthus
and theory of value
advanced by David Ricardo
. Though prominent as a social liberal, Brandes reserved part of Samfundssporgsmaal for a critique of the Marxist movement
.
Brandes came to write for the Politiken
, which Edvard had helped to found in 1884, before editing his own newspaper, the Kjøbenhavns Børs-Tidende, in 1889 - an idiosyncratic undertaking meant to combine stock price lists and radical literature. Successful in his efforts to attract a wide range of talented writers, Brandes published the literary efforts and social commentary of such authors as Johannes Jørgensen, Sophus Claussen
, and Viggo Stuckenberg. Having met Henrik Pontoppidan
through Edvard, Brandes encouraged the outstanding Danish writer to join. Pontoppidan, who later recalled Brandes saying that Brandes' idea for the Kjøbenhavns Børs-Tidende was to create a modern, entertaining opposition paper capable of challenging the established conservative press in the Danish capital, agreed to collaborate and joined the Børs-Tidende on 30 July 1889. His ideas were anonymously published in a regular column written under the pseudonym
"Urbanus".
Brandes' 1889 publication of "Messias" and 1890 publication "Den gamle Adam" - two pieces penned by Pontoppidan under his pseudonym - triggered a scandalous reaction. "Den gamle Adam" was a light-hearted version of the Biblical story of Adam and Eve
inspired by an old German
folk retelling; "Messias" was Pontoppidan's review of a book by Viggo Stuckenberg.
Indicted on blasphemy
charges for both pieces in December 1890, Brandes was made to answer for each as distinct offenses against the blasphemy laws before a jury trial
. He was acquitted for "Den gamle Adam" but ordered to serve two months for the publication of the "Messias" article. Pontoppidan, who was not charged, admitted himself as the author of the two articles when the matter was brought to trial, but faced no penalty despite his admission and had offered to claim legal responsibility in Brandes' place. The defense argued that Brandes was being singled out as a prominent Brandes brother and a person of Jewish background.
The controversial case finally made its way to the Danish Supreme Court, which again acquitted Brandes for the Adam article but upheld the conviction for "Messias" while softening the earlier sentence of two months' imprisonment to a fine of 300 kroner
in December 1891.
Despondent for months afterward, he committed suicide
in Copenhagen on 6 August 1892.
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...
economist, writer, and newspaper editor best known for editing the Kjøbenhavns Børs-Tidende, which published articles written by leading Danish men of letters, including future Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize in Literature
Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"...
winner Henrik Pontoppidan
Henrik Pontoppidan
Henrik Pontoppidan was a realist writer who shared with Karl Gjellerup the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1917 for "his authentic descriptions of present-day life in Denmark." Pontoppidan's novels and short stories — informed with a desire for social progress but despairing, later in his...
, during a period later hailed as the Modern Breakthrough
Modern Breakthrough
The Modern Breakthrough is the normal name of the strong movement of naturalism and debating literature of Scandinavia near the end of the 19th century which replaced romanticism....
in Danish literature
Danish literature
Danish literature, a subset of Scandinavian literature, stretches back to the Middle Ages. Of special note across the centuries are the historian Saxo Grammaticus, the playwright Ludvig Holberg, the storyteller Hans Christian Andersen, the philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, and Karen Blixen who...
.
Outraged by his politicized blasphemy
Blasphemy
Blasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
conviction for an article anonymously written by Pontoppidan for the Kjøbenhavns Børs-Tidende in 1889, Brandes committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
in 1892.
Biography
Ernst Brandes was born to a Danish Jewish family 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...
on 1 February 1844, some two years after his elder brother Georg Brandes
Georg Brandes
Georg Morris Cohen Brandes was a Danish critic and scholar who had great influence on Scandinavian and European literature from the 1870s through the turn of the 20th century. He is seen as the theorist behind the "Modern Breakthrough" of Scandinavian culture...
and three years before the youngest, Edvard
Edvard Brandes
Carl Edvard Cohen Brandes was a Danish politician, critic and author, and the younger brother of Georg Brandes and Ernst Brandes. He was a Ph.D. in eastern philology....
.
Trained as an economist
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
, Brandes spent much of the energies of his brief life on economic and social questions. The chief objects of Brandes' attack in his 1885 Samfundssporgsmaal were the population theories of Thomas Malthus
Thomas Malthus
The Reverend Thomas Robert Malthus FRS was an English scholar, influential in political economy and demography. Malthus popularized the economic theory of rent....
and theory of value
Theory of value
Theory of value is an ambiguous term, and may mean:*Theory of value , where value is meant as economic worth of goods and services.*Value theory, where value is meant in the philosophical sense....
advanced by David Ricardo
David Ricardo
David Ricardo was an English political economist, often credited with systematising economics, and was one of the most influential of the classical economists, along with Thomas Malthus, Adam Smith, and John Stuart Mill. He was also a member of Parliament, businessman, financier and speculator,...
. Though prominent as a social liberal, Brandes reserved part of Samfundssporgsmaal for a critique of the Marxist movement
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
.
Brandes came to write for the Politiken
Politiken
Politiken is a Danish daily broadsheet newspaper, published by JP/Politikens Hus.The newspaper comes third among Danish newspapers in terms of both number of readers and circulated copies ....
, which Edvard had helped to found in 1884, before editing his own newspaper, the Kjøbenhavns Børs-Tidende, in 1889 - an idiosyncratic undertaking meant to combine stock price lists and radical literature. Successful in his efforts to attract a wide range of talented writers, Brandes published the literary efforts and social commentary of such authors as Johannes Jørgensen, Sophus Claussen
Sophus Claussen
Sophus Claussen was a Danish writer. He is best remembered for his neo-romanticism poems.-Works:* Naturbørn 1887* Pilefløjter1899* Ungt Folk 1894* Djævlerier 1904...
, and Viggo Stuckenberg. Having met Henrik Pontoppidan
Henrik Pontoppidan
Henrik Pontoppidan was a realist writer who shared with Karl Gjellerup the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1917 for "his authentic descriptions of present-day life in Denmark." Pontoppidan's novels and short stories — informed with a desire for social progress but despairing, later in his...
through Edvard, Brandes encouraged the outstanding Danish writer to join. Pontoppidan, who later recalled Brandes saying that Brandes' idea for the Kjøbenhavns Børs-Tidende was to create a modern, entertaining opposition paper capable of challenging the established conservative press in the Danish capital, agreed to collaborate and joined the Børs-Tidende on 30 July 1889. His ideas were anonymously published in a regular column written under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
"Urbanus".
Brandes' 1889 publication of "Messias" and 1890 publication "Den gamle Adam" - two pieces penned by Pontoppidan under his pseudonym - triggered a scandalous reaction. "Den gamle Adam" was a light-hearted version of the Biblical story of Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve were, according to the Genesis creation narratives, the first human couple to inhabit Earth, created by YHWH, the God of the ancient Hebrews...
inspired by an old German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
folk retelling; "Messias" was Pontoppidan's review of a book by Viggo Stuckenberg.
Indicted on blasphemy
Blasphemy
Blasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
charges for both pieces in December 1890, Brandes was made to answer for each as distinct offenses against the blasphemy laws before a jury trial
Jury trial
A jury trial is a legal proceeding in which a jury either makes a decision or makes findings of fact which are then applied by a judge...
. He was acquitted for "Den gamle Adam" but ordered to serve two months for the publication of the "Messias" article. Pontoppidan, who was not charged, admitted himself as the author of the two articles when the matter was brought to trial, but faced no penalty despite his admission and had offered to claim legal responsibility in Brandes' place. The defense argued that Brandes was being singled out as a prominent Brandes brother and a person of Jewish background.
The controversial case finally made its way to the Danish Supreme Court, which again acquitted Brandes for the Adam article but upheld the conviction for "Messias" while softening the earlier sentence of two months' imprisonment to a fine of 300 kroner
Danish krone
The krone is the official currency of the Kingdom of Denmark consisting of Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. It is subdivided into 100 øre...
in December 1891.
Despondent for months afterward, he committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
in Copenhagen on 6 August 1892.