Jens Fink-Jensen
Encyclopedia
Jens Fink-Jensen is a Danish
poet, author, photographer, composer and architect.
, Denmark
. From 1968 to 1972 Fink-Jensen attended school in Store Heddinge where he was a classmate with the Danish poet Søren Ulrik Thomsen
. Fink-Jensen debuted as a writer at the age of 18 when his short story, Juni 1995 (June 1995), was published in the daily newspaper Information. The following year, four of his poems were published in the Danish literary magazine Hvedekorn. Fink-Jensen graduated in modern languages from Herlufsholm Boarding School in 1976 and subsequently performed his national service with the Royal Life Guard where he trained as an NCO. He later earned a degree in architecture in 1986 from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture in Copenhagen and a further education in multimedia design from the same Academy in 1997.
During the early 1980s, Fink-Jensen was part of a circle of young Danish poets which included Thomsen, Michael Strunge
and the editor of Hvedekorn, Poul Borum. In October 1980, he helped arrange the NÅ!!80 festival, a two-day art festival in Copenhagen that combined art, concerts, and poetry readings, and sought to introduce Denmark to what was called the "Nå" generation.
Fink-Jensen published his first collection of poems, titled Verden i et øje (The World in an Eye), in 1981. He followed with two more books of poetry, and then in 1986, he published the collection of short stories Bæsterne (The Beasts). He has also written three children’s book in collaboration with the Danish illustrator Mads Stage
: Jonas og konkylien (Jonas and the Conch Shell), Jonas og himmelteltet (Jonas and the Sky Tent) and Jonas og engletræet (Jonas and the Angel Tree). Jonas and the Sky Tent, which relates the story of a young boy's fantastic experiences in a magical circus bigtop, has been described as Chagall-like poetry. In 2008 his travel book The West Coast of Europe - a photo travel from Skagen to Gibraltar was published.
(Alwah publishers, Madrid). A few of the poems had previously been published in the daily “Al-Quds” (London, 1996) and the periodical “Nizwa” (Sultanate of Oman, 1999). Iranian born poet Sheema Kalbasi
, now living in the U.S.A., has translated poems by Jens Fink-Jensen into English and Persian. Jens Fink-Jensen's travel book The West Coast of Europe - a photographic journey from Skagen to Gibraltar was published in English in 2008. Chilean poet Omar Pérez Santiago has in 2009 translated poems by Jens Fink-Jensen into Spanish.
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...
poet, author, photographer, composer and architect.
Biography
Jens Fink-Jensen was born December 19, 1956 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...
. From 1968 to 1972 Fink-Jensen attended school in Store Heddinge where he was a classmate with the Danish poet Søren Ulrik Thomsen
Søren Ulrik Thomsen
Søren Ulrik Thomsen is a Danish poet. His debut was City Slang, 1981.-Life:Søren Ulrik Thomsen was born in 1956 in Kalundborg. He grew up in Store Heddinge, Stevns, south of Copenhagen, where he went to school together with another Danish poet, Jens Fink-Jensen from 1968 to 1972...
. Fink-Jensen debuted as a writer at the age of 18 when his short story, Juni 1995 (June 1995), was published in the daily newspaper Information. The following year, four of his poems were published in the Danish literary magazine Hvedekorn. Fink-Jensen graduated in modern languages from Herlufsholm Boarding School in 1976 and subsequently performed his national service with the Royal Life Guard where he trained as an NCO. He later earned a degree in architecture in 1986 from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture in Copenhagen and a further education in multimedia design from the same Academy in 1997.
During the early 1980s, Fink-Jensen was part of a circle of young Danish poets which included Thomsen, Michael Strunge
Michael Strunge
Michael Strunge was a Danish poet.As a member of the original circle of 1980s poets in the group around Hvedekorn’s editor Poul Borum, Michael Strunge, in cooperation with his colleague Jens Fink-Jensen, among others, arranged the generational manifestation “NÅ!!80” in Copenhagen in 1980.With...
and the editor of Hvedekorn, Poul Borum. In October 1980, he helped arrange the NÅ!!80 festival, a two-day art festival in Copenhagen that combined art, concerts, and poetry readings, and sought to introduce Denmark to what was called the "Nå" generation.
Fink-Jensen published his first collection of poems, titled Verden i et øje (The World in an Eye), in 1981. He followed with two more books of poetry, and then in 1986, he published the collection of short stories Bæsterne (The Beasts). He has also written three children’s book in collaboration with the Danish illustrator Mads Stage
Mads Stage
Mads Stage born in Copenhagen, was a Danish artist.Mads Stage was a respected and beloved artist in large parts of the world...
: Jonas og konkylien (Jonas and the Conch Shell), Jonas og himmelteltet (Jonas and the Sky Tent) and Jonas og engletræet (Jonas and the Angel Tree). Jonas and the Sky Tent, which relates the story of a young boy's fantastic experiences in a magical circus bigtop, has been described as Chagall-like poetry. In 2008 his travel book The West Coast of Europe - a photo travel from Skagen to Gibraltar was published.
Performances
Jens Fink-Jensen performs at various venues such as music and literature festivals, high schools and libraries with his multimedia performance which combines poetry readings with music (synthesizer og saxophone) and slide show.Exhibitions
Jens Fink-Jensen has had photo exhibitions in Denmark, France, Norway and Sweden:- Beijing Ansigt (Images of Beijing), with portraits of people and places in the Chinese capital, distributed in Denmark by Amnesty International.
- Sydens Skibe (Ships of the South), showing mostly small fishing-boats and related people and surroundings by the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Coast of Europe and Morocco (displayed at museums in Denmark, Norway and Sweden).
- The West Coast of Europe - a photographic journey from Skagen to Gibraltar, since 2008 displayed in Denmark (Esbjerg), France (Dunkirk) and The Netherlands (Rotterdam).
Publications
- Verden i et øje, (The World in An Eye), poetry, 1981
- Sorgrejser, (Travels in Sorrow), poetry, 1982
- Dans under galgen, (Dancing Under the Gallows), poetry, 1983
- Bæsterne, (The Beasts), short stories, 1986
- Nær afstanden, (Near The Distance), poetry, 1988
- Jonas og konkylien, (Jonas and the Conch Shell), children's book, 1994 (Illustrated by Mads StageMads StageMads Stage born in Copenhagen, was a Danish artist.Mads Stage was a respected and beloved artist in large parts of the world...
). - Forvandlingshavet, (The Sea of Change), poetry, 1995
- Jonas og himmelteltet, (Jonas and the Sky Tent), children's book, 1998 (Illustrated by Mads Stage)
- Alt er en åbning, (Everything is an Opening), poetry, 2002
- Syd for mit hjerte. 100 udvalgte kærlighedsdigte (South of my Heart. 100 selected love poems), poetry, 2005
- The West Coast of Europe - a photographic journey from Skagen to Gibraltar, photo travel book, 2008
- Jonas og engletræet, (Jonas and the Angel Tree), children's book, 2010 (Illustrated by Mads Stage)
Translations
In 1999, his collection of poems Nær afstanden (Near the Distance) was published in Arabic, translated by Jamal JumáJamal Jumá
Jamal Jumá, An Iraqi poet and researcher, born in Baghdad, and since 1984 lived in Denmark. Has Bachelor of Arts in Arabic Literature from University of Basrah and Cand.mag. in Semitic Philology from the University of Copenhagen....
(Alwah publishers, Madrid). A few of the poems had previously been published in the daily “Al-Quds” (London, 1996) and the periodical “Nizwa” (Sultanate of Oman, 1999). Iranian born poet Sheema Kalbasi
Sheema Kalbasi
Sheema Kalbasi is an award winning poet, producer, critic, blogger, and human rights advocate.- Biography :Kalbasi is the founder and president of , a film production and publishing company. She is the director and the co-director of several literary projects including the . She has published two...
, now living in the U.S.A., has translated poems by Jens Fink-Jensen into English and Persian. Jens Fink-Jensen's travel book The West Coast of Europe - a photographic journey from Skagen to Gibraltar was published in English in 2008. Chilean poet Omar Pérez Santiago has in 2009 translated poems by Jens Fink-Jensen into Spanish.
Honours
- Danish Arts Foundation, 1982.
- The Ministry of Culture's Commission for the Illustrated Danish Book, 1992.
- The Danish Literature Council, 1997 and 1998.
- The Danish Arts Council, 2007, 2008 and 2009.