Peter Høeg
Encyclopedia
Peter Høeg is a Danish
writer
of fiction. He received a Master of Arts
in Literature
from the University of Copenhagen
in 1984.
, Denmark
. Before becoming a writer, he worked variously as a sailor, ballet dancer and actor (in addition to fencing and mountaineering) - experiences he uses in his novels.
(1993), The Woman and the Ape (1996), and The Quiet Girl (2006). It was Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow that earned Høeg immediate and international literary celebrity. His books are published in Denmark by Munksgaard/Rosinante, now a part of Blackwell Publishing, and have also been published in more than 30 other countries.
Høeg has a reputation for being hard to place in terms of literary style. All his works are stylistically very different from one another, and have been labelled post-modern, gothic, magical -realist, to mention a few. There is a red thread to be found, however, in terms of theme; Høeg's work often seems to deal with the consequences of the progress of civilization.
Norwegian author Jan Kjærstad
rose immediately to Høeg's defence, saying: "it surprises me that a novel written by someone of Peter Høeg’s calibre, with such great intelligence, so much thought and originality, should be treated to such outpourings of pettiness and virulence. How could such a rollicking, generous, open book be greeted with so much gravity and severity, such closed minds and again: in my broad-minded old Denmark?"
In October 2007, the Danish literary critic Poul Behrendt published a book entitled Den Hemmelige Note: Ti kapitler om små ting der forandrer alt, in which he explains that the cold reception of the The Quiet Girl was due to its complexity and scope which the critics, according to Behrendt, didn't understand.
The Electronic Literary Database
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...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
of fiction. He received a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in Literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
from the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
in 1984.
Early life
Høeg 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...
. Before becoming a writer, he worked variously as a sailor, ballet dancer and actor (in addition to fencing and mountaineering) - experiences he uses in his novels.
Career
Peter Høeg published his first novel, A History of Danish Dreams, in 1988 to very positive reviews. In the years that followed he wrote and published the short story collection Tales of Night, and four novels: Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow (1992), BorderlinersBorderliners
Borderliners is the English translation of De måske egnede, a novel written by Danish author Peter Høeg in 1993. It is about three children, Peter, Katerina and August who attend a private school in Copenhagen in the mid 1970s. It is not long before the children realise they are part of an...
(1993), The Woman and the Ape (1996), and The Quiet Girl (2006). It was Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow that earned Høeg immediate and international literary celebrity. His books are published in Denmark by Munksgaard/Rosinante, now a part of Blackwell Publishing, and have also been published in more than 30 other countries.
Høeg has a reputation for being hard to place in terms of literary style. All his works are stylistically very different from one another, and have been labelled post-modern, gothic, magical -realist, to mention a few. There is a red thread to be found, however, in terms of theme; Høeg's work often seems to deal with the consequences of the progress of civilization.
The Quiet Girl controversy
Always protective of his privacy, Høeg virtually disappeared in 1996 after the luke-warm reception of The Woman and the Ape. He resurfaced in 2006 with The Quiet Girl, his first novel in 10 years. At the time of its publication, reception in Denmark was mixed at best, and the novel was generally disregarded as being either too complex or too post-modern.Norwegian author Jan Kjærstad
Jan Kjærstad
Jan Kjærstad is a Norwegian author. Kjærstad is a theology graduate from MF Norwegian School of Theology and the University of Oslo . He has written a string of novels, short stories and essays and was editor of the literary magazine Vinduet...
rose immediately to Høeg's defence, saying: "it surprises me that a novel written by someone of Peter Høeg’s calibre, with such great intelligence, so much thought and originality, should be treated to such outpourings of pettiness and virulence. How could such a rollicking, generous, open book be greeted with so much gravity and severity, such closed minds and again: in my broad-minded old Denmark?"
In October 2007, the Danish literary critic Poul Behrendt published a book entitled Den Hemmelige Note: Ti kapitler om små ting der forandrer alt, in which he explains that the cold reception of the The Quiet Girl was due to its complexity and scope which the critics, according to Behrendt, didn't understand.
Books
- The History of Danish Dreams (Forestilling om det Tyvende århundrede), 1988
Tales of the Night (Fortællinger om natten), 1990- Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow (US: Smilla's Sense of Snow) (Frk. Smillas fornemmelse for sne), 1992, later filmed by Bille AugustBille AugustBille August is a Danish Academy Award winning film and television director. His film Pelle the Conqueror from 1987 won the Palme D'or, Academy Award and Golden Globe. He is one of the very few directors to win the Palme D'or twice, winning the prestigious award again in 1991 for The Best...
- BorderlinersBorderlinersBorderliners is the English translation of De måske egnede, a novel written by Danish author Peter Høeg in 1993. It is about three children, Peter, Katerina and August who attend a private school in Copenhagen in the mid 1970s. It is not long before the children realise they are part of an...
(De måske egnede), 1993 - The Woman and The Ape (Kvinden og aben), 1996
- The Quiet Girl (Den stille pige), 2006
External links
- Peter Høeg's biography published by the Royal Danish Embassy in Washington DC (article no longer available as of 11/24/11)
The Electronic Literary Database
- Silence. Peter Høeg's Interview for Russia, 2007 Radio feature, in Russian, English transcript available. Podstantsiya.ru