Famous Danish Writers

Soren Kierkegaard was a Danish philosopher, theologian, social critic, poet, and religious author. Widely regarded as the first existentialist philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard is sometimes referred to as the Father of Existentialism. He is also credited with influencing many theologians, philosophers, and writers like Paul Feyerabend, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and Jorge Luis Borges.

Danish author Karen Blixen is best known for her memoir Out of Africa, in which she shared her experiences of living in Kenya for a few years. She was popular across Europe and wrote under several pen names. She was awarded the Danish Holberg Medal in 1949. She was shortlisted several times for the Nobel Prize in Literature. 

Bjarne Stroustrup is a Danish computer scientist best known for his invention and development of the popular C++ general-purpose programming language. He is currently working as a managing director at Morgan Stanley in New York, apart from serving as a visiting professor at the prestigious Columbia University. 

Ejner Johansson was a Danish art historian, writer, magister of art, and documentary film director. He is best remembered for winning the N. L. Høyen Medal in 1998 for his contribution to arts. Ejner Johansson was also a recipient of LO's Culture Prize, which he received in 1984.

Jussi Adler-Olsen is a Danish writer, editor, publisher, and entrepreneur. Apart from being a popular figure in Denmark, Adler-Olsen has also enjoyed success in countries like the Netherlands, Germany, and Norway. His novels have been sold in over 40 languages and some of his works have been adapted into successful films.  

Torben Ulrich is a Danish former professional tennis player turned writer, musician, and filmmaker. As a tennis player, he was the top-ranked senior player in the world in the mid-1970s. He became a writer after retirement and primarily wrote on music, film, athletics, and culture. He eventually founded a New Orleans-type jazz band and made films as well. 

Bjorn Lomborg is a Danish author who achieved international recognition for his controversial and best-selling book The Skeptical Environmentalist which was published in 2001. The former director of the Environmental Assessment Institute in Copenhagen, Bjorn Lomborg founded the Copenhagen Consensus in 2002. He is currently serving as the president of the non-profit think tank.

Saxo Grammaticus was a Danish theologian, historian, and author. He is credited with authoring the first full history of Denmark, Gesta Danorum. The book houses the legend of Amleth, which inspired William Shakespeare's famous story, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. 

Sven Hassel was a Danish writer best remembered for his novels that focus on the stories that revolve around the German combatants during the Second World War. A popular literary figure, Sven Hassel is often counted among the bestselling Danish authors of all time.

Initially a supermarket cashier, Renée Simonsen was 15 when she was discovered by the modeling industry. She later won the Face of the ’80s modeling contest. The 5-time Vogue cover girl also boasts of a psychology degree and has penned several books, including an adult novel.

Camilla Dallerup is a Danish ballroom dancer, author, hypnotherapist, and life coach. She is best known for winning the popular British television dance show,Strictly Come Dancing, in 2008. A meditation teacher and hypnotherapist, Camilla Dallerup has established her own coaching center called Zenme. She has also authored a couple of self-help books.

N. F. S. Grundtvig was a Danish author, pastor, poet, historian, teacher, philosopher, and politician. By the end of the 19th century, Grundtvig's philosophy had given rise to a new sense of nationalism, for which he is often counted among the most influential Danish people of all time. He is also remembered for promoting values like compassion, wisdom, and equality.

One of the forefathers of Norwegian and Danish literature, Ludvig Holberg was a legendary literary figure of the Dano-Norwegian dual monarchy era. Initially a French tutor, he later studied music, before devoting himself to writing. His comedies earned him the nickname of The Molière of the North.

Piet Hein was a Danish polymath. He was an expert in mathematics and was also an inventor, designer, and writer. He studied at the University of Copenhagen and Technical University of Denmark. He joined the Danish resistance movement when the Germans invaded Denmark. In his later years, he invented the Soma cube and devised the games of Hex and Tower.   

Asger Jorn was a Danish painter, sculptor, and ceramic artist. The son of two teachers, he was also expected to become one. He enrolled in the Vinthers Seminarium, a teacher-training college, due to family pressure and later chose to become a painter. He produced over 2,500 paintings, drawings, prints, ceramics, and sculptures in his artistic career.  

Danish author Jens Peter Jacobsen is remembered for pioneering the Naturalist mode of writing in Danish literature. While he initially translated some of Charles Darwin’s works, he later penned novels such as Marie Grubbe: A Lady of the Seventeenth Century. He is also known for his poems, which were released posthumously.

Born to working-class parents in Denmark, author Aksel Sandemose moved to Norway at 17 and then worked as a lumberjack in Newfoundland. He later taught and also became part of the Norwegian resistance movement. Known for his iconic novel A Fugitive Crosses His Tracks, he also devised the fictional Jante’s Law.

Janne Teller is a Danish writer of Austrian–German descent. Professionally qualified as a macroeconomist, she previously used to work for the United Nations and the European Union. She eventually quit her economics career to pursue a full-time writing career. She is credited with having revolutionized the young adult novel genre with her works. She is the recipient of numerous awards.  

Holger Drachmann was a Danish poet, dramatist, and painter. Artistically inclined from a young age, he chose to pursue painting professionally. He also composed poems and staged semi-poetic performances. He focused on writing for many years before returning to art, often painting pictures of ships and the sea.  His relationship with multiple women made him a controversial figure.