Georg Brandes, a scetch for a painting, by P.S. Krøyer, 1900

Georg Morris Cohen Brandes (February 4, 1842 - February 19, 1927) was a Danish critic and scholar who had great influence on Scandinavian literature from the 1870s through the turn of the 20th century. Normally he is seen as the theorist behind "the Modern Break-through" of Scandinavian culture. At the age of 30, Brandes formulated the principles of a new realism and naturalism, condemning hyper-aesthetic writing and fantasy in literature. According to Brandes, literature should be an organ "of the great thoughts of liberty and the progress of humanity." His literary goals were shared by many authors, among them the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1032x1324, 160 KB) Peter Severin Krøyer. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1032x1324, 160 KB) Peter Severin Krøyer. ... Peder Severin Krøyer (July 23, 1851-November 21, 1909), known as P.S. Krøyer, Denmark painter, was born in Stavanger, Norway to Ellen Cecilie Gjesdal. ... February 4 is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1842 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... February 19 is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Scandinavia is a region in Northern Europe named after the Scandinavian Peninsula. ... // Events and Trends Technology The invention of the telephone (1876) by Alexander Graham Bell. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... The Modern Break-Through (Danish: Det moderne Gennembrud) is the normal name of the strong movement of naturalism and debating liteature of Scandinavia 1870-90 which replaced romanticism. ... Realism is commonly defined as a concern for fact or reality and rejection of the impractical and visionary. ... For other meanings see Naturalism. ... Henrik Johan Ibsen (March 20, 1828 – May 23, 1906) was an influential Norwegian playwright who was largely responsible for the rise of the modern realistic drama (dubbed the father of modern drama). It is said that Ibsen is the most frequently performed dramatist in the world after Shakespeare. ...

Georg Brandes is widely understood to have inspired the intellectual leftist movement of the inter-war period known as Cultural Leftism.

Biography

He was, born in Copenhagen in a non-orthodox Jewish middle-class family and became a student at the University of Copenhagen in 1859 where he first studied jurisprudence. From this, however, his interests soon turned to philosophy and aesthetics. In 1862 he won the gold medal of the university for an essay on The Idea of Nemesis among the Ancients. Before this, indeed since 1858, he had shown a remarkable gift for verse-writing, the results of which, however, were not abundant enough to justify separate publication. Brandes did not collect his poems until as late as 1898. At the university, which he left in 1864, Brandes was influenced by the writings of Heiberg in criticism and Søren Kierkegaard in philosophy, influences which continued to leave traces on his work. Copenhagen ( (help· info) IPA: ) is the capital of Denmark, and the name of the municipality (Danish, kommune) in which it resides. ... The University of Copenhagen (Danish: Københavns Universitet) is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Copenhagen, Denmark. ... 1859 (MDCCCLIX) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar). ... Jurisprudence is essentially the theory and philosophy of law. ... Philosopher in Meditation (detail), by Rembrandt Philosophy is a field of study that includes diverse subfields such as aesthetics, epistemology, ethics, logic, and metaphysics, in which people ask questions such as whether God exists, whether knowledge is possible, and what makes actions right or wrong. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... 1858 (MDCCCLVIII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Johan Ludvig Heiberg (December 14, 1791 - August 25, 1860), Danish poet and critic, son of the political writer Peter Andreas Heiberg (1758-1841), and of the novelist, afterwards the Baroness Gyllembourg-Ehrensvärd, was born at Copenhagen. ... Søren Aabye Kierkegaard (IPA: ) (5 May 1813 – 11 November 1855), a 19th century Danish philosopher and theologian, is generally recognized as the first existentialist philosopher. ...

In 1866 he took part in the controversy raised by the works of Rasmus Nielsen in a treatise on "Dualism in our Recent Philosophy." From 1865 to 1871 he travelled much in Europe, acquainting himself with the condition of literature in the principal centres of learning. His first important contribution to letters was his Aesthetic Studies (1868), where his maturer method is already foreshadowed in several brief monographs on Danish poets. In 1870 he published several important volumes, The French Aesthetics of the Present Day, dealing chiefly with Taine, Criticisms and Portraits, and a translation of The Subjection of Women by John Stuart Mill, whom he had met that year during a visit to England. 1866 (MDCCCLXVI) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... 1870 (MDCCCLXX) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... Hippolyte Adolphe Taine (April 21, 1828 - March 5, 1893) was a French critic and historian. ... John Stuart Mill (May 20, 1806 – May 8, 1873), an English philosopher and political economist, was an influential liberal thinker of the 19th century. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green), with the Republic of Ireland (blue) to its west Languages None official English de facto Capital None official London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked...

Brandes now took his place as the leading northern European critic, applying to local conditions and habits of thought the methods of Taine. He became docent or reader in Belles Lettres at the university of Copenhagen, where his lectures were the sensational for the time. His famous opening lecture November 3rd 1871 is often considered the gateway of modern Danish literature. On the professorship of Aesthetics becoming vacant in 1872, it was taken as a matter of course that Brandes would be appointed. But the young critic had offended many susceptibilities by his ardent advocacy of modern ideas; he was known to be a Jew, his convictions were Radical, he was suspected of being an atheist. The authorities refused to elect him, but his fitness for the post was so obvious that the chair of Aesthetics remained vacant, no one else daring to place himself in comparison with Brandes. For information about the band, see Atheist (band). ...

In the midst of these polemics the critic began to issue the most ambitious of his works, Main Currents in the Literature of the Nineteenth Century, of which four volumes appeared between 1872 and 1875 (English translation, 1901-1905). The brilliant novelty of this criticism of the literature of major European countries at the beginning of the 19th century, and his description of the general revolt against the pseudo-classicism of the 18th century, at once attracted attention outside Denmark. The tumult which gathered round the person of the critic increased the success of the work, and the reputation of Brandes grew apace, especially in Germany and Russia. Among his later writings must be mentioned the monographs on Søren Kierkegaard (1877), on Esaias Tegnér (1878), on Benjamin Disraeli (1878), Ferdinand Lassalle (in German, 1877), Ludvig Holberg (1884), on Henrik Ibsen (1899) and on Anatole France (1905). Brandes wrote with great depth on the main contemporary poets and novelists of his own country and of Norway, and he and his disciples were for a long time the arbiters of literary fame in the north. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Esaias Tegnér Esaias Tegnér (November 13, 1782 - November 2, 1846), Swedish writer, was born at Kyrkerud in Wermelandia. ... Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (December 21, 1804 - April 24, British Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and author. ... Ferdinand Lassalle Ferdinand Lassalle (born April 11, 1825 in WrocÅ‚aw, died August 31, 1864), was a German socialist politician. ... This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Henrik Johan Ibsen (March 20, 1828 – May 23, 1906) was an influential Norwegian playwright who was largely responsible for the rise of the modern realistic drama (dubbed the father of modern drama). It is said that Ibsen is the most frequently performed dramatist in the world after Shakespeare. ... Anatole France (April 16, 1844 – October 12, 1924) was the pen name of French author Jacques Anatole François Thibault. ...

His Danish Poets (1877), containing studies of Carsten Hauch, Ludvig Bødtcher, Christian Winther, and Paludan-Müller, his Men of the Modern Transition (1883), and his Essays (1889), are volumes essential to the proper study of modern Scandinavian literature. He wrote an excellent book on Poland (1888; English translation, 1903), and was one of the editors of the German version of Ibsen. Johannes Carsten Hauch (May 12, 1790 - March 4, 1872), Danish poet, was born of Danish parents residing at Frederikshald in Norway. ... Ludvig Adolph Bødtcher (April 22, 1793 – October 1, 1874) was a Danish lyric poet. ... Rasmus Villads Christian Ferdinand Winther (July 29, 1796 - December 30, 1876), was a Danish lyric poet. ... Frederik Paludan-Müller (February 7, 1809 - December 27, 1876) was a Danish poet, the third son of Jens Paludan-Müller and born in Kerteminde, on the Island of Fyn. ...

In 1877 Brandes left Copenhagen and settled in Berlin, taking a considerable part in the aesthetic life of that city. His political views, however, made Prussia uncomfortable for him, and he returned in 1883 to Copenhagen, where he found a whole new school of writers and thinkers eager to receive him as their leader. The most important of his recent works has been his study of Shakespeare (1897-1898), which was translated into English by William Archer, and was highly acclaimed. It was, perhaps, the most authoritative work on Shakespeare, not principally intended for an English-speaking audience, which had been published in any country. 1877 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... This article is about the capital city of Germany. ... The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Prussia, 1701-1918 Prussia (German: ; Latin: Borussia, Prutenia; Lithuanian: ; Old Prussian: Prūsa; Polish: ) was, most recently, a historic state originating in East Prussia, an area which for centuries had a substantial influence on German and European history. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... William Archer (September 23, 1856 - December 27, 1924), English critic, was born in Perth, and was educated at Edinburgh University. ...

He was afterwards engaged on a history of modern Scandinavian literature. In his critical work, which extends over a wider field than that of any other living writer, Brandes was aided by a singularly charming style, lucid and reasonable, enthusiastic without extravagance, brilliant and coloured without affectation. His influence on the Scandinavian writers of the 1880s was very great, but a reaction, headed by Holger Drachmann, against his "realistic" doctrines, began in 1885. In 1900 he collected his works for the first time in a complete and popular edition, and began to work on a German edition, completed in 1902. Holger Drachmann 1888 Holger Henrik Herboldt Drachmann (October 9, 1846 - January 14, 1908), was a Danish poet and dramatist. ...

After 1890 the disappointed Brandes partly turned away from the direct fight, concentrating around "great personalities" who enlightened the life of their mediocre contemporaries. In this period, he "detected" Friedrich Nietzsche whom he introduced to Scandinavian culture. Brandes, in a 1888 letter, wrote to Nietzsche asking him to read the works of Kierkegaard. He described Nietzsche's philosophy as "aristocratic radicalism", a description which delighted Nietzsche, and the idea of "aristocratic radicalism" influenced most of the later works of Brandes and resulted in voluminous biographies Wolfgang Goethe (1914-15), Francois de Voltaire (1916-17), Gaius Julius Cæsar 1918 and Michelangelo (1921). These books must be considered less original or valid though often written with a dazzling stylistic mastery. 1890 (MDCCCXC) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar). ... Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (IPA:) (October 15, 1844 – August 25, 1900), a German philologist and philosopher, produced critiques of contemporary culture, religion, and philosophy centered around a basic question regarding the positive and negative attitudes toward life of various systems of morality. ... 1888 (MDCCCLXXXVIII) is a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. ... Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (pronounced [gø tə]) (August 28, 1749–March 22, 1832) was a German writer, politician, humanist, scientist, and philosopher. ... The last of Voltaires statues by Jean-Antoine Houdon (1781). ... ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (March 6, 1475 – February 18, 1564), commonly known as Michelangelo, was a Renaissance artist, sculptor and poet. ...

The influence of Brandes faded somewhat after 1900 but he was still considered a leading figure of Danish literary life and his international reputation was growing. In many ways he became a modern Scandinavian Voltaire with a great moral authority, condemning the maltreatment of national minorities, the persecution of Dreyfus etc. During World War I he condemned the national aggression and imperialism on both sides and his last years were dedicated to anti-religious polemic. In this late period he made new connections to intellectuals like Henri Barbusse, Romain Rolland and E. D. Morel. The last of Voltaires statues by Jean-Antoine Houdon (1781). ... The Dreyfus Corporation, a Mellon Financial Corporation subsidiary. ... Combatants Allies: Serbia, Russia, France, Romania, Belgium, British Empire, United States, Italy, and others Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire Casualties Military dead: 5 million Civilian deaths: 3 million Total of dead: 8 million Military dead: 4 million Civilian deaths: 3 million Total dead: 7 million The First... Henri Barbusse (May 17, 1873 - August 30, 1935) was a French novelist and journalist. ... Romain Rolland (January 29, 1866 - December 30, 1944) was a French writer. ... Edmund Dene Morel, originally Georges Edmond Pierre Achille Morel de Ville (July 10, 1873 – November 12, 1924) was a British journalist, author and socialist politician. ...

Today Brandes still stands as one of the most influential inspirations of Danish literature, an equal of Holberg and Grundtvig. This has not prevented him from being criticized. The right wing has condemned him as an unpatriotic and subversive blasphemer and fornicator. On the left wing socialists have criticized his elitist attitudes, while the feminist movement has often regarded his positive attitude of sexual equality as being inconsequential. Nonetheless his influence in Danish cultural history is still far-ranging. ... Nicolai Frederik Severin Grundtvig (September 8, 1783 - September 2, 1872) was a Danish writer, poet, philosopher, historian, priest, educationalist and even politician. ...

His brother Edvard Brandes (1847-1931), also a well-known critic, was the author of a number of plays, and of two psychological novels: A Politician (1889), and Young Blood (1899). He became an outstanding political figure of the Radical party.

Georg Brandes Quotes

• Being gifted needs courage (1869)
• That a literature in our time is living is shown in that way that it debates problems. (1871)
• Poor is the power of the lead that becomes bullets compared to the power of the hot metal that becomes types. (1900)
• He who does not understand a joke, he does not understand Danish (1906)
• The Danish glee: the national version of cheerfulness. (1909)
• The stream of time sweeps away errors, and leaves the truth for the inheritance of humanity

Literature

• Bertil Nolin: Georg Brandes. Gloucester, Mass., 1976.
• Hans Hertel (ed.): The Activist Critic. A Symposium on the Political Ideas, Literary Methods and International Reception of Georg Brandes. Copenhagen, 1980.
• Doris R. Asmundsson: Georg Brandes. Aristocratic Radical. N. Y., 1981.
• W. Glyn Jones (ed.): Georg Brandes. Selected Letters. Norvik Press, 1990.

External link

• Works by Georg Brandes at Project Gutenberg