Johannes Ewald

BIOGRAPHY

Ewald, normally regarded the most important Danish poet of the 2nd half of the 18th Century, led a short and troublesome life marked by Alcoholism and diseases. The son of a Copenhagen Pietist vicar and fatherless in an early age he was educated a theologian but was only literary interested. An unhappy love for a girl, Arendse, inspired his later poetry deeply. After a quite hazarded attempt of being a soldier and a war hero in the Prussian Seven Years’ War he was 1760 brought back seriously weakened. During the next years he lived as an alcoholic bohemian and poet in Copenhagen eagerly writing and still conflicting with his guardians. During most of his life he was in tutelage by his mother and stepfather and he never took up any profession. By his life style he has much in common with his contemporary Johan Herman Wessel but as writers they stood far from each other.

1773-75 he had a rather happy convalescence at the house of Rungstedlund (later on the home of Karen Blixen ) that inspired some of his best verses. A conflict with his family led to his removal to the small North Zealand town of Humlebæk (1775-77) that depressed him and increased his alcoholism. Finally his friends brought him to Søbækshus, near Helsingør , and here he lived some years under growing public interest and literary fame until his early death, caused by drinking and Rheumatism .

Quite until the days of romanticism Ewald was considered the unsurpassed Danish poet. Today he is a classic though probably more lauded than read, only few of his works have become popular.

WORKS

As an author Ewald is a prominent representative of Danish sentimentalism but at the same time a forerunner of romanticism. His main inspiration was German poetry ( Klopstock ) but also British writers like Edward Young and Sterne together with Rousseau rare obvious inspirators. Typical elements of his writings are violent expressions of feelings: happiness, sorrow and love, apparently spontaneous but at the same time deliberately and artificially drawn up. Behind this a clear pietist tune is felt.

--'' (“For my M(oltke)) is a grateful praise for a noble benevolator during the unhappy Humlebæk period. Almost written on his death-bed must be mentioned the hymn ''Udrust Dig, helt fra Golgatha'' (“Arm Yourself, Hero of Golgatha”, 1781). Minor humorous verses and satires are less known today.

Just as important are the ''dramas'' of Ewald. As the first Danish dramatist he used the old Northern mythological sources - an interest that points towards romanticism. He wrote the plays '''' that shares the position of being the National Anthem of Denmark together with Oehlenschläger 's "There is a lovely Land".

Also as a ''prosaist'' Ewald is a renewer. An early prose tale is ''Lyksalighedense Tempel'' ("The temple of Happiness") from the 1760's. ''Herr Panthakaks Historie'' (1771 - "The Story of Mr. Panthakak") is an unfinished sartire about suspiciousness. His main work is the unfinished autobiography ''Levnet og Meninger'' (“Life and Opinions”, written 1774-78, published 1804-08), clearly inspired by Sterne with digressions and spontaneous exclamations but based upon his personal experiences and feelings. His description of his love in Arendse is the first “modern” Danish poetic treatment of this subject.

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Johannes Ewald