Peter Høeg

Infobox Writer


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name = Peter Høeg
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birthdate = Birth date and age|1957|5|17|mf=y
birthplace = Copenhagen
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occupation = Author
nationality = Danish
period = 1988 - present
genre = Recent history
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influences = Isak Dinesen, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Jorge Luis Borges
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Peter Høeg (b. May 17, 1957, Copenhagen) is a celebrated Danish writer of fiction. He received a Master of Arts in Literature from the University of Copenhagen in 1984. 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. He lives in Copenhagen with his wife and two daughters.

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 three novels; "Smilla's Sense of Snow" (1992), "Borderliners" (1993), and "The Woman and the Ape" (1996). It was "Smilla's Sense of Snow" that earned Høeg an 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 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, magic-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. [Egesholm, Christian. [http://www.danishliterature.info/fa20029/Action/002/fid/39/lang/eng "Peter Høeg"] . Danish Literary Magazine. Fall 2007.]

"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 re-surfaced 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. [Juul, Marianne, (Translated by John Mason). [http://www.danishliterarymagazine.info/f4e0029 "Peter Høeg: Breaks the Silence"] . Danish Literary Magazine. Fall 2006.]

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? [Kjærstad, Jan. "Politiken". June 3 2006.]

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. [Skriver, Svend. Ekstra Bladet. [http://ekstrabladet.dk/flash/anmeldelser/diverse/article350144.ece "Oprejsning til Peter Høeg"] . October 21 2007.] citeneeded|date=October 2007

Books

*"The History of Danish Dreams" (Forestilling om det Tyvende århundrede), 1988
*"Tales of the Night" (Fortællinger om natten), 1990
*"Smilla's Sense of Snow" (UK: Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow) (Frk. Smillas fornemmelse for sne), 1992, later filmed by Bille August
*"Borderliners" (De måske egnede), 1993
*"The Woman and The Ape" (Kvinden og aben), 1996
*"The Quiet Girl" (Den stille pige), 2006

References

External links

* [http://www.ambwashington.um.dk/en/menu/InformationaboutDenmark/Culture/Literature/PeterH%C3%B8eg.htm Peter Høeg's biography] published by the Royal Danish Embassy in Washington DC
* [http://www.boheme-magazine.net/php/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=387 Bohème Magazine] Article about "Smilla's Sense of Snow"
*ru icon [http://eldb.net/name/nm005510/ The Electronic Literary Database]
* [http://www.podstantsiya.ru/?area=posts&id=361 Silence. Peter Høeg's Interview for Russia, 2007] Radio feature, in Russian, English transcript available. Podstantsiya.ru