Tafdrup, Pia

(1952-)

   A Danish poet, dramatist, and novelist, Tafdrup offers a poetic vision that spans human existence from the strength and beauty of youth to the finality of death. By focusing that vision particularly on women's experience, Tafdrup's poetry in the 1980s came to be seen as quite different from that of her more overtly feminist contemporaries. She had her debut with the collection Når det gar hul pa en engel (1981; When an Angel Starts Speaking) and followed it up with Intetfang (1982; No Hold), both of which celebrate the experiences of young women, such as falling in love and motherhood.

   In Den inderste zone (1983; The Innermost Zone) the body is regarded as a representation of the core of the individual, which the poet is able to touch through her words and images that, on the surface, refer only to the body. Springflod (1985; tr. Spring Tide, 1989), which adhered to this development in Tafdrup's theory ofpoetry, became a critical success.

   The next collection, Sekundernes bro (1988; The Bridge of Seconds), reflects Tafdrup's position as a recognized poet, and she subsequently explained her poetics in some detail in Over vandet gar jeg: Skitse til en poetik (1991; Walking over the Water: A Sketch of a Poetics). In Krystalskoven (1992; The Crystal Forest) she puts her ideas into practice, striving hard for poetic perfection, while Territorialsang: En Jerusalemkomposition (1994; Territorial Song: A Jerusalem Composition) reflects a journey to Israel. A second stay in Israel resulted in Dronningporten (1998; tr. Queen's Gate, 2001), for which she received the Nordic Literary Prize in 1999. She has also published the poetry collections Tusindfødt (1999; Born of a Thousand) and Hvalerne i Paris (2002; The Whales of Paris).

   Tafdrup's novel Hengivelsen (2004; The Surrender) describes a young woman's first experience with love. She has also written two plays, Døden i bjergene (1988; Death in the Mountains) and Jorden er bla (1991; The Earth Is Blue).