Jensen, Thit

(1876-1957)

   A Danish novelist, short story writer, and playwright, Jensen was committed to the idea of fairly traditional marriage and motherhood for women but also believed that one should distinguish between procreation and sexuality, which led her to campaign strongly for informing women about birth control. She also wanted women to have access to education and their own sources of income. A spiritualist, she believed strongly in reincarnation and was interested in parapsychology. Her strongly held convictions, coupled with a remarkable ability as a public speaker, made her a well-known person in her day. The famous Danish writer Johannes V. Jensen was her brother.

   Thit Jensen had her literary debut with the novel To Søstre (1903; Two Sisters) and wrote a number of other novels and collections of short stories on contemporary topics. Ørkenvandring (1907; Desert Walk), Elskovsforbandelse (1911; Cursed Love), and Jorden (1915; The Earth) are novels. Sagn og Syner (1909; Legends and Visions), Det banker (1911; There Is Knocking), and Jydske Historier (1916; Jutland Stories) are short story collections that express Jensen's love for her native Himmerland (a district in Jutland) and her interest in the paranormal. Her realist style was well suited to her feminist message in such novels as Gerd (1918) and its sequel, Aphrodite fra Fuur (1925; Aphrodite from Fuur), in which she traced the development of modern women.

   In the late 1920s Jensen started writing historical novels, such as Jørgen Lykke (1931) and Rigets Arving (1946; The Heir to the Kingdom), which were widely read. She also wrote a play that is set in medieval Iceland and a volume of memoirs that emphasized her spiritualist beliefs, Hvorfra? Hvorhen? (1950; Wherefrom? Whereto?).