Jørgensen, Johannes

(1866-1956)

   A Danish poet and novelist, Jørgensen came to the forefront of Danish cultural life through his editorship of the literary magazine Taarnet (1893-1894; The Tower), through which he championed the literary ideas of the 1890s in opposition to the naturalists. His poetry collection Bekendelse (1894; Confession) and his brief novel Sommer (1892; Summer) both fail to live up to the ideals of symbolism but express a strong romantic longing for the past. After his conversion to Roman Catholicism in 1896, Jørgensen was very much at peace with himself, as shown, for example, by the poetry collection Af det Dybe (1920; From the Depths). A vigorous apologist for Roman Catholicism, Jørgensen wrote several books about saints. His autobiography bears the title Mit Livs Legende (1916-1928; tr. Jørgensen, An Autobiography, 1928-1929).