Bang, Herman

(1857-1912)

   A Danish novelist, short story writer, poet, dramatist, and critic, Bang made a lackluster attempt at becoming an actor. He had considerable success as a cultural journalist in the Copenhagen press, however, and some of his journalism has been collected in the volumes Realisme og Realister (1979; Realism and Realists), Kritiske Studier (1880; Critical Studies), and Herhjemme og Derude (1881; At Home and Abroad).

   Bang's first novel made use of his own experience as the child in a family where mental and physical illness were present. Entitled Haabløse Slægter (1880; Hopeless Generations), the book depicts both personal and family decline and is one of the first manifestations of the literature of decadence in Scandinavia. It was followed by the novel Fædra (1883) and the short story collections Excentriske Noveller (1885; Eccentric Stories) and Stille Eksistenser (1886; Quiet Existences), in which sexual desire is a significant theme. Stille Eksistenser includes the novella "Ved Vejen," (tr. Kathinka, 1990), an early example of impressionism in Scandinavian literature. Showing the influence of his Norwegian colleague Jonas Lie, Bang's novel Stuk (1887; Stucco) is an indictment of the foolish avarice of an entire city, Copenhagen in the 1880s. The novel Tine (1889; tr. Tina, 1984), on the other hand, portrays a doomed love affair during the 1864 war between Denmark and Prussia. Seduced by her master, the servant Tine commits suicide when she realizes that the man she loves has no lasting interest in her. The short stories in Under Aaget (1890; Under the Yoke) and the novel Ludvigsbakke (1896; tr. Ida Brandt, 1928) are equally pessimistic about the possibility for human happiness.

   Several novels by Bang are partly autobiographical. Det hvide Hus (1898; The White House) and DetgraaHus (1901; The Grey House) offer realistic representations of Bang's childhood. Mikael (1904) and De uden Fædreland (1906; tr. Denied a Country, 1927) depict socially marginalized artists hungry for love.

   See also Willumsen, Dorrit.