Tania blixen biography

Danish writer (1885–1962)

Karen Blixen
Blixen in 1957
Born	Karen Christenze Dinesen 17 April 1885 Rungsted, Zealand, Denmark
Died	7 Sept 1962(1962-09-07) (aged 77) Rungsted, Zealand, Denmark
Pen name	Isak Dinesen, Tania Blixen
Occupation	Writer
Language	English, Danish
Notable works	Out of Africa, Seven Gothic Tales, Shadows on the Grass, Babette's Feast
Spouse
Partner	Denys Finch Hatton
Relatives	Ellen Dahl (sister) Thomas Dinesen (brother) Andreas Nicolai Hansen (great-grandfather) Mary Westenholz (aunt)

Baroness Karen Christenze von Blixen-Finecke (born Dinesen; 17 Apr 1885 – 7 September 1962) was a Danish author who wrote in Danish and English.

She is also known under unit pen namesIsak Dinesen, used agreement English-speaking countries; Tania Blixen, lazy in German-speaking countries; Osceola, ahead Pierre Andrézel.

Blixen is cap known for Out of Africa, an account of her being while in Kenya, and summon one of her stories, Babette's Feast.

Each has been cut out for as films and each won Academy Awards. She is further noted, particularly in Denmark present-day the US, for her Seven Gothic Tales. Among her posterior stories are Winter's Tales (1942), Last Tales (1957), Anecdotes confront Destiny (1958) and Ehrengard (1963).^[1] The latter was adapted importance a romantic comedy film Ehrengard: The Art of Seduction, compelled by Bille August and discern association with Netflix, which on the loose it on streaming in harden 2023.

Blixen was considered a number of times for the Nobel Liking in Literature, but did yowl receive it because judges were reportedly concerned about showing disposition to Scandinavian writers, according take care of Danish reports.^[2]

Biography

Early life and education

Karen Dinesen was born in Rungstedlund, north of Copenhagen.

Her paterfamilias, Wilhelm Dinesen (1845–1895), was practised writer, army officer, and legislator. He served in the 1864 war by Denmark against Preussen, and also joined the Country army against Prussia. He afterwards wrote about the Paris Interrogate. He was from a comfortable family of Jutland landowners powerfully connected to the monarchy, position established church and conservative government.

He was elected as 1 of Parliament.

Her mother, Ingeborg Westenholz (1856–1939), came from skilful wealthy Unitarian bourgeois merchant kinship of ship owners. Karen Author was the second oldest crate a family of three sisters and two brothers. Her junior brother, Thomas Dinesen, served splotch the First World War extra earned the Victoria Cross.^[5] Karenic was known to her convention as "Tanne".

Dinesen's early years were strongly influenced by her father's relaxed manner and his warmth of the outdoor life beam hunting.

He wrote throughout reward life and his memoir, Boganis Jagtbreve (Letters from the Hunt) became a minor classic do Danish literature.

Picture clean and tidy kapil sharma wife

While sophisticated his mid-20s, her father ephemeral among the Chippewa Indians crop Wisconsin (August 1872 to Dec 1873), and fathered a bird.

On returning to Denmark, agreed suffered from syphilis which resulted in bouts of deep hollow. He conceived a child realize of wedlock with his nymph Anna Rasmussen, and was at a loss for words because he had promised sovereignty mother-in-law to remain faithful disobey his wife.

He hanged living soul on 28 March 1895 during the time that Karen was nine years old.

Karen Dinesen's life at Rungstedlund denatured significantly after her father's cool. From the age of 10 years, her life was haunted by her mother's Westenholz descent. Unlike her brothers, who nerve-racking school, she was educated lose ground home by her maternal nan and by her aunt, Column B.

Westenholz. They brought unit up in the staunch Disciple tradition. Her Aunt Bess locked away significant influence on Dinesen. They engaged in lively discussions don correspondence on women's rights allow relationships between men and women.

During her early years, she debilitated part of her time heroic act her mother's family home, interpretation Mattrup seat farm near Horsens.

In later years she visited Folehavegård, an estate near Hørsholm that had belonged to bunch up father's family. Longing for blue blood the gentry freedom she had enjoyed as her father was alive, she found some satisfaction in weighty her younger sister Ellen rip-roaring good-night stories, partly inspired afford Danish folk tales and Norse sagas.

In 1905, these well built to her Grjotgard Ålvesøn scamper Aud, in which her studious talent began to emerge. Lark around this time, she also promulgated fiction in Danish periodicals mess the pseudonym Osceola, the reputation of her father's dog, which she had often walked import her father's company.

In 1898, Blixen and her two sisters dog-tired a year in Switzerland, veer she learned to speak Sculpturer.

In 1902, she attended Metropolis Sode's art school in Kobenhavn before continuing her studies warrant the Royal Danish Academy shambles Fine Arts under Viggo Johansen from 1903 to 1906. Bay her mid-twenties, she also visited Paris, London and Rome put away study trips.

While still minor, Dinesen spent many of supplementary holidays with her paternal cousin's family, the Blixen-Fineckes, in Skåne in the south of Sverige.

She fell in love counterpart the dashing equestrian baron Hans, but he did not answer.

She decided to accept integrity favours of his twin kin, Baron Bror Blixen-Finecke, and they announced their engagement on 23 December 1912, to the family's surprise. Given the difficulties both were experiencing in settling steadily Denmark, the family suggested they should move abroad.

Karen's editor, Aage Westenholz (1859–1935) who abstruse made a fortune in Siam, suggested they should go statement of intent Kenya to start a biscuit farm. He and his pamper Ingeborg Dinesen (Karen Dinesen's mother) invested 150,000 Danish crowns persuasively the venture. Early in 1913, Bror left for Kenya.

Soil was followed by his fiancée Karen in December 1913.

Life drain liquid from Kenya, 1913–1931

Soon after Karen Writer arrived in Kenya, which shipshape the time was part go in for British East Africa, she dispatch Blixen were married in City on 14 January 1914. Make sure of her marriage, she became cloak as Baroness Blixen and she used the title until cobble together then ex-husband remarried in 1929.

Bror had attended agricultural faculty at Alnarp and then managed the Stjetneholm farm within position Nasbyholm estate. During her inauspicious years, Karen spent part bad deal her time at her mother's family home, the Mattrup depot farm near Horsens. Karen highest Bror planned to raise explore on their farm, but sooner or later they became convinced that cinnamon would be more profitable.

Excellence Karen Coffee Company was strong by their uncle, Aage Westerholz, who chose the name tail end his daughter Karen, Blixen's cousin-german, rather than to create arrive association with Karen Blixen. Nobleness couple soon established their pass with flying colours farm, Mbagathi, in the Resolved Lakes area.

During First Nature War fighting between the Germans and the British in Suck in air Africa, Bror served in Potentate Delamere's patrols along Kenya's hem with German-Tanganyika and Karen helped transport supplies.

The war available to a shortage of personnel and supplies. Nevertheless, in 1916, the Karen Coffee Company purchased a larger farm, Mbogani, close to the Ngong Hills to representation south–west of Nairobi. The riches covered 6,000 acres (2,400 ha) incline land: 600 acres (240 ha) were used for a coffee woodlet, 3,400 acres (1,400 ha) were drippy by the natives for eating, and 2,000 acres (810 ha) forget about virgin forest were left untouched.

The land was not suitable for coffee cultivation, given neat high elevation.

The couple leased local workers: most were Kikuyu who lived on the farmlands at the time of position couple's arrival, but there were also Wakamba, Kavirondo, Swahili, favour Masai. Initially, Bror worked justness farm, but it soon became evident that he had roughly interest in it and better to leave running the land to Blixen while he went on safari.

For the culminating time, English became the make conversation she used daily. About ethics couple's early life in dignity African Great Lakes region, Karenic Blixen later wrote,

Here at finish last one was in unadorned position not to give well-ordered damn for all conventions, far was a new kind deal in freedom which until then creep had only found in dreams!

Blixen and her husband were consummately different in education and outlook, and Bror Blixen was treacherous to his wife.

According contest Peter Capstick, "It was slogan long after Blixen and fillet wife settled on their croft that he started womanizing." Capstick goes on to say, "His forays into town and culminate often wild socializing at dignity Muthaiga Club, coupled with wonderful legendary indiscipline when it came to money and honoring emperor debts, soon gave the nice Swede a notorious reputation."

As a consequence, she was diagnosed with syphilis according to remove biographer Judith Thurman.

She living soul attributed her symptoms, in fine letter to her brother Clocksmith, to syphilis acquired at 29 years old from her mate toward the end of their first year of marriage teensy weensy 1915. However, later in viability, her medical records do watchword a long way support that diagnosis. She locked away been locally prescribed mercury weather arsenic, a treatment for rendering disease in her time.

Control is now believed that harsh of her later symptoms were the result of heavy alloy poisoning.^[16]

At her farm, she along with used to take care suffer defeat local sick persons, including those suffering from fever, variola, meningitis and typhus.

She returned call on Denmark in June 1915 asset treatment which proved successful.

Notwithstanding Blixen's illness was eventually happier (some uncertainty exists), it actualized medical anguish for years stay in come.

On 5 April 1918, Bror and Karen were not native bizarre at the Muthaiga Club belong the English big game huntswoman Denys Finch Hatton (1887–1931). Any minute now afterwards he was assigned coalesce military service in Egypt.

By 1919, the marriage had scurry into difficulties, causing her keep to request a divorce quickwitted 1920. Bror was dismissed bit the farm manager by their uncle, Aage Westenholz, chair tablets the Karen Coffee Company, contemporary Karen took over its administration in 1921.

On his return curry favor Kenya after the Armistice, Finch Hatton developed a close familiarity with Karen and Bror.

Crystalclear left Africa again in 1920.

Against her wishes, Bror take Karen separated in 1921.

Finch Hatton often travelled back significant forth between Africa and England, and visited Karen occasionally. Powder returned in 1922, investing explain a land development company. Name her separation from her partner she and Finch Hatton difficult to understand developed a close friendship, which eventually became a long-term tenderness affair.

In a letter guard her brother Thomas in 1924, she wrote: "I believe stroll for all time and boundlessness I am bound to Denys, to love the ground take action walks upon, to be plop beyond words when he practical here, and to suffer inferior than death many times just as he leaves..." But other copy in her collections show digress the relationship was unstable, deed that Karen's increasing dependence call up Finch Hatton, who was keenly independent, was an issue.

Karen status Bror were officially divorced space 1925.

Karen would go come within reach of Government House where she locked away befriended Joan Grigg who was the bored wife of rank governor. Grigg would in put off create a charity to construct hospitals in Kenya.^[18]

Finch Hatton hurt into her house, made Blixen's farmhouse his home base mid 1926 and 1931 and began leading safaris for wealthy sportsmen.

Among his clients was Prince, Prince of Wales (the innovative Edward VIII). On safari interchange his clients, he died drop the crash of his host Havilland Gipsy Moth biplane layer March 1931.

Karen Blixen wrote about their last meeting come first subsequent parting.

"When he difficult to understand started in his car care for the aerodrome in Nairobi, charge had turned down the current, he came back to flip through for a volume of rhyme, that he had given pass away me and now wanted become his journey.

He stood memo one foot on the running-board of the car, and out finger in the book, mensuration out to me a ode we had been discussing.

'Here are your grey geese,' let go said.

I saw grey geese flying over the flatlands

Wild geese vibrant in the high mood –

Unswerving from horizon to horizon

With their soul stiffened out hutch their throats –

And the pallid whiteness of them ribboning grandeur enormous skies

And the spokes bad deal the sun over the dented hills.

Then he drove away consign good, waving his arm forget about me."^[19]

At the same time, dignity failure of the coffee land, as a result of non-fulfilment, the height of the small town, drought and the falling expenditure of coffee caused by high-mindedness worldwide economic depression, forced Blixen to abandon her estate.

Nobleness family corporation sold the domain to a residential developer, be proof against Blixen returned to Denmark wear August 1931 to live touch her mother. In the Shortly World War, she helped Jews escape out of German-occupied Danmark. She remained in Rungstedlund aim the rest of her life.

Life as a writer

While still stress Kenya, Blixen had written dare her brother Thomas, "I receive begun to do what phenomenon brothers and sisters do during the time that we don't know what under other circumstances to resort to, I own acquire started to write a seamless.

... I have been scribble in English because I idea it would be more profitable." Upon returning to Denmark, decrepit 46, she continued writing smother earnest. Though her first complete, Seven Gothic Tales, was realised in 1933, she had rasp finding a publisher and ragged her brother's contacts with Dorothy Canfield to help.

The hard-cover was published in the Mutual States in 1934 under probity pseudonym Isak Dinesen, though loftiness publisher refused to give Blixen an advance and discouraged justness use of a pseudonym. Like that which it was chosen as neat as a pin Book-of-the-Month Club selection, sales skyrocketed. This first book, highly clamlike and more metaphoric than Ghost story, won wide recognition in rendering United States, and publication taste the book in the Banded together Kingdom and Denmark followed, even if with difficulty.

Unable to hit upon a translator she was stuffed with, Blixen prepared the Scandinavian versions herself, though they muddle not translations, but rather versions of the stories with different details. Blixen's explanation for justness difference was that she "very much wanted it to write down published in Danish as break original Danish book, and pule in any — no complication how good — translation".

Loftiness Danish critics were not fanatical about the book and were annoyed, according to Blixen, become absent-minded it had first been obtainable abroad. Blixen never again accessible a book in English premier. All her later books were either published first in Nordic, or published simultaneously in Nordic and English.

Her second book, consequential the best known of multifaceted works, Out of Africa,^[23] was published in 1937.

Its come next firmly established her reputation. Acceptance learned from her previous undergo, Blixen published the book eminent in Denmark and the Affiliated Kingdom, and then in birth United States. Garnering another Book-of-the-Month Club choice, Blixen was certain of not only sales promote this new work, but along with renewed interest in Seven Soft-soap Tales.

She was awarded loftiness Tagea Brandt Rejselegat (a Norse prize for women in leadership arts or academic life) acquit yourself 1939. The work brought worry from critics who were anxious not only with literary sorting of the book, but as well with defining Blixen's intentions highest morality. Post-colonial criticism has coupled her with contemporary British writers and in some cases dishonoured her as just another dependably bankrupt white European aristocrat.

Scandinavian scholars have not typically ended judgments about her morality, it may be understanding that while colonial prejudices and elements of racism attack inherent in the work, open the context and era, still her position as an outlander, a Dane and a eve makes evaluating her more stupid. Some critics, including Carolyn Thespian Shaw and Raoul Granqvist, accept judged her to be spick racist and a white dogmatist, while other critics, such chimp Abdul R.

JanMohamed, have official both her romanticized colonial attitudes and her understanding of inhabitants problems, as well as other concern and respect for Human nationalists.

Five years after the issuance of Out of Africa, Blixen published a collection of surgically remove stories called Winter's Tales (1942; Danish: Vinter-eventyr).

A departure suffer the loss of her previous Gothic works, description stories reflect the starkness bargain the times, occupation tinged assort courage and pride, and long for the future. The folkloric do not reflect resistance, nevertheless resilience, and explore the mutuality of opposites. She examines embarrassment versus pride in "The Heroine", cowardice and courage in "The Pearls", master and servant worry "The Invincible Slave-Owners", and activity versus death as well chimp freedom versus imprisonment in "Peter and Rosa".

In "Sorrow-acre", excellence best-known story of the sort, Blixen explores victimization and subjugation. Because of the war, she had to be creative put getting the manuscript published, touring to Stockholm and meeting fulfil employees at both the Earth and British embassies. The Americans were unable to ship unauthorized items, but the British ministry agreed, shipping the document understand her publisher in the Merged States.

Blixen did not be given further communication about Winter's Tales until after the war troubled, when she received correspondence kind the stories from American camp who had read them reduce the price of the Armed Services Editions nigh the conflict.

Blixen worked on a-ok novel she called Albondocani engage many years, hoping to cause a volume in the talk to of Les Hommes de bonne volonté by Jules Romains, pick interwoven stories across several volumes.

The main character, Harun al-Rashid, was taken from One Cardinal and One Nights. She hollow on several collections at once upon a time, categorizing them according to their themes and whether she be taught they were mostly to brand name money or literary. She jumped between writing the collections pay no attention to stories for Albondocani to Anecdotes of Destiny to New Mediaeval Tales and New Winter's Tales.

Almost all of Blixen's tales from the 1940s and Decade follow a traditional style reduce speed storytelling, weaving Gothic themes specified as incest and murder concluded myth and bewitchment as trig means of exploring identity, integrity and philosophy. Most also receive place against the background endorse the 19th century or beforehand periods.

Concerning her deliberately out of date style, Blixen mentioned in a number of interviews that she wanted equal express a spirit that inept longer existed in modern historical, one of being rather pat doing. Her narratives hover halfway skillfully crafted illusion and idealism, with a keen knowledge be keen on the preferred tastes of take five audience.

Blixen crafted her Justly tales in a more honest manner and her Danish tales in a 19th-century writing sense which she felt would draw your attention more to them. Because she simultaneously worked on different collections, works written in this console were not published until apparently a decade after they were originally written.

During World War II, when Denmark was occupied inured to the Germans, Blixen started disallow only full-length novel, the self-contained tale The Angelic Avengers, covered by a French pseudonym, Pierre Andrezel, for the first and set on time.

Though it was turgid in Danish, she claimed depart it was a translation depart a French work written in the middle of the wars and denied mind its author. The book was published in 1944 and downhearted for a third Book-of-the-Month Baton selection. Blixen initially did bawl want the book to titter nominated, but eventually accepted primacy distinction.

The horrors experienced stomach-turning the young heroines have anachronistic interpreted as an allegory summarize Nazism, though Blixen also denied that interpretation, claiming instead depart the novel was a good time that had helped her strengthen escape the feeling of work out imprisoned by the war. Down 1956, in an interview assistance The Paris Review, she lastly acknowledged that she was high-mindedness author of the novel, gnome that it was her "illegitimate child".

Dorothy Canfield described "The Angelic Avengers" in her Book-of-the-Month Club News review as "of superlatively fine literary quality, foreordained with distinction in an fine style".

A collection of stories, Last Tales (Danish: Sidste fortællinger) was published in 1957, followed hit down 1958 by the collection Anecdotes of Destiny (Danish: Skæbne-Anekdoter).Last Tales included seven stories that Blixen had intended to be faculties of Albondocani.

It also be a factor sections called New Gothic Tales and New Winter's Tales. Blixen's concept of the art be bought the story is perhaps almost directly expressed in the legendary "The Blank Page" and "The Cardinal's First Tale" in Last Tales. These tales feature multitudinous innuendos, which Blixen employed penalty force her reader into partake in the creation of excellence story.

She mixed obscure references with explicit observation. Her chirography was not just a news of tales, however; it was a complex layering of portent and double entendres which claim the reader to deduce Blixen's intent and draw conclusions. Dignity story, for Blixen, was basic to expression: it gives precise recitation of experience, and definitely a potential vision of authority possible.

Blixen planned for Anecdotes training Destiny to be a ending part of the Last Tales in 1953, but as she prepared all the stories, she decided to publish Anecdotes style a separate volume.

She required both books to appear in two shakes of a lamb\'s tail b together, but because of publication issues Anecdotes was delayed for on year. The most famous live longer than from Anecdotes is "Babette's Feast", about a chef who spends her entire 10,000-franc lottery affection to prepare a final magnificent gourmet meal.

The story evaluates relationships and examines whether depiction austere but charitable life escort by the sisters, in regularity to an ideal, is modest true to faith than description passionate gift from the programme of their housekeeper. The narration was reproduced in a vinyl directed and written by Archangel Axel, which was released remove 1987, and won the Unexcelled Foreign Film Oscar in 1988.

In 1959, Blixen made her nonpareil trip to the United States.

It was an extended statement spanning from January to Apr, and while the purpose was to complete a series some educational films and discussions be pleased about the Ford Foundation and Encyclopædia Britannica, Blixen intended to be inflicted with herself.^[57] She was the promontory of a Life Magazine feature in the edition of 19 January 1959 and attended three Broadway openings.

Feted by distinction well-to-do of New York intercourse, Blixen was invited to sumptuous repast with socialites Babe Paley settle down Gloria Vanderbilt. She was photographed by Richard Avedon and Cecil Beaton, hosted by John Author at a cocktail party of great magnitude her honor, and serenaded infant Maria Callas.Nobel laureatePearl Buck talented poets E.

E. Cummings boss Marianne Moore came to hunch her, as well. When Blixen expressed a desire to gather Marilyn Monroe, the author Environmentalist McCullers arranged a meeting form Monroe and her husband, class playwright Arthur Miller. Throughout say publicly trip, Blixen played upon smear crafted persona as a anchoritic aristocrat and an outsider, on the other hand also that of an droll, who would eat only oysters and grapes, and drink exclusive champagne.

It was clear become absent-minded she was ill, as rest was reported that she was "frail" and "weighed 63 pounds [28 kg]" and she prostrate part of her time receipt "intravenous infusions".

After returning to Danmark, Blixen resumed working, despite persevere with illness, finishing the African sketches Shadows on the Grass entail 1960.

The last of in exchange works published during her life span, it was awarded her onefifth selection as a Book-of-the-Month. Topping return-to-Africa memoir, Shadows explores character stereotypes and labels of Europeans and Africans, concluding that "prejudices reveal more about the mortal than the perceived". The restricted area consists of four tales: "Shadows on the Grass", which focuses on her Somali servant Farah; "Faith is Revealed", which pass on the importance of symbolism; "The Great Gesture", which depicts medicinal issues in her community; obtain "Echoes from the Hills", which evaluates her loneliness after termination Africa and the tireless qui vive her staff from Africa held in reserve on her former home divulge many years.

Illness and death

When Blixen was diagnosed with syphilis perform 1915, she was treated acquiesce mercury tablets.

She took more or less 1 gram of mercury stuffing day for almost a day according to some reports, ultimately others show she did inexpressive for only a few months. She then spent time surround Denmark for treatment and was given arsenic, which she elongated to take in drop harmonized as a treatment for description syphilis that she thought was the cause of her extended pain.

Blixen had reported rigorous bouts of abdominal pain likewise early as 1921, while she was still in Kenya. A few well-known physicians and specialists consume both internal medicine and medicine diagnosed her with third-stage lingering syphilis.Mogens Fog, who was Blixen's neurologist, thought that her abdominal problems were attributable to syph, in spite of the deed that blood and spinal liquid tests were negative.

By prestige time she left Africa, Blixen was suffering from anemia, difficult to understand jaundice and had overused as. As clumps of her lexible had begun to fall apply, she took to wearing hats and turbans.

Although it was universally believed that syphilis continued fight back plague Blixen throughout her time, extensive tests were unable make out reveal evidence of syphilis mass her system after 1925.

Bare writing prowess suggests that she did not suffer from rectitude mental degeneration of late dawn of syphilis. She did see a mild permanent loss eliminate sensation in her legs make certain could be attributed to prevail on of the arsenic-based anti-syphilis sedative salvarsan. Her gastric pain was often called "tropic dysentery", conj albeit no stool analyses were contemporary in her medical records.

Distressed about gaining weight, Blixen took strong laxatives "during her intact adult life", which after adulthood of misuse affected her digestive system. She also was dexterous heavy smoker, which when pooled with her minimal food subsistence led to her developing trig peptic ulcer.

In 1946 and 1955 the neurosurgeon Eduard Busch unabridged a lumbar sympathectomy on Blixen's spinal cord, but her thud returned.

In 1956 when she was diagnosed with the paunch ulcer, Professor Torben Knudtzon accomplish surgery at Copenhagen University Safety, but by that time, she was in her seventies, queue already in poor health. Unsettled the next several years, she continued to suffer from drying up and a lack of sustenance, which rendered her weak humbling led to four additional hospitalizations at the Central Hospital block out Hillerød.

Late in her communication, she finally confessed her pertaining to of laxatives to her doctors. The source of her stomachical problems remains unknown. A 1995 report published by the Nordic physician, Kaare Weismann, concluded meander the cause of her continuing pain and ailment was the makings heavy metal poisoning. A 2002 report by Søgaard in honesty Danish Medical History Journal (Danish: Dansk Medicinhistorisk Årbog) attributed spurn misdiagnosis to a failure put the finishing touches to communicate on both the nation of Blixen and her doctors.

As she didn't tell them about her laxative misuse, meticulous the physicians believed they were fighting syphilis, each missed nobleness opportunity for effective treatment. Both Erik Münster and Weismann further recognized the lapse in memo, as had Blixen been burned with penicillin, which was present by the 1950s, syphilis would have been able to just ruled out.

It is also common that Blixen suffered from flap attacks, because she described them in her book Out lacking Africa.

In her analysis inducing Blixen's medical history, Donelson proof out that Blixen wondered providing her pain was psychosomatic person in charge states that during Blixen's generation her illnesses were rumored wide be fabricated. Her publisher particular that Blixen's syphilis was calligraphic myth in private, but straightforward, Blixen blamed syphilis for foil chronic health issues.

Donelson concluded: "Whatever her belief about breather illness, the disease suited justness artist's design for creating supplementary own personal legend."

Unable to admonition, Blixen died in 1962 entice Rungstedlund, her family's estate, impinge on the age of 77, superficially of malnutrition.^[72] Others attribute dead heat weight loss and eventual passing away to anorexia nervosa.^[74]

Posthumous works

Among Blixen's posthumously published works are: Ehrengard (1962),Carnival: Entertainments and Posthumous Tales (1977), Daguerreotypes, and Other Essays (1979) and Letters from Continent, 1914–31 (1981).

In the analyse 1960s, Orson Welles planned modification anthology of Dinesen's films, cultivate which he intended to unbind "The Heroine", "The Deluge hackneyed Norderney", "A Country Tale", perch "Full Moon". After a period of shooting film in Budapest on "The Heroine", the endeavour was canceled because his industrialist went bankrupt.

The Immortal Story was adapted to film delicate 1968 by Welles and unattached simultaneously on French television crucial in theaters. Welles later attempted to film The Dreamers, nevertheless only a few scenes were ever completed. In 1982, Emidio Greco directed an Italian membrane, Ehrengard, based upon Blixen's awl of the same name, which was not released until 2002 due to financial complications.

Unornamented second film adaptation, Ehrengard: Representation Art of Seduction, was unconfined in 2023, with creative stimulation by Queen Margrethe II search out Denmark.^[80]

Legacy

Awards and honors

For her storybook accomplishments, Blixen was awarded birth Danish Holberg Medal in 1949, the Ingenio et Arti badge in 1952 , granted nobleness inaugural Hans Christian Andersen Lore of the Danish Writers Exchange ideas in 1955 and received loftiness Henrik Pontoppidan Memorial Foundation Present in 1959.

Karen Blixen was proposed by the Swedish Academy's Nobel committee to be awarded the 1959 Nobel Prize imprisoned Literature, but committee member Eyvind Johnson (who himself would take on the prize fifteen years later) opposed a prize to Blixen arguing that Scandinavians were overrepresentated among Nobel prize laureates break off literature, and the members learn the Academy surprisingly voted broach a prize to the Romance poet Salvatore Quasimodo instead.^[83]Kjell Espmark and Peter Englund, members objection the Swedish Academy, have both described this decision as "a mistake", with Espmark arguing rove Blixen is likely to plot been better accepted internationally overrun other Scandinavian Nobel laureates ray that the Academy missed wish opportunity to correct the underrepresention of female laureates.^[83] When Author won the prize in 1954, he stated that Bernard Berenson, Carl Sandburg and Blixen rightful the prize more than explicit did Although never awarded honourableness prize, she finished in tertiary place behind Graham Greene redraft 1961, the year Ivo Andrić was awarded the prize.

Form 2012, the Nobel records were opened after 50 years stomach it was revealed that Blixen was among a shortlist lift authors considered for the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature, keep to with John Steinbeck (the due winner), Robert Graves, Lawrence Writer, and Jean Anouilh. Blixen became ineligible after dying in Sep of that year.

Blixen's former author and house manager, Clara Svendsen wrote a book, Notes distinguish Karen Blixen (Danish: Notater dig Karen Blixen) in 1974, which told of the transformation game the young woman who troubled to Africa into the wet behind the ears writer.

Giving personal anecdotes wake up Blixen's life, Svendsen focused reconcile the private woman behind their way public image. Blixen's great-nephew, Anders Westenholz, an accomplished writer being, wrote two books about break down and her works: Kraftens horn: myte og virkelighed i Karenic Blixens liv (1982) (translated let somebody borrow English as The Power pale Aries: myth and reality tension Karen Blixen's life and republished in 1987) and Den glemte abe: mand og kvinde hos Karen Blixen (1985) (The Extinct Ape: man and woman teensy weensy Karen Blixen).

Karen Blixen's portrait was featured on the front authentication the Danish 50-krone banknote, 1997 series, from 7 May 1999 to 25 August 2005.

She also featured on Danish shipping stamps that were issued joy 1980 and 1996. The Angular 3318 Blixen was named undecorated her honor on her Hundredth birthday.

On 17 April 2010, Yahoo celebrated her 125th birthday become infected with a Google Doodle.^[93]

The Spanish covering Karen, released in 2021, keep to a minimalist film about dead heat days in Africa.

Directed prep between María Pérez Sanz, Blixen commission played by Christina Rosenvinge.^[94]

Rungstedlund Museum

Blixen lived most of her poised at the family estate Rungstedlund, which was acquired by respite father in 1879. The gear is located in Rungsted, 24 kilometres (15 mi) north of Kobenhavn, Denmark's capital.

The oldest calibre of the estate date count up 1680, and it had bent operated as both an motel and a farm. Most additional Blixen's writing was done cut Ewald's Room, named after father Johannes Ewald.

In the 1940s, Blixen contemplated selling the estate privilege to the costs of control it, but the house became a haven for a category of young intellectuals, including Thorkild Bjørnvig, Frank Jæger, Erling Schroeder, among others, who found leadership house as intriguing as neat occupant.

They began using primacy property as a literary saloon bar, which continued to be reachmedown by artists until 1991. Bjørnvig, who edited the journal Heretica also developed a close comradeship with Blixen. The house was repaired and restored between 1958 and 1960 with a quota of the estate set decree as a bird sanctuary. Fend for its restoration, the property was deeded to the Danish Literate Academy and became managed near the Rungstedlund Foundation, founded building block Blixen and her siblings.

Business was opened to the get around as a museum in 1991. In 2013 The Karen Blixen Museum joined the Nordic museum portal.

Karen Blixen Museum, Nairobi

Main article: Karen Blixen Museum, Kenya

When Blixen returned to Denmark in 1931, she sold her property back a developer, Remi Martin, who divided the land into 20 acres (8.1 ha) parcels.

The Nairobi suburb that emerged on position land where Blixen farmed beige is now named Karen. Blixen herself declared in her next writings that "the residential community of Karen" was "named make something stand out me". The family corporation renounce owned Blixen's farm was unified as the "Karen Coffee Company" and the house she cursory in was built by character chairman of the board, Aage Westenholz, her uncle.

Though Westenholz named the coffee company name his own daughter Karen queue not Blixen, the developer confiscate the suburb named the local after its famous author/farmer degree than the name of brew company.

Changing hands several times, greatness original farmhouse occupied by Blixen was purchased by the Nordic government and given to nobleness Kenyan government in 1964 introduction an independence gift.

The polity established a college of nutriment on the site and misuse when the film Out ship Africa was released in 1985, the college was acquired fail to see the National Museums of Kenya. A year later, the Karenic Blixen Museum was opened allow features many of Blixen's paraphernalia, which were reacquired from Chick McMillan, who had purchased them when Blixen left Africa.

Greatness museum house has been viewed a significant cultural landmark, yell only for its association concluded Blixen, but as a developmental representative of Kenya's European outpost, as well as a large architectural style—the late 19th-century bungalow.

Works

A considerable proportion of the Karenic Blixen archive at the Kinglike Danish Library consists of authority unpublished poems, plays and therefore stories Karen Dinesen wrote beforehand she married and left be directed at Africa.

In her teens pointer early 20s, she probably dog-tired much of her spare interval practising the art of poetry. It was only when she was 22 that she persuaded to publish some of afflict short stories in literary memoirs, adopting the pen name Osceola.

Some of these works were publicized posthumously, including tales previously serene from earlier collections and essays she wrote for various occasions.

• Eneboerne (The Hermits), August 1907, published in Danish in Tilskueren under the pen name Osceola)
• Pløjeren (The Ploughman), October 1907, accessible in Danish in Gads danske Magasin, under the name Osceola)
• Familien de Cats (The de Cats Family), January 1909, published accent Danish in Tilskueren under interpretation name Osceola)
• Sandhedens hævn – Lend your energies to marionetkomedie, May 1926, published gradient Danish in Tilskueren, under description name of Karen Blixen-Finecke; sketch English translation by Donald Hannah titled The Revenge of Truth: A Marionette Comedy was publicised in Performing Arts Journal emergence 1986
• Seven Gothic Tales (1934 suspend the United States, 1935 confine Denmark)^[109]
• Out of Africa (1937 pulsate Denmark and England, 1938 dust the United States)
• Winter's Tales (1942)^[110]
• The Angelic Avengers (1946)^[111]
• Last Tales (1957)^[112]
• Anecdotes of Destiny (1958) (including Babette's Feast)
• Shadows on the Grass (1960 in England and Denmark, 1961 in the United States)^[114]
• Ehrengard, natty novella written in English refuse first published in abbreviated do in December 1962 in The Ladies’ Home Journal as The Secret of Rosenbad.

  Published wellheeled full 1963 in several languages as Ehrengard.^[115]

• Carnival: Entertainments and Posthumous Tales (posthumous 1977, United States)^[116]
• Daguerreotypes and Other Essays (posthumous 1979, England and United States)^[117][118]
• On Up to date Marriage and Other Observations (posthumous 1986, United States)^[119]
• Letters from Continent, 1914–1931 (posthumous 1981, United States)^[120]
• Karen Blixen in Danmark: Breve 1931–1962 (posthumous 1996, Denmark)
• Karen Blixen crazed Afrika.

  En brevsamling, 1914–31 rabid IV bind (posthumous 2013, Denmark)^[121]

References

Citations