Søren Ulrik Thomsen
Encyclopedia
Søren Ulrik Thomsen is a Danish
poet. His debut was City Slang, 1981.
. He grew up in Store Heddinge
, Stevns
, south of Copenhagen
, where he went to school together with another Danish poet, Jens Fink-Jensen
from 1968 to 1972. In his childhood he was used to readings of literature and to sing evening songs, the sensations of the rhythm of language and poetry was in this way part of his early years. In school he grew familiar with the songs of B.S.Ingemann
, a poet who has had significant influence on Thomsen's poetry.
He moved with his family to Copenhagen at sixteen and enrolled in gymnasium studies at Rysensteen
and thereafter (after being expelled) at Det Frie Gymnasium, where he completed his upper secondary education i qualifying him for university studies. The meeting with Copenhagen was a force in his early poetry about the strangeness and loneliness of the big city.
Søren Ulrik Thomsen studied comparative literature at the University of Copenhagen
, but made priority of the poetry writing rather than completing his degree. His debut was in the review Hvedekorn (Wheatgrain) in 1977.
; this and other links of years are to the corresponding "[year]-in-poetry" articles). It is city poetry and is to do with human alienation in the space of the city, the Danish singer Lars H.U.G. added music/melodies to these poems in 1984 on an album of the same title, and thus brought the poets name out to a greater audience.
Thomsen with the collections of poetry City Slang, Ukendt under den samme måne ("Unknown Under the Same Moon"; 1982
) and New poems (1987
) belonged to the group of 80s-poets, reacting against the political poets of the seventies. 80s generation, which also Michael Strunge
was a part of focused on the body, sensations, and existential subjects in a tight, minimalistic language.
Later Thomsen published Hjemfalden (1991
), Det skabtes vaklen ("The Shaking of Creation", 1996
) and Det værste og det bedste, illustrated by Ib Spang Olsen, (2002
). With these collections he moved away from the school of the 80s generation and appears as a poet with a truly individual expression.
Søren Ulrik Thomsen is interested in great existential human conditions such as death and loneliness, creation and destruction. His poems in Hjemfalden are rhythmic arabesques, this comes through strongly in his public readings.
He has also published two poetics, where he tries to define the essence of poetry and what happens in the process of creating a poem, Mit lys brænder. Omrids af en ny poetik ("In My Candle Burns: Outline of a New Poetics", 1985
) and En dans på gloser, essays ("Dancing Attendance on the Word," 1996
).
As a writer Søren Ulrik Thomsen also participates in public debate and has published a book of essays with Frederik Stjernfeldt, Kritik af den negative opbyggelighed. His books have always been offered a great deal of attention (as the subject of numerous books and essays), and he is seen as one of the more significant Danish contemporary poets. He was the focus of the only conference (as of 2009) ever devoted to a living Danish writer.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
poet. His debut was City Slang, 1981.
Life
Søren Ulrik Thomsen was born in 1956 in KalundborgKalundborg
Kalundborg is a city with a population of 16,434 in Kalundborg municipality in Denmark and the site of its municipal council. Kalundborg is on the main island Zealand, with Copenhagen, but opposite on the far western edge....
. He grew up in Store Heddinge
Store Heddinge
Store Heddinge is a Danish town in Region Sjælland. It is the administrative seat of Stevns Municipality and has a population of 3,448 .-History:...
, Stevns
Stevns Peninsula
Stevns Peninsula is a peninsula on Sjælland in Denmark. It is separated from Sjælland by the three streams Stevns Å, Tryggevælde Å and Kildeå.The main town of the peninsula is Store Heddinge, and most of the peninsula is covered by the Stevns Municipality....
, south of Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, where he went to school together with another Danish poet, Jens Fink-Jensen
Jens Fink-Jensen
Jens Fink-Jensen is a Danish poet, author, photographer, composer and architect.-Biography:Jens Fink-Jensen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. From 1968 to 1972 Fink-Jensen attended school in Store Heddinge where he was a classmate with the Danish poet Søren Ulrik Thomsen...
from 1968 to 1972. In his childhood he was used to readings of literature and to sing evening songs, the sensations of the rhythm of language and poetry was in this way part of his early years. In school he grew familiar with the songs of B.S.Ingemann
Bernhard Severin Ingemann
Bernhard Severin Ingemann was a Danish novelist and poet.Ingemann was born in Thorkildstrup, on the island of Falster, Denmark. The son of a vicar, he was left fatherless in his youth. While a student at the University of Copenhagen he published his first collection of poems Bernhard Severin...
, a poet who has had significant influence on Thomsen's poetry.
He moved with his family to Copenhagen at sixteen and enrolled in gymnasium studies at Rysensteen
Rysensteen Gymnasium
Rysensteen Gymnasium is a gymnasium in Copenhagen, DenmarkIt was founded by Laura Engelhardt and opened in 1881.-Notable alumni:With graduation dates:* 1931 Kirsten Auken – politician* 1944 Bodil Udsen – actress...
and thereafter (after being expelled) at Det Frie Gymnasium, where he completed his upper secondary education i qualifying him for university studies. The meeting with Copenhagen was a force in his early poetry about the strangeness and loneliness of the big city.
Søren Ulrik Thomsen studied comparative literature at the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
, but made priority of the poetry writing rather than completing his degree. His debut was in the review Hvedekorn (Wheatgrain) in 1977.
Publishing and style
His first collection of poetry was City Slang (19811981 in poetry
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Jane Greer launched Plains Poetry Journal, an advance guard of the New Formalism movement....
; this and other links of years are to the corresponding "[year]-in-poetry" articles). It is city poetry and is to do with human alienation in the space of the city, the Danish singer Lars H.U.G. added music/melodies to these poems in 1984 on an album of the same title, and thus brought the poets name out to a greater audience.
Thomsen with the collections of poetry City Slang, Ukendt under den samme måne ("Unknown Under the Same Moon"; 1982
1982 in poetry
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:*Final edition of This Magazine published....
) and New poems (1987
1987 in poetry
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Charles Bukowski, fictionalised as alter ego Henry Chinaski, becomes the subject of the film Barfly starring Mickey Rourke....
) belonged to the group of 80s-poets, reacting against the political poets of the seventies. 80s generation, which also Michael Strunge
Michael Strunge
Michael Strunge was a Danish poet.As a member of the original circle of 1980s poets in the group around Hvedekorn’s editor Poul Borum, Michael Strunge, in cooperation with his colleague Jens Fink-Jensen, among others, arranged the generational manifestation “NÅ!!80” in Copenhagen in 1980.With...
was a part of focused on the body, sensations, and existential subjects in a tight, minimalistic language.
Later Thomsen published Hjemfalden (1991
1991 in poetry
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Forward Poetry Prize created...
), Det skabtes vaklen ("The Shaking of Creation", 1996
1996 in poetry
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* National Poetry Month was established by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996 as way to increase awareness and appreciation of poetry in the United States.* The movie Dead Man, written and...
) and Det værste og det bedste, illustrated by Ib Spang Olsen, (2002
2002 in poetry
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* After Ghazi al-Gosaibi, the Saudi Arabian ambassador to Britain, publishes a poem praising a suicide bomber who had killed himself and two Israelis after blowing himself up in a supermarket; the...
). With these collections he moved away from the school of the 80s generation and appears as a poet with a truly individual expression.
Søren Ulrik Thomsen is interested in great existential human conditions such as death and loneliness, creation and destruction. His poems in Hjemfalden are rhythmic arabesques, this comes through strongly in his public readings.
He has also published two poetics, where he tries to define the essence of poetry and what happens in the process of creating a poem, Mit lys brænder. Omrids af en ny poetik ("In My Candle Burns: Outline of a New Poetics", 1985
1985 in poetry
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* The term "New Formalism" was first used in the article "The Yuppie Poet" in the May 1985 issue of the AWP Newsletter in an attack on the poetry movement...
) and En dans på gloser, essays ("Dancing Attendance on the Word," 1996
1996 in poetry
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* National Poetry Month was established by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996 as way to increase awareness and appreciation of poetry in the United States.* The movie Dead Man, written and...
).
As a writer Søren Ulrik Thomsen also participates in public debate and has published a book of essays with Frederik Stjernfeldt, Kritik af den negative opbyggelighed. His books have always been offered a great deal of attention (as the subject of numerous books and essays), and he is seen as one of the more significant Danish contemporary poets. He was the focus of the only conference (as of 2009) ever devoted to a living Danish writer.