born Nov. 18, 1743, Copenhagen, Den.
died March 17, 1781, Copenhagen
Danish poet and dramatist.
By age 19 he was becoming known as a writer. At 30, addicted to alcohol, he adopted a more solitary life and began producing his mature works, including The Death of Balder (1774), in which he became the first Danish poet to use themes from Scandinavian myth and saga . Of his dramatic works, only the operetta Fiskerne (1779; "The Fishermen") is still performed. He is especially known for his great personal odes and for songs such as "King Christian Stood by the Lofty Mast," used as a national anthem, and "Lille Gunver," the first Danish romance. He is considered one of Denmark's greatest lyric poets. His memoirs (published 1804) are his greatest prose work.