born Jan. 20, 1873, Farsø, Den.
died Nov. 25, 1950, Copenhagen
Danish novelist, poet, and essayist.
He initially studied medicine but later turned to writing. He first made an impression as a writer of tales, including the more than 100 published under the recurring title Myths . His early writings also include a historical trilogy, The Fall of the King (1900–01), about Christian II of Denmark. His best-known work is The Long Journey (1908–22), a series of six novels that chronicles humanity's rise from primitive times to the time of Christopher Columbus 's arrival in the Americas. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1944.