Ved Vejen

Last updated

Ved Vejen
Ved Vejen 1898.jpg
Author Herman Bang
Country Denmark
Language Danish
Publisher Det Schubotheske Forlag
Publication date
1886
Media typePrint

Ved Vejen (meaning By the Wayside or At the Roadside [1] [2] ) is a short novel written by the Danish author Herman Bang in 1886. [3] It was originally published in Copenhagen by Det Schubotheske Forlag [4] as part of a collection of four stories entitled Stille Eksistenser (Quiet Existences), centering on women who are subdued or living in isolation. It was first published independently in 1898. [4] An impressionist novel, it relates the story of Katinka, a sensitive but ambitious young woman married to a boisterous and somewhat vulgar station master, Bai.

Contents

At the time of release in Denmark in 1886, critics from the daily newspapers were generally enthusiastic about Ved Vejen. It is now considered an important contribution to Danish literature, listed in the Danish Culture Canon. In 1988 it was made into a feature film Katinka , directed by Max von Sydow.

Background

Herman Bang's novel was inspired by an incident in 1883 when he was passing through Skørping Station in the north of Jutland. He noticed a young woman at the window who, her pale face couched in her hands, stared after his departing train. In the introduction to Stille Eksistenser he explains: "For the rest of the journey, I could see the woman's face between the flowers. Her look was not quite one of longing — longing would have perhaps fluttered to death by breaking its wings in such tight confines — just a quiet resignation, a waning sorrow. And when the train had slid by, she would be peering out with the same look over the monotonous heather plain." [5]

Bang started writing the novel in 1885 in Vienna, after remembering Skørping Station: "It was in one of those windows behind the flowers that I saw her face, a face which I had not been able to erase from my memory for two years and which, as if a painter, I felt like drawing in soft, melancholic, almost blurry lines and using it as a kind of cover illustration for this book." [6]

Plot

A memory of Skorping Station led to Ved Vejen Skorping 05 ies.jpg
A memory of Skørping Station led to Ved Vejen

The novel centres on the character of Katinka Bai, a quiet, sensitive young woman married to a boisterous and somewhat vulgar station master, Bai. The marriage is barren, and she remains isolated. Almost subconsciously, she passionately longs after something undefinable. Even after the arrival of Huus, a neighbour with whom she begins to establish a promising relationship, she is unable to fulfill her passion, although for the first time in her life she falls in love. In the small provincial community where they live, neither she nor Huus dares to break the conventions they know, sad as it all may be. When they realize they cannot take their attachment any further, they decide to separate and Huus leaves the country. At the end of the novel, as at the beginning, Katinka stands by the wayside, observing life glide by. [7] [8]

Themes

In Ved Vejen, Bang has masterfully developed his impressionistic style. While recognizing that impressionism was first and foremost a trend in painting, he explained in a letter sent to Peter Nansen from Prague that he was trying to achieve the same style in literature: "Impressionistic is indeed the word. I am frantically striving to make every single impression clear and precise and distinctive, and so I never think about the whole" [6] [9] Jean-Claude Polet adds that while he owes much to Zola, Daudet and Maupassant, he channels naturalism into a quite unexpected direction, that of impressionism. His characters are revealed through their responses or a slight turn of phrase along the lines of the Norwegian Jonas Lie or the Russian Turgenev. He does not explain, he merely presents a picture, providing the reader with impressions, allowing him to read between the lines, interpreting what lies behind the words. On meeting Claude Monet, he was told, "You are the first impressionist writer." [10] A recognized example of his mastery of impressionism is the novel's opening scene where all the characters meet at the station. [6]

Depiction of Katinka Bai Ved-vejen1886.jpg
Depiction of Katinka Bai

Longtime Scandinavian Studies scholar Niels Ingwersen [11] states that the novel "engagingly, ironically, sadly captures the quite trivial life of a rural, provincial community" and illustrates an unconsummated love relationship between two ordinary people. [1] He highlights the "amazingly suggestive impressionism" of the novel which permits the reader to become more intimate with the characters, especially the scene at the vicar's party which provides a vivid image of the personalities of the people attending it, with their individual voices coming together to form a complete picture. [1] Although Katinka Bai, a timid individual, is not a heroine in comparison with today's depiction of a strong independent woman, the reader is naturally drawn to empathize with her situation and with her as a character. [12]

Critical response

The novel, like Bang's other works such as Stuk (1887), Tine (1889), and Ludvigsbakke (1896), is still widely read in Denmark, confirming the author as one of Denmark's leading novelists. [2] At the time of release in Denmark in 1886, the daily newspapers were generally enthusiastic about Ved Vejen. Writing in Politiken , Edvard Brandes, after referring to the novel's "outrageous style", welcomed it as a "quite excellent novel" which was "so specially Danish". He concluded by calling for it to be widely read as "the best new literature we have seen this autumn". [13] In Social-Demokraten, C.E. Jensen found that Bang "depicts the infinitely simple existence and everything it covers with the finest and most sensitive art... His style gives the reader an impression of reality's monotony, allowing him to imagine the emotions hidden behind it." [14] Vilhelm Møller of Nutiden i Billeder og Text praised Ved Vejen as the best of the four stories in Stille Eksistenser, "containing all Bang's qualities in good measure and very few of the weaknesses which have disrupted his earlier work. It can certainly be favourably compared with all the novels of the past year." [15] Only Berlingske Tidende's (unnamed) critic was dismissive, commenting: "The story Ved Vejen is weak in content and often unreadable in form... We recommend the author to be less nervous, less jumpy and less impressionistic." [16]

In selecting Ved Vejen for the Danish Culture Canon, the selection committee operating under the Danish Ministry of Culture explained that the attraction of the novel is that it portrays with considerable empathy how a meek young woman becomes increasingly aware of desires she hardly knew she possessed. With bittersweet irony, the author allows Katinka to develop her infatuation by listening to the heartaches of others. With its almost cinematic sequences, the novel conveys a balance between its subdued humour and a strong sympathy for what goes on in people's minds, especially in a secluded environment removed from mainstream society. It is not just Bang's portrayal of a bygone provincial world that seems so typically Danish but his mastery in making the hidden pain of loneliness so meaningful to today's readership. [17] In 1988 it was made into a feature film Katinka , directed by Max von Sydow, starring Tammi Øst as Katinka.

Literature

Ved Vejen has been translated into English as Katinka.

Related Research Articles

This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1886.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naja Marie Aidt</span> Danish-language poet and writer (born 1963)

Naja Marie Aidt is a Danish-language poet and writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herman Bang</span> Danish journalist and author (1857–1912)

Herman Joachim Bang was a Danish journalist and author, one of the men of the Modern Breakthrough.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Niels Hansen Jacobsen</span>

Niels Hansen Jacobsen was a Danish sculptor and ceramist. He is most famous for creating the once controversial sculpture, Trold, der vejrer kristenblod. The name of the statue is taken from a story in Norse folklore where the hero hides in the troll's castle. Thereafter, whenever the troll enters the castle, he cries: "I smell a Christian man's blood!"

<span class="mw-page-title-main">L. A. Ring</span> Danish artist

Laurits Andersen Ring was one of the foremost Danish painters of the turn of the 20th century, who pioneered both symbolism and social realism in Denmark. Considered one of the masterpieces of Danish culture, his painting Summer Day by Roskilde Fjord was included in the 2006 Danish Culture Canon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Freuchen</span> Danish explorer and anthropologist (1886–1957)

Lorenz Peter Elfred Freuchen was a Danish explorer, author, journalist and anthropologist. He is notable for his role in Arctic exploration, namely the Thule Expeditions.

Katinka is a feminine given name possibly originating in Hungary. It is the pet form of Katerina or Ekaterina, meaning "pure" and cognate to the English name Catherine. It may also refer to:

Dick Kaysø, is a Danish actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorrit Willumsen</span> Danish writer (born 1940)

Dorrit Willumsen is a Danish writer. She made her literary debut in 1965 with the short story collection Knagen.

<i>Katinka</i> (film) 1988 film

Katinka is a 1988 Danish-Swedish drama film directed by Max von Sydow and starring Tammi Øst. Based on Herman Bang's novel Ved Vejen (1886) which is included in the Danish Culture Canon, it was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival. At the 24th Guldbagge Awards it won the award for Best Film and Von Sydow won the award for Best Director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skagen Painters</span> Late 1870s–early 1900s group of Scandinavian artists

The Skagen Painters were a group of Scandinavian artists who gathered in the village of Skagen, the northernmost part of Denmark, from the late 1870s until the turn of the century. Skagen was a summer destination whose scenic nature, local milieu and social community attracted northern artists to paint en plein air, emulating the French Impressionists—though members of the Skagen colony were also influenced by Realist movements such as the Barbizon school. They broke away from the rather rigid traditions of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts, espousing the latest trends that they had learned in Paris. Among the group were Anna and Michael Ancher, Peder Severin Krøyer, Holger Drachmann, Karl Madsen, Laurits Tuxen, Marie Krøyer, Carl Locher, Viggo Johansen and Thorvald Niss from Denmark, Oscar Björck and Johan Krouthén from Sweden, and Christian Krohg and Eilif Peterssen from Norway. The group gathered together regularly at the Brøndums Hotel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tammi Øst</span> Danish actress (born 1958)

Tammi Øst is a Danish actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skørping railway station</span> Railway station in North Jutland, Denmark

Skørping railway station is a Danish railway station serving the railway town of Skørping in Himmerland south of Aalborg, Denmark.

Mary Jane Crafoord Muus was a Danish painter and illustrator. Most of her works portray people, either in portraits or walking about on streets or market places in foreign countries. She is remembered above all for her sensitive, realistic illustrations in a wide range of Danish books. One of Denmark's foremost 20th-century illustrators, she had a unique style of her own.

The Bodil Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the merit categories presented by the Danish Film Critics Association at the annual Bodil Awards. Created in 1948, it is one of the oldest film awards in Europe, and it honours the best performance by an actor in a supporting role in a Danish produced film. The jury can decide not to hand out the award, which happened numerous times between 1950 and 1985. Since 1986, it has been awarded every year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agnes Henningsen</span> Danish writer and activist

Agnes Kathinka Malling Henningsen was a Danish writer and an activist for sexual freedom. Her writings were centred on love and sex, as was her own life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suzette Holten</span> Danish painter (1863–1937)

Suzette Catherine Holten was a Danish painter and ceramist who belonged to the Skovgaard family of artists. In addition to landscapes, flower paintings and portraits, she created and decorated ceramics and also worked as an embroiderer. As a woman, she was unable to achieve the same level of acclaim as her father or brothers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kristín Jónsdóttir</span> Icelandic painter (1889–1968)

Kristín Jónsdóttir, also Kristín Jónsdóttir Stefánsson, (1888–1959) was a pioneering female Icelandic painter. A member of the group of artists who associated with the painter Jón Stefánsson, she was inspired by the art of Paul Cézanne and by French Impressionism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pernille Vermund</span> Danish architect and politician

Ann Pernille Vermund Bretton-Meyer is a Danish architect (MAA) and politician, being a member of the Folketing since 2019. She is known for co-founding and being the leader of the national-conservative political party Nye Borgerlige from its founding in 2015 until February 2023 and again from October 2023 to January 2024. On 10 January 2024, she surprisingly announced that she had left Nye Borgerlige, recommending its dissolution. A week later, she joined the parliamentary group of the Liberal Alliance.

Brigitte Käthe Kolerus (1941–2001) was an Austrian-born Danish actress who performed in films and on television but mainly on stage. After studying at the Odense Teater drama school, she appeared in the musical Man of La Mancha at Ungdommens Teater in 1967 and went on to play Desdemona in Shakespeare's Othello at Det Danske Teater in 1969. She made a name for herself in films by appearing in erotic scenes in Erik Frohn Nielsen's Ekko af et skud in 1970. Kolerus also served as director of Copenhagen's Teatret ved Sorte Hest from 1978 and staged plays and operas at a number of venues.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Ingwersen, Niels (1992). "The Modern Breakthrough". In Rossel, Sven Hakon (ed.). A History of Danish Literature. University of Nebraska Press. p. 282. ISBN   978-0-8032-3886-2 . Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  2. 1 2 von Rosen, Wilhelm; Ziener, Øystein S. (2001). "Bang, Herman". In Aldrich, Robert; Wotherspoon, Garry (eds.). Who's Who in Gay and Lesbian History . Routledge. p.  36. ISBN   978-0-415-15982-1 . Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  3. ↑ Thurah, Thomas (2010). Seminarieserien. Tekstanalyse Og Litteræ (in Danish). Gyldendal Uddannelse. p. 73. ISBN   978-87-02-08448-1 . Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  4. 1 2 "Præsentation af "Ved Vejen"" (in Danish). Vedvejen.systime.dk. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  5. ↑ Herman Bang (1886): Vej Vejen. From the short story collection Stille Eksistenser, Schubotheske Forlag. This edition Gyldendals Bogklub 1988, 217 pages, here page 213 ISBN   87-00-35252-7
  6. 1 2 3 Johannes Fibiger, "Hvordan Bang blev forfatter", Forfatterweb. (in Danish) Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  7. ↑ Nanna Rørdam Knudsen, "Ved Vejen", LitteraturSiden.dk. (in Danish) Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  8. ↑ "Herman Bang: Ved Vejen (1886)", Silkeborg Bibliotekere. (in Danish) Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  9. ↑ Schou, Søren (2009). Dansk litteraturs historie (in Danish). Gyldendal A/S. pp. 208–. ISBN   978-87-02-04184-2 . Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  10. ↑ Polet, Jean-Claude (2000). Patrimoine littéraire européen: Vol. 12 - Mondialisation de l'Europe (1885-1922) (in French). De Boeck Supérieur. pp. 471–. ISBN   978-2-8041-3161-6 . Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  11. ↑ Hesselberg, George (18 November 2009). "Former UW-Madison professor Niels Ingwersen dies at 74". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  12. ↑ "Ved Vejen af Herman Bang" (in Danish). Litteratursiden.dk. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  13. ↑ Edvard Brandes "Literatur: Herman Bang. Stille Eksistenser", Politiken, 12 November 1886. (in Danish) Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  14. ↑ C.E. Jensen, "Herman Bang: Stille Eksistenser", Social-Demokraten, 24 November 1886. (in Danish) Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  15. ↑ Vilhelm Møller, "Herman Bangs Noveller", Nutiden i Billeder og Text, 5 December 1886. (in Danish) Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  16. ↑ "Herman Bang's Stille Eksistenser", Berlingske Tidende, 11 December 1886. (in Danish) Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  17. ↑ "Ved Vegen" Archived 2013-10-23 at the Wayback Machine , Kulturkanonen. (in Danish) Retrieved 20 January 2013.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.