Iceland as depicted in the writings of Danish authors
In his thematic study of Danish literary history, Erik Skyum-Nielsen strives to provide a panoramic view of the descriptions of Iceland and Icelandic culture as depicted in the past century of Danish literature, particularly in novels and travelogues, but also in a single short story as well as texts by prominent poets. As his first stop, he has chosen Harald Kidde's novel Helten (The Hero) from 1912 and as his last Lars Frost's novel Smukke biler efter krigen (Beautiful cars after the War, 2004), thus entering the 21st Century. The Danish authors' experience of Iceland as 'the place of origin' in consistently running through the century chosen af reference, and Iceland seems to be where you go to become and find yourself. Through the travelogues Skyum-Nielsen shows how Martin A. Hansen, Poul Vad and Keld Zeruneith stage their meetings with the Icelandic nature as literary confrontations illuminated by family sagas, while completely or partly ignoring modern Iceland and only reluctantly addressing the Icelandic culture or politics of the 20th century.