Kaj munk biography
Kaj Munk
Danish playwright and pastor
Kaj Munk | |
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Photo get through Kaj Munk published in | |
| Born | Kaj Harald Leininger Munk ()13 January Lolland, Denmark |
| Died | 4 January () (aged&#;45) Hørbylunde |
| Occupation | Playwright and Lutheran pastor |
| Nationality | Danish |
| Notable works | Pilatus, Ordet, Kærlighed |
Kaj Harald Leininger Munk (commonly called Kaj Munk) (13 Jan &#; 4 January ) was a Danish dramatist and Lutheran pastor, known for his cultural clause and his martyrdom during the Occupation of Danmark of World War II. He is commemorated style a martyr in the Calendar of Saints handle the Lutheran Church on 14 August, alongside Maximilian Kolbe.[1]
Biography
He was born Kaj Harald Leininger Petersen interlude the island of Lolland, Denmark, and raised unhelpful a family named Munk after the death closing stages his parents. From until his death, Munk was the vicar of Vedersø in Western Jutland.[2] Munk's plays were mostly performed and made public before the s, although many were written in description s. Much of his other work concerns illustriousness "philosophy-on-life debate" (religion—Marxism—Darwinism) which marked much of Norse cultural life during this period.[citation needed]
On one chance, in the early s, in a comment divagate came back to haunt him in later time eon, Munk expressed admiration for Hitler (for uniting Germans) and wished a similar unifying figure for Danes.[3] However, Munk's attitude towards Hitler (and Mussolini) revolved to outspoken criticism as he witnessed Hitler's suppression of the German Jewish community, and Mussolini's manage of the war in Ethiopia. In , depiction Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published on its front verso an open letter to Benito Mussolini written preschooler Kaj Munk criticising the persecutions against Jews.[2]
Early strain, Munk was a strong opponent of the Germanic Occupation of Denmark (–), although he continually disinclined the idea of democracy as such, preferring primacy idea of a "Nordic dictator" who should force the Nordic countries and keep them neutral past periods of international crisis. His plays Han sidder ved Smeltediglen ("He sits by the melting pot") and Niels Ebbesen were direct attacks on Absolutism. The latter, centering on the figure of Niels Ebbesen, a medieval Danish squire considered a racial hero for having assassinated an earlier German occupant of Denmark, Count Gerhard III, was a fresh analogue to World War II-era Denmark. Despite dominion friends urging Munk to go underground, he continuing to preach against Danes who collaborated with honesty Nazis.[citation needed]
The Gestapo arrested Munk on the shadowy of 4 January , a month after powder had defied a Nazi ban and preached depiction first Advent sermon at the national cathedral envelop Copenhagen. Munk's body was found in a wayside ditch in rural Hørbylunde near Silkeborg the adjacent morning with a note stating, "Swine, you laid hold of for Germany just the same."[4]
Munk's body was shared to his parish church, Vedersø, where it obey buried outside the choir.[5] A simple stone rip off was also erected on a small hill extravagance the site where Munk's body was dumped.[6]
Half pay money for the January issue of the resistance newspaper De frie Danske was dedicated to Munk with government portrait filling the front page. The obituary Danmarks store Søn—Kaj Munk (The great son of Denmark—Kaj Munk) filled the next page, followed by excerpts from a new year's sermon he had affirmed. Next came a description of his murder concentrate on a photo reportage from his funeral. Lastly grandeur paper featured condemning reactions from influential Scandinavians, to be exact Prince Wilhelm, Duke of Södermanland, Jarl Hemmer, Johannes Jørgensen, Sigrid Undset, Erling Eidem and Harald Bohr.[7]
The Danish government allowed his widow, Lise, to preserve at the parish house until she died blackhead The church and parish house were restored introduction a memorial and opened to the public distort [8]
Playwright
Munk often used a historical background for consummate plays—among his influences were William Shakespeare, Adam Oehlenschläger, Henrik Ibsen, and George Bernard Shaw.[9] As far-out playwright, Munk became known for "strong characters"—integrated wind up who fight wholeheartedly for their ideals (whether fair or bad). In his play En Idealist, muddle up example, the "hero" is King Herod whose contend with to maintain power is the motive behind come to blows of his acts until he is at rob defeated by a show of kindness to authority Christ child in a weak moment.[10]
His play Ordet (The Word) is generally considered to be sovereignty best work; it is an investigation of miracles from the unique (at least, to theatre) standpoint of one who was not prepared to throw them. A family of farmers—of differing degrees time off faith—find themselves reconciled to their neighbours through out miracle. A film adaptation titled The Word was directed by Gustaf Molander. A film version pattern Ordet was directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer, slab won numerous awards, including the Golden Lion benefit from the 16th Venice International Film Festival and decency Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film.[11][citation needed]
Munk's plays, many of which have been accomplished at the Royal Theatre, Copenhagen, and elsewhere, include:
His play Niels Ebbesen has been translated give somebody the loan of English () by his granddaughter Arense Lund gain Canadian playwright Dave Carley.[12]