Jensen, Johannes Vilhelm (1873–1950)

Danish novelist, poet, and essayist. His most important works are the short stories of rural life collected in Himmerlands historier (1898–1910); the historical novel interwoven with poetry and legend Kongens fald/The Fall of the King (1900–01); the essays and tales in Myter (1907–44) (14 of which were translated as The Waving Rye (1959)); and a series of six novels, Den lange rejse/The Long Journey (1908–22), a Darwinian description of human development since prehistory. Jensen's poetry was collected and published after his death in Digte/Poems (1952). he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1944.

Jensen was born in Farsö, Jutland, and studied philosophy and medicine at Viborg. He travelled extensively, many of his books and stories being based on his journeys, and he excelled in descriptions of nature and scenery.