Nexö, Martin Andersen (1869-1954)

Danish novelist. He is known for his two great novel cycles Pelle erobreren/Pelle the Conqueror 1906-10 (four volumes), a picture of working people at the turn of the century, and Ditte menneskebarn 1917-21 (five volumes, translated as Ditte: Girl Alive! 1920, Ditte: Daughter of Man 1922, and Ditte: Towards the Stars 1923), the life story of a proletarian girl.

He was born in Copenhagen, in a slum district. After a variety of occupations ranging from bricklaying to teaching, he devoted himself to literature. He spent some time in Germany and Russia, and finally became a communist, convinced of the goodness of primitive humans.