Niels Lyhne is an aspiring poet, torn between romanticism and realism,
faith and reason. Through his relationships with six women--including
his young widowed aunt, a seductive free spirit, and his passionate
cousin who marries his friend--his search for purpose becomes a yielding
to disillusionment. One of Danish literature's greatest novels, with
nods to Kierkegaard and a protagonist some critics have compared to
Hamlet, Jacobsen's masterpiece has at its center a young man who faces
the anguish of the human condition but cannot find comfort in the
Christian faith. Tiina Nunnally's award-winning translation offers
readers a chance to experience anew a writer deeply revered by Rilke,
Ibsen, Mann, and Hesse.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of
classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700
titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works
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notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as
up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.