Kaj Munk | Biography

Kaj Munk was, along with Kjeld Abell, one of the leading Danish playwrights of the twentieth century. Although they were different in almost every respect, the two men are credited with reinvigorating the Danish theater in the 1930s and freeing it from a slavish adherence to naturalism. Munk's influence, however, extends far beyond the plays he created for the stage. He was a fervent writer of lyric poetry from childhood, and although his more than four hundred surviving poems are not as highly regarded as his plays, several collections were published, providing inspiration and encouragement to occupied Denmark during World War II. Munk was also a pastor in the Danish Folkekirke (National Church), publishing three collections of sermons and bringing national prominence to the tiny west Jutland village of Vedersø with his plays. The versatile pastor produced two motion-picture screenplays, a translation of William Shakespeare's Hamlet, books on hunting and...
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