From Twisted Love to Arabia Felix

A hotly debated autobiography by the Norwegian poet Hans Jæger from the end of the 19th century and a beautiful copy of Carsten Niebuhr's impressions of Arabia in the 18th century are at the forefront of the forthcoming book auction alongside several first editions of Modernism's Danish authors.

Twisted Love

Love and drama have always represented a high entertainment value – not least in literature! Now a rare copy of the Norwegian poet, anarchist and super bohemian Hans Jæger's autobiographical trilogy “Syk Kjærlihet” (Twisted Love) is up for auction. The work is about Jæger's erotic confessions, about twisted love and despair. All the ingredients that were part of the dramatic threesome between Jæger and the Norwegian artist couple Oda and Christian Krohg. When “Syk Kjærlihet” was published in 1893, it was immediately banned and confiscated throughout Scandinavia due to its pornographic content. To avoid censorship, the next two volumes, “Bekjendelser” (Confessions) and “Fængsel og Fortvilelse" (Imprisonment and Despair), were printed in just 250 numbered copies in France. But they too were confiscated. This didn’t exactly make the books less interesting, and today they are coveted collector’s items.

Arabia Felix

The Danish explorer, Carsten Niebuhr, led a considerably less complicated – at least emotionally – life. He joined a large research expedition to Yemen as a cartographer and treasurer. Here he mapped Yemen, which had not previously been studied by Europeans. On the long and very arduous journey, in which many participants died of disease, Niebuhr also visited Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Cyprus and Constantinople. Using his experiences from the expedition, Niebuhr published books such as the famous and richly illustrated Beschreibung von Arabien (1772), Reisebeschreibung nach Arabien und andern umliegenden Ländern, 1-2 (1774-78), which is now offered in a beautiful, well-kept set from the collection of the pharmacist Svend Erik Sandermann Olsen. 

50 Strong Literary Voices Under the Hammer

Immortal, celebrated, famous, loved or forgotten…? Now you have the opportunity to meet a whole host of important Danish authors who during the 20th century – together and separately – helped establish a strong footprint in Danish literary history during recent times and again and again have given us reading experiences to be cherished for a lifetime. The auction includes first editions of Inger Christensen, Villy Sørensen, Per Højholt, Paul la Cour, Klaus Rifbjerg, Gustaf Munch-Petersen, Tove Ditlevsen, Ole Wivel and others.

At the auction, we also present a number of rare 1500s-1700s publications, modern art books, topography in fine volumes, vintage photographs, letters and manuscripts as well as a large number of presentation copies, a larger collection of Ludvig Holberg's works, various Greenlandic objects and more.

Preview and Auction

As usual, the preview of the book auction will take place at our premises at Baltikavej 10, 2150 Nordhavn, Monday 5 October between 10 am and 5 pm and Tuesday 6 October between 10 am and 5 pm. The hammer will begin to fall online on Tuesday 6 October from 6 pm.


image
Online Auction

Books and Manuscripts

6 October at 6 pm


For further information, please contact:

Lærke Bøgh: +45 8818 1217 · lb@bruun-rasmussen.dk