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Kaj Munk

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Kaj Munk
Photo of Kaj Munk published in the De Wervelwind, February 1944
Photo of Kaj Munk published in
theDe Wervelwind,February 1944
BornKaj Harald Leininger Munk
(1898-01-13)13 January 1898
Lolland, Denmark
Died4 January 1944(1944-01-04)(aged 45)
Hørbylunde
OccupationPlaywright and Lutheran pastor
NationalityDanish
Notable worksPilatus, Ordet, Kærlighed

Kaj Harald Leininger Munk(commonly calledKaj Munk) (13 January 1898 – 4 January 1944) was a Danish playwright andLutheranpastor, known for his cultural engagement and hismartyrdomduring theOccupation of Denmarkof World War II. He is commemorated as a martyr in theCalendar of Saintsof theLutheran Churchon 14 August, alongsideMaximilian Kolbe.[1]

Biography

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He was born Kaj Harald Leininger Petersen on the island ofLolland,Denmark, and raised by a family named Munk after the death of his parents. From 1924 until his death, Munk was the vicar ofVedersøin WesternJutland.[2]Munk's plays were mostly performed and made public during the 1930s, although many were written in the 1920s. Much of his other work concerns the "philosophy-on-life debate" (religion—Marxism—Darwinism) which marked much of Danish cultural life during this period.[citation needed]

On one occasion, in the early 1930s, in a comment that came back to haunt him in later years, Munk expressed admiration forHitler(for uniting Germans) and wished a similar unifying figure for Danes.[3]However, Munk's attitude towards Hitler (andMussolini) turned to outspoken criticism as he witnessed Hitler'spersecution of the German Jewish community,and Mussolini's conduct of thewar in Ethiopia.In 1938, the Danish newspaperJyllands-Postenpublished on its front page an open letter toBenito Mussoliniwritten by Kaj Munk criticising the persecutions against Jews.[2]

Early on, Munk was a strong opponent of theGerman Occupation of Denmark(1940–1945), although he continually opposed the idea of democracy as such, preferring the idea of a "Nordicdictator "who should unite the Nordic countries and keep themneutralduring periods of international crisis. His playsHan sidder ved Smeltediglen( "He sits by the melting pot" ) andNiels Ebbesenwere direct attacks onNazism.The latter, centering on the figure ofNiels Ebbesen,a medieval Danish squire considered anational herofor having assassinated an earlier German occupier of Denmark,Count Gerhard III,was a contemporaryanalogueto World War II-era Denmark. Despite his friends urging Munk to go underground, he continued to preach against Danes who collaborated with the Nazis.[citation needed]

TheGestapoarrested Munk on the night of 4 January 1944, a month after he had defied a Nazi ban and preached the firstAdventsermon at thenational cathedralin Copenhagen. Munk's body was found in a roadside ditch in rural Hørbylunde nearSilkeborgthe next morning with a note stating, "Swine, you worked for Germany just the same."[4]

Munk's body was returned to his parish church, Vedersø, where it is buried outside the choir.[5]A simple stone cross was also erected on a small hill overlooking the site where Munk's body was dumped.[6]

Half of the January 1944 issue of the resistance newspaperDe frie Danskewas dedicated to Munk with his portrait filling the front page. The obituaryDanmarks store Søn—Kaj Munk(The great son of Denmark—Kaj Munk) filled the next page, followed by excerpts from a new year's sermon he had given. Next came a description of his murder and a photo reportage from his funeral. Lastly the paper featured condemning reactions from influential Scandinavians, namelyPrince Wilhelm, Duke of Södermanland,Jarl Hemmer,Johannes Jørgensen,Sigrid Undset,Erling EidemandHarald Bohr.[7]

The Danish government allowed his widow, Lise, to live at the parish house until she died in 1998. The church and parish house were restored as a memorial and opened to the public in 2010.[8]

Playwright

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Munk often used a historical background for his plays—among his influences wereWilliam Shakespeare,Adam Oehlenschläger,Henrik Ibsen,andGeorge Bernard Shaw.[9]As a playwright, Munk became known for "strong characters" —integrated people who fight wholeheartedly for their ideals (whether good or bad). In his playEn Idealist,for example, the "hero" isKing Herodwhose fight to maintain power is the motive behind all of his acts until he is at last defeated by a show of kindness to the Christ child in a weak moment.[10]

His 1925 playOrdet(The Word) is generally considered to be his best work; it is an investigation of miracles from the unique (at least, to theatre) viewpoint of one who was not prepared to dismiss them. A family of farmers—of differing degrees of faith—find themselves reconciled to their neighbours through a miracle. A 1943 film adaptation titledThe Wordwas directed byGustaf Molander.A 1955 film version ofOrdetwas directed byCarl Theodor Dreyer,and won numerous awards, including theGolden Lionat the16th Venice International Film Festivaland the 1956Golden Globe Awardfor Best Foreign Language Film.[11][citation needed]

Munk's plays, many of which have been performed at theRoyal Theatre, Copenhagen,and elsewhere, include:

His playNiels Ebbesenhas been translated into English (2006) by his granddaughter Arense Lund and Canadian playwrightDave Carley.[12]

See also

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References

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  1. ^"The Church Year Calendar"(PDF).Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. 8 September 2006. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 8 September 2006.
  2. ^ab"The Kaj Munk Research Center - Aalborg University".Archived fromthe originalon 18 July 2011.Retrieved22 October2010.
  3. ^"Ingen Dansk kan ære Hitlers Daad mere end jeg".5 May 2003.
  4. ^Rise and Fall of the Third Reich,William L. Shirer, 1960. Retrieved 23.3.13
  5. ^"Ulfborg-Vemb Touristbureau – Churches".
  6. ^"Hørbylunde, The pastor of Vedersø - 1001 Stories of Denmark".
  7. ^"KAJ MUNK IN MEMORIAM".De frie Danske(in Danish). January 1944.Retrieved18 November2014.
  8. ^"Kaj Munk - Gyldendal - Den Store Danske".28 April 2023.
  9. ^Kaj Munk,Den Store Danske,Gyldendal
  10. ^"Kaj Munk".Oxford Reference.
  11. ^"Carl Th. Dreyer - Ordet".Archived fromthe originalon 19 July 2011.Retrieved22 October2010.
  12. ^Niels Ebbesen (2006) English Translation
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