has often been regarded as ambiguous and impenetrable; his mixture of partiality and objectivity has often confused both readers and critics and in fact liberals, radicals, conservatives, right wingers and socialists have all tried to reflect their own ideals in his works. He has been regarded both as the absolute antagonist of Georg Brandes and as his most congenial pupil. Among all the authors of the Modern Break-Through, Pontoppidan is probably the most influential and longest living. His social critical writings mark him as a pioneer of 20th Century Danish literature. Cultural conservatives have been inspired by his critique of modernism after World War I. Finally, he set a standard of "novels about society" which remains relevant. Trivia Pontoppidan originally studied at the Polyteknisk Læreanstalt (today the Technical University of Denmark) to become a civil engineer. When in 1876 another student at Polyteknisk Læreanstalt was preferred to Pontoppidan to participate in the Greenland Expedition, Pontopiddan was devastated and quit his studies shortly before the final exam in disappointment. It has been said that due to the failure to be selected for the Greenland Expedition that he hoped would make him famous, Pontoppidan became - famous. The other student selected instead of Pontoppidan died during the expedition. Pontoppidan's brother's daughter-in-law was the famous Danish actress Clara Pontoppidan (IMDB). Pontoppidan's brother, Knud Pontoppidan was a famous psychiatrist and doctor. Pontoppidan was related through his family with the famous pietistic priest Erik Pontoppidan Pontoppidan is buried in his family's grave site in the cemetery of Rørvig Kirke. The name Pontoppidan is latinisation of the Danish surname Broby, literally translated into Bridge (by the) City, or in Latin, Pons Oppidum. Henrik Pontoppidan mocked this practice, which had taken place in the 17th century, as "the bad idea from educated people's custom, to decorate their good Danish name with a Latin Adrienne," (a female dress worn at the time for dances) "a ridiculous Peacockish plumage". English translations Emanuel, or Children of the Soil, (Novel), J. M. Dent, London, 1896. from Archive.org Lucky Per, (Novel), translated by Naomi Lebowitz, Peter Lang, 2010. The Apothecary's Daughters, (Novel), The British Library, 2010. A Fortunate Man, (Lykke Per, Novel), translated by Paul Larkin, University of Chicago Press, 2018 References Further reading P. M. Mitchell: Henrik Pontoppidan. Boston, 1979. External links List of Works Danish Nobel laureates Nobel laureates in Literature People from Fredericia 1857 births 1943 deaths Danish male