Graduating from the University of Copenhagen, Jacobsen initially embarked on a scientific career. He translated Darwin's Origin of Species and Descent of Man into Danish, being one of the first in Scandinavia to recognize the significance of Darwin's work. In 1872, he contracted tuberculosis, which forced him to give up science for literature. His first novel, Marie Grubbe, was published in 1876 and was followed in 1880 by Niels Lyhne. Because of his ill health and early demise, Jacobsen's literary output was limited to these two novels, a collection of short stories in Mogens and Other Stories (1882), and a book of poems that was published posthumously. Nevertheless, Jacobsen's influence on post-1880 Scandinavian literature was profound. |
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