Georg Brandes put the Scandinavian Region on the Global Literary Map

A companion to Brandes' Main Currents is published on 30 November 2023.

It was a pioneering work in two respects: as a major contribution to the formulation of a modern European identity and as an innovative effort in the internationalization of literary studies.

"A bible of the young intellectual Europe"

"It is one of those books creating a swallowing gulf between yesterday and today,” Henrik Ibsen wrote upon the 1872 publication of the first volume of Brandes’ Main Currents in Nineteenth Century Literature.

After its appearance, the world was not the same.

Main Currents in Nineteenth Century Literature was celebrated by Thomas Mann as the “Bible of the young intellectual Europe at the turn of the century."

Cultural critique in the service of big causes

Brandes' ambition was to deploy the tools of his discipline in the service of big causes, such as the promotion of freedom, peace, and modernity. His grand narrative of the evolution of European literature was delivered in person to a large audience at the University of Copenhagen, and soon after published in six volumes between 1872 and 1890. In Danish circles, he constantly challenged national narrowmindedness and worked to establish dialogues between nations and cultures. In a wider context, he helped to put not only Denmark but the entire Scandinavian region on the global literary map.

All of this was made possible by the publication of Main Currents in Nineteenth Century Literature. This anthology compiles essays on the biographical background, overall structure, and individual volumes of Brandes' magnum opus. Hopefully, it may serve as a resource for newcomers as well as experienced readers looking for an overview of – and new paths in – Brandes' epoch-making work.