The Danish Girl
First hardcover edition, 2000
|
|
| Author | David Ebershoff |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher |
Allen & Unwin (Australia) Viking Press (USA) |
|
Publication date
|
2000 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 324 |
| ISBN | |
| Followed by | Pasadena |
The Danish Girl is a novel by American writer David Ebershoff, published in 2000 by the Viking Press in the United States and Allen & Unwin in Australia.
The novel is a fictionalized account of the life of Lili Elbe, one of the first people to undergo sex reassignment surgery.
The Danish Girl, as Ebershoff stated, does not try to tell a true story. He has not only imagined most of what he wrote about Elbe's inner life, but he has also fabricated all of the other characters in the book, most important among them Wegener's blue-blooded American-born wife, Greta Waud, who like Ebershoff comes from Pasadena, California. The real Gerda Wegener was Danish, but in the novel her name was changed to Greta to please the American audience.
The story takes place in Copenhagen, Denmark. Einar Wegener is happily married to his wife, Gerda Wegener.
Einar was raised in a bog with his best friend Hans. Gerda was raised in California with her twin brother Carlisle. She eventually moved to Denmark, and first met Einar at the Royal Academy. They were unfortunately separated due to events of World War I. During their separation, Gerda marries another man named Teddy Cross and has a child. Unfortunately, the child dies at birth and Teddy dies of tubercolosis. Gerda moves back to Denmark and marries Einar.
The couple are painters with Einar painting mostly landscapes and Gerda painting portraits of somewhat famous people. One day, Anna Fonsmark, a friend of Gerda, must cancel her scheduled painting session. Gerda however needs to have the painting finished as soon as possible, hence her requesting Einar to model as Anna. The session is cut short with Anna barging into their home. Anna then decides to name Einar, "Lili."
Soon, the couple are invited to the annual Artists' Ball. Gerda convinces Einar to dress as Lili, but during the ball, Lili meets a man named Henrik Sandahl. Henrik and Lili start a short relationship (which Gerda discourages for she fears that Lili might be hurting Henrik by deceiving him). Lili and Henrik eventually go their separate ways.
...
Wikipedia