The Danish Girl
Encyclopedia
The Danish Girl is a novel by American
writer David Ebershoff
.
, the first person to undergo sex reassignment surgery
.
. It was also a finalist for the New York Public Library's
Young Lions Award and an American Library Association
Award, and was a New York Times
Notable Book.
directing, and starring Nicole Kidman
as Einar Wegener
. Originally, Charlize Theron
was to have played Gerda Wegener
. Gwyneth Paltrow
and later Marion Cotillard
have been linked by rumor to the role.
, novelist and critic John Burnham Schwartz
called the novel "arresting": "I hope people will read 'The Danish Girl.' It is fascinating and humane." Critic Richard Bernstein wrote The New York Times
, "Mr. Ebershoff is telling us that love does involve a small dark space. The intelligence and tactfulness of his exploration of it make his novel a noteworthy event."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer David Ebershoff
David Ebershoff
David Ebershoff is an American-born writer, editor, and teacher.-Biography:Born in Pasadena, California, he is a graduate of Brown University and the University of Chicago, and studied at Keio University in Tokyo....
.
Summary
The novel is a fictionalized account of the life of Lili ElbeLili Elbe
Lili Elbe was an Intersex person and one of the first identifiable recipients of male to female sex reassignment surgery. Elbe was born as a male in Denmark. Born as Einar Mogens Wegener, she identified as male for most of her life and was a successful artist with that name...
, the first person to undergo sex reassignment surgery
Sex reassignment surgery
Sex reassignment surgery is a term for the surgical procedures by which a person's physical appearance and function of their existing sexual characteristics are altered to resemble...
.
Awards
The Danish Girl won the Rosenthal Foundation Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Lambda Literary AwardLambda Literary Award
Lambda Literary Awards are awarded yearly by the US-based Lambda Literary Foundation to published works which celebrate or explore LGBT themes. Categories include Humor, Romance and Biography. To qualify, a book must have been published in the United States in the year current to the award...
. It was also a finalist for the New York Public Library's
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
Young Lions Award and an American Library Association
American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
Award, and was a New York Times
The New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to The New York Times in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely read book review publications in the industry. The offices are located near Times Square in New York...
Notable Book.
Film adaptation
The novel is being adapted into a film with Lasse HallströmLasse Hallström
Lars Sven "Lasse" Hallström is a Swedish film director. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director for My Life as a Dog and later for The Cider House Rules .-Life and career:...
directing, and starring Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman, AC is an American-born Australian actress, singer, film producer, spokesmodel, and humanitarian. After starring in a number of small Australian films and TV shows, Kidman's breakthrough was in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm...
as Einar Wegener
Lili Elbe
Lili Elbe was an Intersex person and one of the first identifiable recipients of male to female sex reassignment surgery. Elbe was born as a male in Denmark. Born as Einar Mogens Wegener, she identified as male for most of her life and was a successful artist with that name...
. Originally, Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron is a South African actress, film producer and former fashion model.She rose to fame in the late 1990s following her roles in 2 Days in the Valley, Mighty Joe Young, The Devil's Advocate and The Cider House Rules...
was to have played Gerda Wegener
Gerda Wegener
Gerda Gottlieb Wegener Porta was a Danish illustrator and painter best known for her erotica.-Biography:She grew up originally from the provinces as the daughter of a clergyman. She moved to Copenhagen to pursue her education at the Royal Art Academy, and married fellow artist Einar Wegener in...
. Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Kate Paltrow is an American actress and singer. She made her acting debut on stage in 1990 and started appearing in films in 1991. After appearing in several films throughout the decade, Paltrow gained early notice for her work in films such as Se7en and Emma...
and later Marion Cotillard
Marion Cotillard
Marion Cotillard is a French actress and singer. She garnered critical acclaim for her roles in films such as La Vie en Rose, My Sex Life... or How I Got Into an Argument, Taxi, Furia and Jeux d'enfants...
have been linked by rumor to the role.
Reception
In The New York Times Book ReviewThe New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to The New York Times in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely read book review publications in the industry. The offices are located near Times Square in New York...
, novelist and critic John Burnham Schwartz
John Burnham Schwartz
-Career:John Burnham Schwartz was born in 1965 and grew up in New York City. He is best known for his novels Reservation Road and The Commoner . His fifth novel, Northwest Corner, a sequel to Reservation Road, will be published in August 2011...
called the novel "arresting": "I hope people will read 'The Danish Girl.' It is fascinating and humane." Critic Richard Bernstein wrote The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, "Mr. Ebershoff is telling us that love does involve a small dark space. The intelligence and tactfulness of his exploration of it make his novel a noteworthy event."