Dictionary.net

A Danish poet; born at Copenhagen, 1818; died 1885. After making futile attempts at sculpture and painting, a fortunate poem in honor of Thorwaldsen (1838) turned him to literature. Though he had published before, "Et Foraar" (A Springtide), a collection of his best poems old and new, which, while not of great scope, were graceful and musical, brought him his first success. "Fulvia" (1875), a fine drama depicting the struggles of the early Christians, contained many lyrics,- a fault in a play intended for the stage; though, altered, it was successfully acted in 1880. "En Eftervaar" (Return of Spring: 1877) deserves mention. He excelled in satirical fables, his being the best Denmark has produced.