ABELL, KJELD

(1901-1961)

A Danish dramatist and novelist, Abell had his origins in the middle class, toward which he had a critical attitude throughout his life. He first got a degree in political science, after which he traveled to Paris and London in order to studytheater. Back in Denmark he gained additional experience by working as a scenographer.

Abell's first play,Melodien der blev væk(1935; tr.The Melody That Got Lost, 1939), takes a critical look at Danish middle-class life in the 1930s, introducing a character named Larsen, who has since become the archetype of the low-level white-collar worker in Denmark and Norway.In the playEva aftjener sin Barnepligt(1936; Eve Does National Service as a Child) Abell's satirical critique of the ways of the middle class is continued, and this time with special focus on its child-rearing practices. The dramaAnna Sophie Hedvig(1939; tr. 1944) takes the middle class to task for not being sufficiently aware of the threat of Nazism; it also expresses Abell's sympathy with the anti-Franco Spanish freedom fighters.

During WorldWarII Abell wrote the playDronningen gaar igen(1943, but published 1955; tr.The Queen on Tour, 1955), which contained a hidden call to resistance against the Germans. After the war Danishcriticsexaggerated hisMarxistleanings, and he never regained his prewar position in Danish cultural life. His last play,Skriget(1961; The Cry), castigates the middle class for its passivity in the face of the authoritarianism of the right during the Cold War. Abell also wrote the novelDe tre fra Minikoi(1957; tr.Three from Minikoi, 1960), which was based on his two visits to the People's Republic of China.