# Elsa Gress

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**Elsa Judith Elisa Gress** (17 January 1919 – 18 July 1988) was a [Danish](/source/Denmark) essayist, novelist and dramatist. In Denmark, she is remembered above all for her essays.[1]

## Biography

Born in [Frederikshavn](/source/Frederikshavn), Gress was brought up in [Ordrup](/source/Ordrup) where her father lost the family fortune at the races. She went through a difficult childhood as the family was forced to move frequently from one home to another. After matriculating from Ordrup Gymnasium in 1937, she studied literature at [Copenhagen University](/source/Copenhagen_University). During the [Second World War](/source/Second_World_War), she participated in the [resistance](/source/Danish_resistance), narrowly avoiding capture on one occasion. As a result of the war atrocities, both her boyfriend and her brother Palle committed suicide, causing her great pain.[2] Her debut consisted of a volume of essays, *Strejftog* (Raids, 1947), and a novel, *Mellemspil* (Interlude, 1947), both inspired by her war experiences and her subsequent grief. Her other novels, *Salamander* (1977) and *Simurghen* (1986) were written much later.[3]

Gress's memoirs openly describe the events of her life. They were published in three volumes: *Mine mange hjem* (My Many Homes, 1965), *Fuglefri og fremmed* (Free as a Bird and a Stranger, 1971) and *Compania 1—2* (1976).[4] She wrote her first play *Philoctetes Wounded* (1969) in English,[5] publishing the Danish version, *Den sårede Filoktet*, the following year.[5]

Gress met her first lover, the American literary critic [R.W.B. Lewis](/source/R.W.B._Lewis) in 1950 while attending a seminar on American Studies in [Salzburg](/source/Salzburg), continuing the affair in the United States until 1952. Although she was pregnant, her visa was not renewed forcing her to return to Denmark where her first son [David](/source/David_Gress) was born. Her interest in the United States continued, encouraging her to write critical but well-informed accounts of the [McCarthy era](/source/McCarthyism) in *Nye strejftog*, a collection of essays published in 1957.[2]

While in New York in 1952, she met the painter [Charles Clifford Wright](/source/Charles_Clifford_Wright) at the [Yaddo Artists Colony](/source/Yaddo). In 1956, he joined her in Copenhagen where they married and had two children together, Barbara and Jonathan. Together with her husband, Gress created the Decenter artistic centre in [Glumsø](/source/Glums%C3%B8), attracting guests from around the globe to exhibitions, theatrical performances and lectures. The American film director [Tom O'Horgan](/source/Tom_O'Horgan), whom Gress had met in the United States, staged her play *Den sårede Filoktet* on television in 1976, establishing her reputation as a dramatist. As a result of financial difficulties, the family had to sell Decenter in 1971, after which they moved to the forester's residence at [Marienborg](/source/Marienborg_Manor) in [Damsholte](/source/Damsholte) on the island of [Møn](/source/M%C3%B8n). Elsa Gress died there on 18 July 1988.[2]

## Works

Elsa Gress's principal works include:

- *Strejftog* (1945)
- *Mellemspil* (1947)
- *Jorden er ingen stjerne* (1956)
- *Nye strejftog* (1957)
- *Prometheus på flugt* (1961)
- *Er der nogen der hører efter?* (1964)
- *Det uopdagede køn* (1964)
- *Mine mange hjem* (1965)
- *Det professionelle menneske* (1966)
- *Den sårede Filoktet* (1970)
- *Fuglefri og fremmed* (1971)
- *Den sårede Filoktet* (1974)
- *Compañia* (1976)
- *Salamander* (1976)
- *Blykuglen* (1984)
- *Simurghen* (1986)
- *Udsigter og Indsigter* (1981)

## References

1. ["Elsa Gress"](https://www.denstoredanske.dk/Dansk_Biografisk_Leksikon/Kunst_og_kultur/Litteratur/Forfatter/Elsa_Gress) (in Danish). Dansk Biografisk Leksikon. Retrieved 16 January 2015.

1. Katja Tang. ["Elsa Gress (1919 - 1988)"](http://www.kvinfo.dk/side/597/bio/956/) (in Danish). Dansk kvindebiografisk leksikon. Retrieved 16 January 2015.

1. ["Elsa Gress"](https://www.denstoredanske.dk/Kunst_og_kultur/Litteratur/Dansk_litteratur/Efter_1940/Elsa_Gress) (in Danish). *Den Store Danske*. Retrieved 16 January 2015.

1. Sjåvik, Jan (2006). [*Historical Dictionary of Scandinavian Literature and Theater*](https://books.google.com/books?id=tCBpiKsi7a0C&pg=RA1-PA85). Scarecrow Press. p. 85. ISBN 978-0-8108-6501-3.

1. Gress, Elsa (1969). [*Philoctetes Wounded: A Play in Two Parts with Arguments, Prologue, Two Interludes and an Epilogue*](https://books.google.com/books?id=5xOdXwAACAAJ). Decenter.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Elsa Gress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsa_Gress) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsa_Gress?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.