The book is currently being made into a movie, though theres been a high turnover of directors and actors attached to the project at some point, let the right one in. The danish girl tells the story of the painter einar wegener, who had the worlds first genderreassignment surgery and became lili elbe. Ebershoff, executive editor at random house, tells the story of a man who gets turned into a woman. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. The danish girls lush prose and generous emotional insight make it, after the last page is turned, a deeply moving first novel about one of the most passionate and unusual love stories of the 20th century. The danish girl, an intoxicating novel by david ebershoff, is a different kind of love story, but one that is tender and moving and touches us in the most profound ways.
The danish girl by david ebershoff overdrive rakuten. Review the danish girl oscar nom for eddie redmayne. Somewhere, unseen in the barren landscape, something is at its mercy we hear the rustle and punch of the weather going at it. Im starting work now on a new film called the danish girl, and its another extraordinary story about extraordinary people. Now a major motion picture starring eddie redmayne and directed by tom hooper, the danish girl is a shockingly original novel about one of the most unusual and passionate love stories of the 20th. Einar struggles with his inclinations to become the woman he and his wife, greta. A fictitious love story loosely inspired by the lives of danish artists lili elbe and gerda wegener. The the danish girl community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you.
Lili elbe was one of the first people to get sexreassignment surgery. Einar dresses more and more as lili the name given to her by greta and what started off as a game becomes a way of life for greta and einar. Admittedly, theres some striking imagery that will surely grab you. Starring eddie redmayne, alicia vikander, amber heard, ben winshaw based on the novel the danish girl by david ebershoff. Lili ilse elvenes 28 december 1882 september 1931, better known as lili elbe, was a danish transgender woman and among the early recipients of sex reassignment surgery elbe was born einar magnus andreas wegener, and was a successful painter under that name after successfully transitioning in 1930, she changed her legal name to lili ilse elvenes and stopped painting altogether. Einar struggles with his inclinations to become the woman he and his wife, greta, refer to as lili, seemingly more agonized about what the change would mean. The film fashions itself as a love story between einarlili and gerda, who together must confront and evolve as einar undergoes gender reassignment. He is also the author of the novel pasadena and the collection. His book is based on the reallife story of einar wegener, a danish artist who. The danish girl i loved this book it tells how this man is going through physical and emotional hell because hes living a lie, its also a love story his wife loved him with the best love of all.
The danish girl may seem zeitgeisty through sheer timingand that may seem cynical on the surfacebut its clear that its heart is in the right place. After all, most wives dont have husbands who want to be wives, but even if they did, most wives the ones who start the relationships as wives probably wouldnt be as supportive as greta is of einar when he wants to become lili. A film is in the works about gerdas story with major hollywood stars. The danish girl by david ebershoff the danish girl, by david ebershoff opens in copenhagen in 1925 with a wonderful enigmatic four word sentence his wife knew first. 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 is a novel by american writer david ebershoff, published in 2000 by the viking. A groundbreaking love story of art and identity off the shelf. Einar wegener, a wellregarded painter from copenhagen married to another artist, gerda gottlieb. Small, shy, survivor of crippling depression, greta thunberg, the 16yearold swedish girl skipping school to shame the world into addressing climate change, drew a parade of fans one friday in. David ebershoff on writing his debut novel, the danish girl, which has. The danish girl vs the true story of lili elbe, gerda wegener. While the pairs reputation stems from einars work as a landscape artist, einar dedicates a significant amount of time to. Her first spouse was a trans woman and became her favourite model under the name lili elbe.
The danish girl is a delicate, elegant novel about the search for ones true self. Greta asks her husband einar to wear silk stockings and feminine shoes to pose for her, so that she can continue painting a portrait in the absence of the female model. Gerda wegener was a danish fashion illustrator and painter of lesbian erotica in the 1930s. Lili and gerdas marriage and work evolve as they navigate lilis groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer. In 2000, author david ebershoff published a fictionalized account of lilis life titled the danish girl. Einar wegener played by eddie redmayne and his wife gerda alicia vikander are a happily married couple. National bestseller a new york times notable book winner of the lambda. But speaking of the heart, the danish girl is more likely to appeal to the head. The danish girl by david ebershoff book club discussion. In real life, gretagerda was known to be romantically interested in women as well as men, but this is not included in the book for some reason. The danish girl true story the real lili and gerda. Presentation mode open print download current view.
The danish girl 2015 is a fictitious story adapted from david ebershoffs book of the same name, which is loosely inspired by reallife danish artists and couple einar wegenerlili elbe eddie redmayne and gerda gottlieb alicia vikander. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. Ebershoffs has written on this with such a remarkable feel, keeping the detail of the period atmosphere the 1920s30s. Sexual identity is a complex subject with delicate questions to be probed. How did you discover the story of einar, greta, and lili. But nearly a century ago, danish painter einar wegener became a.
Focus featureseverett caitlyn jenner is a transgender icon. She was married to lili elbe, one of the firstever documented recipients of sex reassignment surgery. The movie is based on the international bestselling novel, the danish girl by david ebershoff. David ebershoff, who is publishing director of the modern library, happens to be a talented writer himself, with a finely developed sense of the power of descriptive details to reveal behavior and mood. The danish girl, from book to the big screen david ebershoff on writing his debut novel, the danish girl, which has been adapted into a major motion picture starring eddie redmayne. The danish girl, set in the 1920s and 30s is based on the true story of einer and gerda, a lovely couple i got introduced to through ebershoffs book.
Caitlyn jenner should always be referred to as caitlyn, no matter which era of her life. Whether in the danish girl or new films like anything, casting nontrans actors in trans roles is not just offensive but dangerous. The danish girl, by david ebershoff opens in copenhagen in 1925 with a wonderful enigmatic four word sentence his wife knew first. Before we get into this book, wed like to pause to make sure were all on the same page. For lili elbe, that young danish woman whom greta waud first brought into daylight, had a history. Elbe herself was one of the first people to undergo gender reassignment surgery.
The danish girl official global trailer eddie redmayne. At the beginning of the novel, both lili then einar and greta are painters. But where the book failed to excel, the danish girl shone in the most heartwrenching and emotional way through its movie adaptation. Screenplay by lucinda coxon based on the novel by david. As a rule, the respectful way to discuss transgender people is by using the name and pronoun they specifically identify with. The danish girl first introduces redmaynes character, as a dapperly dressed danish gentleman, whos making eyes at a gallery opening at his wife, gerda vikander. The most unusual and passionate love which the book blurb advertises was portait in the most beautiful manner by both eddie redmayne and alicia. The real gerda wegener was danish, but in the novel her name was changed to greta to please the american audience. Based on the book by david ebershoff, the danish girl is the remarkable love story inspired by the lives of lili elbe and gerda wegener portrayed by academy award winner eddie redmayne the. A rectangle of ferociously stormy sea viewed from battered cliffs. The danish girl is based on the real and almost forgotten life of einar wegener, a danish painter, and his californiaborn wife greta waud, a brash heiress living the. The danish girl is a delicate, elegant novel about the search for ones true self when ones body, as an external encasement, doesnt mirror what is on the inside. This was after approximately two decades of believing that he was a woman trapped in a mans body, a feeling that grew stronger as the years passed. The danish girl is a beautiful film with brave performances though hooper often struggles to translate lili elbes life into memorable movie drama einar wegener eddie redmayne and his wife gerda gottlieb alicia vikander are staples of the denmark art scene.
I first read, and was enchanted by, the danish girl by david. His book is based on the reallife story of einar wegener, a danish. The danish girl kindle edition by ebershoff, david. The danish girl ebook by david ebershoff rakuten kobo. That said, i hope people will read the danish girl. For example, the main characters einar and greta weneger have the same. He is also the author of the novel pasadena and the. Sign me up to get more news about literary fiction books. In researching the danish girl true story, we learned that einar even chose the date that he would kill himself, may 1, 1930 einars desire to commit suicide is only briefly hinted at in the movie. The first time einar redmayne dons ladies clothes, the idea is gerdas. The danish girl by david ebershoff, read by jeff woodman. It is also about what makes a marriage and how far a woman will go to let her husband find his true self, knowing that she will likely lose him in the process. Silver waves are whipped by a wind that flies at us, stinging, relentless.