Born einar wegener in 1882, lili elbe was a painter of landscapes and was married to a fellow artist, gerda, before becoming lili, first in dress. 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 danish girl, by david ebershoff opens in copenhagen in 1925 with a wonderful enigmatic four word sentence his wife knew first. 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. But nearly a century ago, danish painter einar wegener became a pioneer in genderreassignment surgery. Wegener, the wife of fellow danish artist einar wegener who later became lili elbe, now wellknown as one of the first people to undergo gender transition surgery was a painter and illustrator who. The danish girl is a 2015 british pseudobiographical drama film directed by tom hooper, based on the 2000 fictional novel of the same name by david ebershoff and loosely inspired by the lives of danish painters lili elbe and gerda wegener. Starring eddie redmayne, alicia vikander, amber heard, ben winshaw based on the novel the danish girl by david ebershoff. They traveled through italy and france, eventually.
Now, thanks to the film the danish girl, starring oscar. Lili and gerda s marriage and work evolve as they navigate lilis groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer. The danish girl is an evocative and deeply moving novel about one of the most passionate and unusual love stories of the 20th century. This book takes us on an interesting journey of einer wegener turns into lili. 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.
So i turned to books about gender and sexual identity, and that was where the name lili elbe first came up in connection to einar wegener. His book is based on the reallife story of einar wegener, a danish artist who 70 years ago became the first. A couple of changes have been made i read more about einar wegener online after finishing the book. Im starting work now on a new film called the danish girl, and its another extraordinary story about extraordinary people. 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 was famously made into a film, starring eddie redmayne. He has not only imagined most of what he wrote about elbes inner life, but he has also fabricated all of the other characters in the book, most important among them wegeners blueblooded americanborn wife, greta waud, who like ebershoff comes from pasadena, california. The film stars eddie redmayne as lili elbe, one of the first known recipients of sex reassignment surgery, alicia vikander. For more on these bogs, swing by the symbols section. A novel movie tiein by david ebershoff oct 27, 2015. Einar wegener is a danish artist, apparently happily married to wife of the same occupation gerda. The danish girl true story the real lili and gerda.
It won the lambda literary award for transgender fiction in 2000 and has been adapted into a major motion. Although their marriage becomes strained, gerda stands by lili as she explores her true self and eventually undergoes one of the worlds first genderreassignment surgeries. A fictitious love story loosely inspired by the lives of danish artists lili elbe and gerda wegener. The danish girl is the story of einar and greta wegener, a it still remains a fictional story which was also stated in the afterword. The danish girl, as ebershoff stated, does not try to tell a true story. The danish girl is about a lot more than the story of the first transsexual. After successfully transitioning in 1930, she changed her legal name to lili.
Loosely inspired by a groundbreaking true story, the danish girl can only be summarized as a delicate, heartwarming and emphatetic novel about the search for ones true self when the body doesnt mirror what is on the inside. The danish girl puts gerda wegeners art on view to the world. Gerda marie fredrikke wegener was a danish illustrator and painter, specialising in images of fashionable women in the style of art nouveau and later art deco. 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. David ebershoffs debut novel, the danish girl, won the 2000 lambda literary award for transgender fiction and has been adapted into a major motion picture starring academy awardwinner eddie redmayne. Based on a similarly titled fictional novel by david ebershoff, the danish girl loosely recounts the lives of danish painters lili elbe the first known transgendered recipient of sex reassignment surgery and gerda wegener. They married in 1904, when gerda was 18 and einar was 21. We are introduced to a married couple, einar wegener eddie redmayne and his wife, gerda alicia vikander. Ebershoffs book the danish girl, with plans for labute to write and direct. Although their marriage becomes strained, gerda stands by lili as she explores her true self and eventually undergoes one. In 2000, author david ebershoff fictionalized elbes story in the novel the danish girl, which was adapted into a 2015 film, starring eddie redmayne as lili elbe andalicia vikander as gerda. The danish girl kindle edition by ebershoff, david.
Elbe was born einar magnus andreas wegener, and was a successful painter under that name. On the telephone, anna larssen suggested to gerda that the thinframed einar stand in for her. But his wife gerda had a fascinating life and career of. 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.
His book is based on the reallife story of einar wegener, a danish artist who 70 years ago became the first man to be medically transformed into a womanlong. Even so, should you delivered electronically that application and have absolutely dealt with him, youll be able to function as a initial person, which will abandon ones opinions. Lili elbe was one of the first people to get sexreassignment surgery. He is also the author of the novel pasadena and the collection. Elbe herself was one of the first people to undergo gender reassignment surgery. But ebershoff emphasizes the title in the book s final chapter, as lili thinks, she was fraulein lili elbe. The real story behind the paintings in the danish girl vogue. Their story formed the basis for david ebershoffs bestselling novel the danish girl, later adapted as a film. Eddie redmayne, alicia vikander, ben whishaw, sebastian koch, amber heard, matthias schoenaerts our rating. 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. The novel is a fictionalized account of the life of lili elbe, one of the first people to undergo sex reassignment surgery.
In early 1920s copenhagen, the illustrator and artist gerda wegener alicia vikander asks her husband, einar wegener eddie redmayne, to. After standing in as a female model for a painting by his wife gerda alicia vikander, danish artist einar wegener eddie redmayne becomes enamored with his feminine identity and begins living as a woman named lili elbe. Tom hooper and alicia vikander in the danish girl 2015. The danish girl true story reveals that the model who failed to show up was anna larssen, a popular actress and friend of the couple.
The wellcome library, london as it turned out, wegener did not commit suicide on the appointed date. The titlethe danish girlis fairly selfexplanatory as titles go. The danish girl is a delicate, elegant novel about the search for ones true self. Copiously illustrated in colour and black and white throughout.
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. Redmayne swings like a pendulum between einar and lili, masculine and feminine, suits and dresses. Even so, should you delivered electronically that application and have absolutely dealt with him, youll be able to function as a. 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. She begins as einar wegener, a danish man in copenhagen, and she ends as lili, the danish girl in dresden. The liberation of lili in the danish girl the new york. Jan 02, 2016 a lthough gerda wegener remains one of the most remarkable danish painters, she was little known in her own country until recently. She met fellow artist einar wegener later lili elbe 18821931 at art school.
Einar wegener and his american wife greta waud have been married for six years, but have yet to have a child. Buy the danish girl by ebershoff, david from amazons fiction books store. The real gerda wegener was danish, but in the novel her name was changed to greta to please the american audience. He is also the author of the novel pasadena and the. A movie about a transgender artist couldnt be timelier in 2015, the year of. Her first spouse was a trans woman and became her favourite model under the name lili elbe. The new tom hooper film, the danish girl, begins in copenhagen, in 1926. 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. Gerda wegener was a danish fashion illustrator and painter of lesbian erotica in the 1930s. This riveting account of the transformation of the danish painter einar wegener into lili elbe is a remarkable journey from man to woman. Gretas new love for her shy danish painting instructor, einar wegener, appeared doomed by this retreat, and, back in california, she married an artist named teddy crossa union happy until teddys death from tb. Reviews of the the danish girl up to now weve virtually no critiques in the danish girl however not one of the user feedback failed to go away.
The danish girl tells the story of the painter einar wegener, who had the worlds first genderreassignment surgery and became lili elbe. Whom do we love, and why do we love them, and how do we love them, and what do we do to help and harm that lovea better understanding of all that is, ultimately, what i hope a reader thinks about. Dec 22, 2015 lili elbe was one of the first people to get sexreassignment surgery. The lady gaga of the 1920s e ddie redmayne is already being oscartipped for his latest role in tom hoopers biopic, the danish girl the story of the painter einar wegener, who. He is also, we come to understand, in ways subtle and extreme, a woman named lili elbe. In the early 1900s, danish artist gerda wegener came up with a creative solution after her model was running late. The danish girl, david ebershoffs 2000 novel about them was an international bestseller and was translated into a dozen languages. Loosely based on the life of danish painter einar wegener who, in 1931, became the first man to undergo a sexchange operation, the danish girl borrows the bare bones of his story as a jumpingoff point for an exploration of how wegeners decisions affected the people around him. 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.
Dec 09, 2015 alicia vikander discusses the limited information available on the real gerda wegener and what she learned about her before filming began. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. Lili started life as einar wegener, a landscape artist in copenhagen in the early 20th century, a danish bob ross who instead of painting happy trees paints notsohappy gloomy landscapes of dank bogs. The first 20 minutes of the danish girl are a breezy romance between two beautiful newlywedsthe artists einar eddie redmayne and gerda wegener alicia vikander. What do you hope readers will be left with when they read this novel. She was married to lili elbe, one of the firstever documented recipients of sex reassignment surgery. The danish girl italian edition by david ebershoff. Ultimately, the danish girls lush prose and generous emotional insight make it, after the last page is turned, a love story that no reader will soon forget. Kunstschilderes gerda wegener alicia vikander vraagt haar man, einar wegener eddie redmayne om in te vallen als vrouwelijk model. While the pairs reputation stems from einars work as a landscape artist, einar dedicates a significant amount of time to. Biographical drama directed by tom hooper in which the story is set in the early 1920s in copenhagen and follows danish artist, gerda wegener alicia vikander who painted own husband, einar wegener eddie redmayne, as a lady in her paintings and soon. See more ideas about the danish girl, lili elbe and artist. Einar wegener was a leading artist in late 1920s paris. David ebershoffs first novel, the danish girl, is inspired by the life of lili elbe.
The film fashions itself as a love story between einarlili and gerda, who together must confront and evolve as einar undergoes gender reassignment surgery to become a woman. With the danish girl, david ebershoff will make one of the years dazzling literary debuts. A novel filled with tenderness, sacrifice and undying and unconditional love. 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 wegeners transformation to lili elbe begins when gerda asks her husband to model for a painting. A rare catalogue on the danish illustrator and painter, gerda marie fredrikke wegener 1886. Gerda wegener is portrayed by swedish actress alicia vikander in the 2015 film the danish girl, also starring british actor eddie redmayne as lili elbe. Nov 25, 2015 music, film, tv and political news coverage.
Dec 03, 2015 the first 20 minutes of the danish girl are a breezy romance between two beautiful newlywedsthe artists einar eddie redmayne and gerda wegener alicia vikander. Jan 14, 2016 the danish girl is a 2015 british pseudobiographical drama film directed by tom hooper, based on the 2000 fictional novel of the same name by david ebershoff and loosely inspired by the lives of danish painters lili elbe and gerda wegener. David ebershoffs debut novel, the danish girl, won the lambda literary award, and the film. The danish girl puts gerda wegeners art on view to the. 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. Sep 28, 2015 the danish girl tells the story of the painter einar wegener, who had the worlds first genderreassignment surgery and became lili elbe. 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. The danish girl by tom hooper alicia vikander, eddie. The danish girl italian edition by david ebershoff nook. Feb 01, 2016 she met fellow artist einar wegener later lili elbe 18821931 at art school. Loosely based on the life of danish painter einar wegener who, in 1931, became the first man to undergo a sexchange operation, the danish girl borrows the bare bones of his story as a jumpingoff point for an exploration of how wegener s decisions affected the people around him. A lthough gerda wegener remains one of the most remarkable danish painters, she was little known in her own country until recently. Max discovers he is not the person he was meant to be and with a big eye opener he finds his true self.
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