Their story formed the basis for david ebershoffs bestselling novel the danish girl, later adapted as a film. This riveting account of the transformation of the danish painter einar wegener into lili elbe is a remarkable journey from man to woman. Redmayne swings like a pendulum between einar and lili, masculine and feminine, suits and dresses. 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. But ebershoff emphasizes the title in the book s final chapter, as lili thinks, she was fraulein lili elbe. Elbe herself was one of the first people to undergo gender reassignment surgery. A movie about a transgender artist couldnt be timelier in 2015, the year of. 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. Kunstschilderes gerda wegener alicia vikander vraagt haar man, einar wegener eddie redmayne om in te vallen als vrouwelijk model. He is also the author of the novel pasadena and the. For more on these bogs, swing by the symbols section. The danish girl tells the story of the painter einar wegener, who had the worlds first genderreassignment surgery and became lili elbe. 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.
We are introduced to a married couple, einar wegener eddie redmayne and his wife, gerda alicia vikander. Elbe was born einar magnus andreas wegener, and was a successful painter under that name. The titlethe danish girlis fairly selfexplanatory as titles go. 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. 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. His book is based on the reallife story of einar wegener, a danish artist who 70 years ago became the first. 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. David ebershoffs debut novel, the danish girl, won the lambda literary award, and the film. Eddie redmayne, alicia vikander, ben whishaw, sebastian koch, amber heard, matthias schoenaerts our rating. Copiously illustrated in colour and black and white throughout. Nov 25, 2015 music, film, tv and political news coverage.
Feb 01, 2016 she met fellow artist einar wegener later lili elbe 18821931 at art school. 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. Einar wegener and his american wife greta waud have been married for six years, but have yet to have a child. 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. 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. Einar wegener is a danish artist, apparently happily married to wife of the same occupation gerda. On the telephone, anna larssen suggested to gerda that the thinframed einar stand in for her.
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. It won the lambda literary award for transgender fiction in 2000 and has been adapted into a major motion. 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. 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 puts gerda wegeners art on view to the. 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. She begins as einar wegener, a danish man in copenhagen, and she ends as lili, the danish girl in dresden. Dec 22, 2015 lili elbe was one of the first people to get sexreassignment surgery. They traveled through italy and france, eventually. 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. A lthough gerda wegener remains one of the most remarkable danish painters, she was little known in her own country until recently. While the pairs reputation stems from einars work as a landscape artist, einar dedicates a significant amount of time to. Alicia vikander discusses the limited information available on the real gerda wegener and what she learned about her before filming began.
The danish girl kindle edition by ebershoff, david. 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. The novel is a fictionalized account of the life of lili elbe, one of the first people to undergo sex reassignment surgery. This book takes us on an interesting journey of einer wegener turns into lili. The danish girl is about a lot more than the story of the first transsexual. The danish girl vs the true story of lili elbe, gerda wegener. The wellcome library, london as it turned out, wegener did not commit suicide on the appointed date. The danish girl is a delicate, elegant novel about the search for ones true self.
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. He is also, we come to understand, in ways subtle and extreme, a woman named lili elbe. Im starting work now on a new film called the danish girl, and its another extraordinary story about extraordinary people. The danish girl was famously made into a film, starring eddie redmayne. 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 puts gerda wegeners art on view to the world. Tom hooper and alicia vikander in the danish girl 2015. Einar wegener was a leading artist in late 1920s paris. 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. See more ideas about the danish girl, lili elbe and artist. 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.
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. 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. Dec 09, 2015 alicia vikander discusses the limited information available on the real gerda wegener and what she learned about her before filming began. 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. The liberation of lili in the danish girl the new york. But nearly a century ago, danish painter einar wegener became a pioneer in genderreassignment surgery. In early 1920s copenhagen, the illustrator and artist gerda wegener alicia vikander asks her husband, einar wegener eddie redmayne, to. Lili elbe was one of the first people to get sexreassignment surgery. 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.
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. 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. Buy the danish girl by ebershoff, david from amazons fiction books store. He is also the author of the novel pasadena and the collection. Her first spouse was a trans woman and became her favourite model under the name lili elbe. Although their marriage becomes strained, gerda stands by lili as she explores her true self and eventually undergoes one. 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. 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.
The film stars eddie redmayne as lili elbe, one of the first known recipients of sex reassignment surgery, alicia vikander. The danish girl italian edition by david ebershoff. 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. Gerda wegener was a danish fashion illustrator and painter of lesbian erotica in the 1930s. In the early 1900s, danish artist gerda wegener came up with a creative solution after her model was running late. A novel movie tiein by david ebershoff oct 27, 2015. 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. 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 true story the real lili and gerda. The new tom hooper film, the danish girl, begins in copenhagen, in 1926. What do you hope readers will be left with when they read this novel. Max discovers he is not the person he was meant to be and with a big eye opener he finds his true self. 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, david ebershoffs 2000 novel about them was an international bestseller and was translated into a dozen languages. Lili and gerda s marriage and work evolve as they navigate lilis groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer. A couple of changes have been made i read more about einar wegener online after finishing the book. 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. 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. Set in the 1920s and 30s in copenhagen, paris and dresden, and inspired by a true story, the danish girl is about one of the most passionate and unusual marriages of the 20th century.
With the danish girl, david ebershoff will make one of the years dazzling literary debuts. The real story behind the paintings in the danish girl vogue. 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. Ebershoffs book the danish girl, with plans for labute to write and direct. She was married to lili elbe, one of the firstever documented recipients of sex reassignment surgery. They married in 1904, when gerda was 18 and einar was 21. The danish girl, as ebershoff stated, does not try to tell a true story. The danish girl is an evocative and deeply moving novel about one of the most passionate and unusual love stories of the 20th century. 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 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. Gerda wegener may not be the focus of this years oscar nominated film, the danish girl, but her life certainly has a touch of the cinematic. Now, thanks to the film the danish girl, starring oscar. A rare catalogue on the danish illustrator and painter, gerda marie fredrikke wegener 1886.
Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. 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. 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. She met fellow artist einar wegener later lili elbe 18821931 at art school. The danish girl ebook by david ebershoff rakuten kobo. 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. 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. But his wife gerda had a fascinating life and career of. 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.
Einar wegeners transformation to lili elbe begins when gerda asks her husband to model for a painting. 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. 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 by tom hooper alicia vikander, eddie. 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. Even so, should you delivered electronically that application and have absolutely dealt with him, youll be able to function as a. After successfully transitioning in 1930, she changed her legal name to lili. The real gerda wegener was danish, but in the novel her name was changed to greta to please the american audience. 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. The danish girl, by david ebershoff opens in copenhagen in 1925 with a wonderful enigmatic four word sentence his wife knew first. 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. The danish girl italian edition by david ebershoff nook. 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.
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