Sigfred Pedersen

Sigfred Pedersen, born on a farm on the island of Fünen, was a Danish poet, literary critic, painter, actor, restaurateur, and journalist. He obtained a master’s degree at the University in København (Copenhagen) in 1931. As a young graduate in political science, he worked as a department manager for an insurance company, as a journalist for the conservative National Newspaper and literary critic for Berlingske Tidende. In the mid-1930s, he decided to become an author. From 1943 he was married to the folk singer Else Pedersen (1916-1969).

In the early 1940s, Pedersen ran “Wessels Kro” in København’s Nyhavn, one of the city’s most vibrant entertainment districts. Here, he found inspiration for his poems and songs and entertained in pubs. Later he moved to Sletten in Nordsjælland’s countryside.

Pedersen’s book debut was the poetry collection Forårets viser og somrens vers from 1927. He also produced a great number of songs that became very popular like, for instance, Katinka, Katinka. Many of his songs have been set to music by composer Niels Clemmensen. In his poetry, he described the underclass in modern society very precisely playing with the Danish language like no one else. Pedersen was also active as a painter and appeared in a movie as an actor.

In connection with Pedersen’s 100th birthday in 2003, a tribute CD was released in his memory, which sold over 10,000 copies. Another group of Danish artists released a CD in 2009 and toured with this program.