Hans Scherfig
Hans Scherfig (April 8, 1905 – January 28, 1979) was a renowned Danish writer and artist.
Also recorded as Hans Christian Scherfig · Khans Sherfig
Hans Scherfig

Jens Cederskjold from København S, Danmark · Burial site for the Danish painter and author Hans Scherfig (1905-1979) at Assistens Cemetery in Copenhagen · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Born
- 1905.
- Died
- 1979.
- Nationality
- Kingdom of Denmark.
- Occupation
- painter, author and illustrator.
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Documentary summary
Hans Scherfig (April 8, 1905 – January 28, 1979) was a renowned Danish writer and artist.
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Hans Scherfig (1905–1979) was an author, illustrator and painter, of Danish nationality. The author was born in Copenhagen and died in Hillerød. Hans Scherfig was educated at Metropolitanskolen.
Languages used include Danish. Honours include Grand Prize of the Danish Academy.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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wikidata · Q742300 · wikipedia · Hans Scherfig
In this article
Life and career
Life and career
His most famous works of literature include Stolen Spring, Frydenholm, Idealists, and The Scorpion, the last of which was published in over 20 countries. He is also well known for his distinctive Naivist lithographs which depict jungle and savanna scenes that owe something to Henri Rousseau, and various drawings and paintings with satirical, political, and biblical subject matter. Central to Scherfig's work was his lifelong political engagement. Already in his early years he became a dedicated communist and remained so until his death in 1979. He was also a long-standing member of the Communist Party of Denmark. Because of this Scherfig was imprisoned by the Nazi German military occupation forces in Denmark during WWII. During the Cold War, Scherfig intensified his critical attitude against the United States. Scherfig lies in an unmarked grave in Assistens Cemetery (Copenhagen). His grave can be identified by the stone sculpture of a turtle which lies beside it.
Novels
Novels
Den Døde Mand, 1937 Den forsvundne fuldmægtig, 1938 Det Forsømte Forår (Stolen Spring), 1940 Idealister (Idealists), 1945 Skorpionen (The Scorpion), 1953 Frydenholm, 1962 Den Fortabte abe, 1964
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1905
Hans Scherfig born at Copenhagen.
1979
Hans Scherfig died at Hillerød.
Prizes
Scherfig won a number of prizes within the field of Danish literature, including the following: 1973 Grand Prize of the Danish Academy 1965 Jeanne and Henri Nathan's Memorial Grant 1963 Adam Oehlenschläger legatet 1954 Holger Drachmann Scholarship 1952 Jeanne and Henri Nathan's Memorial Grant
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q742300: Hans ScherfigWikimedia Foundation
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Illustration
5,224 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Hans Jürgen PressIllustrator
- Hans LiskaIllustrator
- Hans Normann DahlIllustrator
- Hans Richard von VolkmannIllustrator
- Hans SchweitzerIllustrator
- Hans Sebald BehamIllustrator
- Hans TisdallIllustrator
- Hans Ulrich StegerIllustrator
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