Yahya Hassan
Yahya Hassan (19 May 1995 – 29 April 2020) was a Danish poet and political activist of Palestinian descent, whose poems and public statements criticizing both Islam and Danish policies on migration and participation in armed conflicts made him a much-debated and controversial figure. His most notable work, Yahya Hassan, as of 2013 was the best-selling debut poetry collection in Denmark, and has been printed in more than 120,000 copies (middle of 2015).
Yahya Hassan
Mogens Engelund · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- Yahya Hassan
- Born
- 19 May 1995
- Birthplace
- Aarhus, Denmark
- Died
- 29 April 2020
- Occupation
- * Poet
- Nationality
- Kingdom of Denmark
- Education
- Solhaven · Vallekilde Højskole · Forfatterskolen
- Honours
- Weekendavisen Book Award · Bodil and Jørgen Munch-Christensen's Novice Award · Bogforums Debutantpris
- Languages
- Danish
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Documentary summary
Yahya Hassan (19 May 1995 – 29 April 2020) was a Danish poet and political activist of Palestinian descent, whose poems and public statements criticizing both Islam and Danish policies on migration and participation in armed conflicts made him a much-debated and controversial figure. His most notable work, Yahya Hassan, as of 2013 was the best-selling debut poetry collection in Denmark, and has been printed in more than 120,000 copies (middle of 2015).
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Authority files
wikidata · Q15102503 · wikipedia · Yahya Hassan
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Yahya Hassan • Born — 19 May 1995 • Birthplace — Aarhus, Denmark • Died — 29 April 2020 • Place of death — Aarhus, Denmark • Occupation — * Poet • political activist • Period — 2011–2020 • Genre — Poetry • Notable Works — Yahya Hassan
Early life
Early life
Yahya Hassan was born to a family of Muslim Palestinian immigrants, who had fled to Lebanon due to the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and who moved to Denmark in the 1980s. He was born in Aarhus, the second largest city in Denmark. He had four siblings, and his father frequently physically abused him. Hassan grew up in a religious environment, but soon abandoned religion. He was institutionalized for juvenile delinquency in Solhaven in Farsø, where educators first supported his literary talent. At 16, Hassan had an affair with 38-year-old educator Louise Østergaard, which led to Østergaard's dismissal and divorce. Hassan attended a "Rap Academy" and various workshops for creative writing.
Politics
Politics
On 7 April 2015, Hassan announced that he had joined the newly formed Danish political party, Nationalpartiet. On 9 February 2016, party leader Kashif Ahmad announced that Hassan had been expelled from the party following an arrest for driving under the influence.
Death
Death
Hassan was found dead in his apartment in Aarhus on 29 April 2020. The police do not believe the death to be a criminal act. He had supposedly converted back to Islam prior to his death.
Yahya Hassan - Danish poet and writer with Palestinian background at the Copenhagen Book Fair "BogForum 2013", Copenhagen, Denmark
Mogens Engelund
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1995
Yahya Hassan born at Aarhus.
2020
Yahya Hassan died at Aarhus V.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Aarhus.
Birth place
Aarhus V.
Death place
Publications and reception
He published a first volume with Brønderslev Forfatterskole Et godt sted at dø ("a good place to die") in 2011, but became widely known in Denmark with his first volume published with the reputable Gyldendal publishing house, in 2013. Literary scholar Tue Andersen Nexø described Hassan's longer works as "almost Walt Whitman-like." The volume was a best-seller and received favourable criticism, and his readings (done in an idiosyncratic style) were well-attended. The poems are concerned with his upbringing in the "ghetto" of Aarhus V, with attacks on his parents' generation and on Islam. This has resulted in criticism and death threats on the part of Danish Muslims, and Hassan was placed under police protection. Odense city library cancelled a planned reading due to the threat of attacks. The cancellation led to a parliamentary debate in the Folketing, on Islamist threats impinging on the freedom of speech in Denmark. Also in November 2013, Hassan was assaulted and injured by another Danish citizen of Palestinian descent, one Isaac Meyer, born Abdul Basit Abu-Lifa, who had a previous conviction for terrorism. Meyer had received a seven-year sentence in the 2005 Glostrup case, but had been released on parole in 2010. The attacker was convicted for assault. The poetry collection Yahya Hassan 2 was published on 8 November 2019, again to general critical acclaim.
Recognition and collections
Where the work is held
Recognition and collections
Yahya Hassan received Weekendavisen Book Award, Bodil and Jørgen Munch-Christensen's Novice Award and Bogforums Debutantpris.
Documents and archives
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Yahya Hassan”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q15102503: Yahya Hassan
Unverified · Wikidata
Literature
Literature
Hassan, Yahya: Yahya Hassan
Hassan, Yahya, Kindlers Literatur Lexikon (KLL), 2021
Hassan, Yahya, Kindlers Literatur Lexikon (KLL), 2020
Hassan, Yahya: 3, Kindlers Literatur Lexikon (KLL), 2021
Citations
References
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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.
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