FOOTNOTES:
[2] A Russian national drink, very popular among the lower classes, made of syrup, thin beer, and water.
[3] A Finnish proverb.
THE PLAGUE AT BERGAMO
BY JENS PETER JACOBSEN
Jacobsen is now considered to be the supreme Danish exponent of the artistic creed of the great critic Brandes, and next to Brandes the most potent influence among his country’s writers of fiction. He was born in 1847 and died in 1885. In his youth he followed the methods and style of Hans Andersen. In later years he studied natural science with conspicuous success and became absorbed in the theories of Darwin. Later still he found his permanent way into literature with that wonderful story “Mogens,” said to be the first specimen of realistic fiction in Denmark. Jacobsen’s great aim seems to be the reconciliation of man’s psychological sensations with his psychological surroundings. He is a true scientist and a true poet.
THE PLAGUE AT BERGAMO
BY JENS PETER JACOBSEN