Quick Facts
Biography
Jens Pauli Heinesen (2 November 1932 in Sandavágur −19 July 2011 in Tórshavn) was a Faroese writer. He was one of the most important novelists of the Faroe Islands. Four times he received the Faroese Literature Prize and one time the Faroese Cultural Prize. There were only a few Faroese novelists before him, there were several poets, but only a few novelists. The Faroese literature was quite new; the first novel in Faroese language was published in 1909. William Heinesen and Jørgen Frantz Jacobsen wrote in Danish, other Faroese writers, who wrote novels in Faroese were born thirty years before Jens Pauli Heinesen: Heðin Brú (1901–87) from Skálavík on Sandoy and Martin Joensen (1902–66) from Sandvík in Suðuroy. Jens Pauli Heinesen wrote in his own way, more like the spoken Faroese and not so much like the Faroese from the dictionary. As he said, he had to write in his own dialect, he couldn't write in the Sandoy dialect or in the Suðuroy dialect. He wrote about the Faroese society on its way from the old society to a modern society. He wrote critically about political issues. Sometimes he wrote partially autobiographical like in the 7 volume series of novels Á ferð inn í eina óendaliga søgu (On a journey into a never ending story) from 1980–92. Jens Pauli Heinesen was president of the Association of Writers of the Faroe Islands from 1968 to 1975 (Rithøvundafelag Føroya)
Biography
Jens Pauli Heinesen's parents were Petur Heinesen á Lofti, a farmer from Sandavágur, and Anna Maria Malena Heinesen (born Johannesen) from the small island Hestur. He grew up in Sandavágur. Only 14-year-old he moved to Tórshavn where he first worked at an office, but after a short time he went back to school. He finished high school in 1954. He published his first book while he went to high school, he published Degningsælið in 1953, it was a collection of short stories. After finishing high school he went to Denmark, where he graduated from Emdrupborg Statsseminarium as a school teacher in 1956. His wife Maud Heinesen (born Brimheim) later became a writer herself, a children's writer.
Family life
In August the 1956 he got married to Maud Brimheim from Klaksvík (she died on 7 September 2005). They got two daughters: Elin Brimheim Heinesen (born 1958, a singer and editor) and later they adopted Marianna from Korea. The family moved back to the Faroe Islands in 1957.
Prizes
Jens Pauli Heinesen has four times received the Faroese Literature Prize (Mentanarvirðisløn M. A. Jacobsens) and one time the Faroese Cultural Prize (Mentanarvirðisløn Landsins).
- 1959 – Faroese Literature Prize
- 1969 – Faroese Literature Prize for the novel: Aldurnar spæla á sandi
- 1973 – Faroese Literature Prize for the series of novels: Frænir eitur ormurin
- 1993 – Faroese Literature Prize for the novel: Bláfelli og raðið (Á ferð inn í eina óendaliga søgu).
- 1999 – Mentanarvirðisløn Landsins (150.000 DKK)