Edith Rode

Edith Rode was a Danish novelist and a journalist with Berlingske Tidende. She also ran a popular correspondence column for the magazine Familie Journalen. In addition to fiction, she was the editor of Den gyldne bog om danske kvinder (1941), a collection of biographies of notable Danish women. She is remembered in particular for the three memoir portraits she wrote towards the end of her life: Der var engang, Paa Togt i Erindringen, and Paa Rejse i Livet. Edith Rode was born on 23 February 1879 in Copenhagen, the eldest of three daughters of a court physician and a conservative mother. She attended a progressive school, but did not receive any formal education. She married a painter in 1902 and went to Italy on an extended honeymoon, where she met and fell in love with the journalist and critic Helge Rode. They eloped to Capri and married in 1905 after she had obtained a divorce from her first husband. They had four children, one of whom became a celebrated actor. ¹ Edith Rode started her literary career in her early twenties, publishing novels that defended women's right to their sexuality. She received positive reviews from critics, but also caused controversy among the bourgeoisie. She continued to write novels, short stories, poetry, travel guides, memoirs and cookbooks throughout her life, publishing some 40 books in total. She also worked as a journalist for Berlingske Tidende for 30 years, covering various topics such as fires and dances. She started a highly popular correspondence column in Familie Journalen in 1937, which she ran until her death. She was also the editor-in-chief of a collection of biographies of notable Danish women, published in 1941. Several of her most memorable works appeared in her later life, inspired by her own childhood and experiences. ¹ Edith Rode died of natural causes on 3 September 1956 in Frederiksberg. She was buried at Frederiksberg Ældre Kirkegård. She is regarded as one of the most prolific and versatile Danish writers of the 20th century. ¹