The movie danish girl is based on the life of transgender. Telling its story of a gender pioneer, the danish girl. The first 20 minutes of the danish girl are a breezy romance between two beautiful newlywedsthe artists einar eddie redmayne and gerda wegener alicia vikander. Did you know about lili elbe before hearing of the danish girleither the book or the movie. The reallife story of an artist who stands by her husbands side as he undergoes groundbreaking gender reassignment surgery in the 1930s.
The first sex change by blue boat books ltd paperback. We are introduced to a married couple, einar wegener eddie redmayne and his wife, gerda alicia vikander. The danish girl kindle edition by ebershoff, david. The danish girl vs the true story of lili elbe, gerda wegener. Find out more about danish painter lili elbe, who was among one of the firstever documented sex reassignment surgery recipients and whose life was the subject of the 2015 film the danish girl.
He is also the author of the novel pasadena and the. Embarking on a groundbreaking journey thats only made possible by the unconditional love of her wife, einar fights to become the person shes meant to be, transgender pioneer lili elbe. Eddie redmayne discusses his transformation for danish girl. Many names were changed in elbes autobiographical novel, man into woman, to conceal their. David ebershoffs debut novel, the danish girl, won the 2000 lambda literary. Find books like the danish girl from the worlds largest community of readers. The danish girl 2015 is a fictitious story adapted from david ebershoffs book of the same name, which is loosely inspired by reallife danish artists and couple einar wegenerlili elbe eddie redmayne and gerda gottlieb alicia vikander. In a way, he was perfect for tom hoopers the danish girl, a heavily fictionalized account of the romance between 20th century painters gerda wegener. David ebershoffs debut novel, the danish girl, won the 2000 lambda literary award for transgender fiction and has been adapted into a major motion. The danish girl, which made its world premiere at the 2015 venice film festival, dramatizes the journey of lili elbe, played with delicate grace and poise by eddie redmayne. The danish girl italian edition by david ebershoff.
He is also, we come to understand, in ways subtle and extreme, a woman named lili elbe. The danish girl by david ebershoff overdrive rakuten. She begins as einar wegener, a danish man in copenhagen, and she ends as lili, the danish girl in dresden. Why do you think her story was forgotten over the years. From lilis presurgical double life with supportive artist wife greta waud to her landmark surgery at a german clinic, novelist david ebershoff chronicles each step of this. The danish girl, from book to the big screen david ebershoff on writing his debut novel, the danish girl, which has been adapted into a major motion picture. Here is a book that truly makes the reader stop and question one of our most rigidly held fundaments of identity, gender. A fictitious love story loosely inspired by the lives of danish artists lili elbe and gerda wegener. Alicia vikander on pale makeup and other film surprises. The danish girl by david ebershoff the danish girl, by david ebershoff opens in copenhagen in 1925 with a wonderful enigmatic four word sentence his. A book compiled from lilis own writings exists and. Eddie redmayne en alicia vikander als lili elbe en gerda wegener in the danish girl. Lili ilse elvenes 28 december 1882 september 1931, better known as lili elbe, was a danish transgender woman and among the early recipients of sex reassignment surgery elbe was born einar magnus andreas wegener, and was a successful painter under that name after successfully transitioning in 1930, she changed her legal name to lili ilse elvenes and stopped painting altogether.
Tom hoopers new film, the danish girl based on the fictionalized account of lili elbe, spearheads what has been a banner 2015 year for lgbt film subjects. Im starting work now on a new film called the danish girl. She died from paralysis of the heart due to organ rejection roughly three months after undertaking her fifth and final sexchange operation in june 1931. He is also the author of the novel pasadena and the collection. Intersex lili elbes autobio man into woman intersex. Uniting fact and fiction into an original romantic vision, the danish girl eloquently portrays the unique intimacy that defines every marriage and the remarkable story of lili elbe, a pioneer in transgender history, and the woman torn between loyalty to her marriage and her own ambitions and desires. The danish girl by david ebershoff the danish girl, by david ebershoff opens in copenhagen in 1925 with a wonderful enigmatic four word sentence his wife knew. Lili and gerdas marriage and work evolve as they navigate lilis groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer. The reader eddie redmayne as lili elbe in the new film the danish girl. The danish girl is a delicate, elegant novel about the search for ones true self when.
Born on december 28, 1882 as einar mogens wegener, lili elbe was a successful danish painter who studied at the danish royal academy of fine arts in copenhagen. Eddie redmayne to play lili elbe in the danish girl. Lili elbe left, whose life story is told in the danish girl, starring eddie redmayne right credit. It is also about what makes a marriage and how far a woman will go to let her husband find his true self, knowing that she will likely lose him in the process. Her gender reassignment surgeries were, for the most part, the first of their kind. The titlethe danish girlis fairly selfexplanatory as titles go. The danish girl eddie redmayne goes deep in this biopic on the danish painter who became a transgender activist. The true story behind the danish girl confirms that einar wegeners transformation into lili elbe ultimately led to her death. The liberation of lili in the danish girl the new york. Uniting fact and fiction into an original romantic vision, the danish girl eloquently portrays the unique intimacy that defines every marriage and the remarkable story of lili elbe, a pioneer in transgender history, and the woman torn between loyalty to. How have things changed for the trans community in. Elbe had previously been einar wegener, a popular artist in copenhagen in the 1920s.
Gerda wegender and lili elbe, the danish girl from the 59. The danish girl ebook by david ebershoff rakuten kobo. Ullstein bild via getty images horatia harrod 28 february. A year after eddie redmayne proved his incredible capacity for reinvention in the theory of everything, the frecklefaced brit pulls off the ultimate identity overhaul as the danish girl. The swedish actress alicia vikander has been the it girl of this awards season, not least because of the onetwopunch performances she delivered in 2015, first as. David ebershoffs debut novel, the danish girl, won the lambda literary award. The new tom hooper film, the danish girl, begins in copenhagen, in 1926. One day his wife, gerda wegener, also a painter, asked him to don womans heels and stockings to fill in for a. The danish girl is a 2015 britishamerican biographical romantic drama film directed by tom hooper, based on the 2000 fictional novel of the same. The danish girl is a delicate, elegant novel about the search for ones true self when ones body, as an external encasement, doesnt mirror what is on the inside. Includes a digital copy of the danish girl subject to expiration.
This a film not about a character looking for love. It was with some trepidation that i went to watch the danish girl. The danish girl, as ebershoff stated, does not try to tell a true story. Redmayne swings like a pendulum between einar and lili, masculine. But ebershoff emphasizes the title in the book s final chapter, as lili thinks, she was fraulein lili elbe. Goodreads members who liked the danish girl also liked. Lili elbe left and eddie redmayne right as elbe in the danish. David ebershoff is the publishing director of the modern library, a division of random house, inc. It won the lambda literary award for transgender fiction in 2000 and has been adapted into a major motion. Made into an awardwinning film, the danish girl is a fictionalised take on the life of lili elbe born einar wegener, who in 1930 underwent one of the first successful genderreassignment surgeries. Lili elbe, van man naar vrouw brengt het levensverhaal van the. The danish girls lush prose and generous emotional insight make it, after the last page is turned, a deeply moving first novel about one of the most passionate and unusual love stories of the 20th century. Her life would later become the inspiration for the danish girl.
David ebershoffs debut novel, the danish girl, won the 2000 lambda literary award for transgender fiction and has been adapted into a major motion picture starring academy awardwinner eddie redmayne. The danish girl tells the story of danish artists lili elbe, the first transgender. Lili ilse elvenes 28 december 1882 september 1931, better known as lili elbe, was a danish transgender woman and among the. Lili elbe was born einar wegener and spent her entire life trying to choose between the man she was born as and the woman she wanted to become. He is the author of the international bestseller the danish girl and visiting lecturer at princeton university. Prior to its release the film had already attracted accusations of transphobia for director tom hoopers decision to cast the cisgender actor eddie redmayne in the title role of lili elbe, a trans woman lili elbe was one of a good number of people in interwar europe who felt the sex they. The novel is a fictionalized account of the life of lili elbe, one of the first people to undergo sex reassignment surgery the danish girl, as ebershoff stated, does not. David ebershoffs first novel, the danish girl, is inspired by the life of lili elbe. Lili elbe was one of the first people to get sexreassignment surgery. Get your first look at oscarwinner eddie redmayne as transgender pioneer einar wegener in director tom hoopers the danish girl. He has not only imagined most of what he wrote about elbe s inner life, but he has also fabricated all of the other characters in the book, most important among them wegeners blueblooded americanborn wife, greta waud, who like ebershoff comes from pasadena, california. Einar wegener and his american wife greta waud have been married for six years, but have yet to have a child.
I think its really unfair to judge this novel from the point of view of how it represents the actual truth of lili elbe. The danish girl courtesy of working title, pretty pictures, artemis productions, revision pictures, senator global productions lili elbes struggles four years later, lili elbe and. Set in the 1920s and 30s in copenhagen, paris and dresden, and inspired by a true story, the danish girl is about one of the most passionate and unusual marriages of the 20th century. Uniting fact and fiction into an original romantic vision, the danish girl eloquently portrays the unique intimacy that defines every marriage and the remarkable story of lili elbe, a pioneer in transgender history, and the woman torn between loyalty to her. The danish girl featurette lili elbe 2015 eddie redmayne drama hd duration. Starring eddie redmayne, alicia vikander, amber heard, ben winshaw based on the novel the danish girl by david ebershoff. Lili ilse elvenes 28 december 1882 september 1931, better known as lili elbe, was a danish transgender woman and among the early recipients of sex reassignment. A novel movie tiein by david ebershoff oct 27, 2015. The novel is a fictionalized account of the life of lili elbe, one of the first people to undergo sex reassignment surgery. The danish girl original motion picture soundtrack. A movie about a transgender artist couldnt be timelier in 2015, the year of. The danish girl vs the true story of lili elbe, gerda. The danish girl is not a novelization of an amazing historical anecdoteit is a beautifully written, senstivelyhandled, and deeplyengaging novel that it absolutely one of the best i have read in recent years. The danish girl true story the real lili and gerda.