Danish writer and translator, Ida Nyrop Ludvigsen was born Sept. 7, 1927 (d.1973). She was a proto-feminist in the Betty Friedan vein, as witnessed for this piece from 1959 that I’ve translated a little bit of. The whole article from Berlingske Tidende is here on Kvinfo...
Ida Nyrop Ludvigsen worked at the Royal Danish Library, and published a volume of poetry, Modsat (Opposite) in 1966, but is better known as the original Danish translator of J.R.R. Tolkien’s books. She is responsible for resounding Danish names in the Middle Earth story world, such as Kløvedal (Rivendell). Lately her translations have been roundly criticized, but they have a tone of their own that I enjoyed on first reading, back in the 70s...
The Ludvigsen household was evidently somewhat alternative in its gender structure and pedagogical tenets. As a direct result, one of the Ludvigsen kids, Jacob, grep up to be a rebel entrepreneur, who initiated the occupation of the Christiania free town in the heart of Copenhagen - and was a good buddy of Dan Turéll. It’s a fitting tribute to Jacob’s mother’s translation work that a whole hippie commune in Copenhagen took Kløvedal as their last name.
