Remarkable Kierkegaard collection acquired

The collection offers new insights into Kierkegaard’s life, not only as a writer but as a man with connections to some of the most prominent figures of his time.

Part of what makes this collection so special is that it reveals sides of Kierkegaard that we cannot encounter in quite the same tangible way through his writings. His various dedications, and the special copies of his works that he had produced for people who mattered to him, bring us closer both to Kierkegaard himself and to his relationship with the recipient.

“The collection offers significant opportunities for research, but above all it has enormous potential to introduce this globally renowned Danish thinker to a much wider audience,” says Joakim Garff, director of the Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre at the University of Copenhagen.

Among the collection’s treasures are presentation copies inscribed by Kierkegaard to leading figures of the Danish Golden Age, including H.C. Ørsted, J.L. Heiberg and Bishop J.P. Mynster. Other books were intended for people close to him, including his former fiancée Regine Olsen, whom Kierkegaard continued to encounter regularly on the streets of Copenhagen until the year of his death. 

The collection also contains several unique copies of Kierkegaard’s own works, his Bible and his copy of his debut work ‘Either-Or’, meticulously corrected in his own hand. 

Bringing Kierkegaard to new audiences

The collection will form part of a planned public engagement initiative on Kierkegaard, developed jointly by the University of Copenhagen, home to the Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre, the Royal Danish Library and the Museum of Copenhagen. The initiative will include an exhibition at the University Library in Fiolstræde, but will also extend into the streets of Copenhagen, where Kierkegaard took his daily walks, spoke to people from across society and found inspiration for the profoundly original body of work that would later make him world-famous. 

At the University Library, books and objects associated with Kierkegaard will help tell the story of the philosopher’s life, thought and deep connection to Copenhagen, making his work accessible to a wider audience.

“To me, Kierkegaard’s writings are every bit as relevant, life-affirming and provocative today as they were when he first scribbled them down in pen and ink on countless sheets of paper. So I am genuinely delighted that we now have an invaluable opportunity to introduce Kierkegaard to many more people, whether it is a secondary school class from Sorø or a tourist from Tokyo who comes through the door,” says Joakim Garff. 

The 85 works were acquired with support from the Augustinus Foundation, the Aage and Johanne Louis-Hansen Foundation, Villum Foundation and VELUX FOUNDATION. Special thanks go to Maria Girsel of the antiquarian bookseller Herman H. J. Lynge & Søn, whose commitment and goodwill were instrumental in ensuring that the collection could be kept together. 

The collection is now owned by the University of Copenhagen and will initially be kept at the Royal Danish Library, until it can become part of the public engagement initiative at the University Library in Fiolstræde and bring new generations closer to Kierkegaard’s life and thought.