About Edvard Brandes
Lived 1847 – 1931 (aged 84). Edvard Brandes was a Danish politician, writer, literary critic, orientalist, journalist and minister.
Carl Edvard Cohen Brandes (21 October 1847 – 20 December 1931) was a Danish politician, critic and author, and the younger brother of Georg Brandes and Ernst Brandes. He had a Ph.D. in eastern philology.
Biography Brandes was a member of the Folketing for the party Venstre from 1880 to 1894. Along with Viggo Hørup and Christen Berg, Brandes was editor of the newspaper "Morgenbladet" (literally "the morning paper"), which was associated with the party, from 1880 to 1883, when Berg fired Brandes and Hørup over a conflict on the points of view that the newspaper voiced. In 1884, he cofounded the newspaper Politiken with Hørup and Hermann Bang. Brandes used his position within the newspaper to promote literature that supported his own political point of view and to criticize literature which contained nationalliberal or Grundtvigian points of view, often in direct conflict with his opinion of their quality, but nevertheless he played a significant part in reforming literary criticism in Denmark.
He joined the party Det Radikale Venstre shortly after its founding in 1905, and he was a member of the Landsting for the party from the 1906 election until 1927. He was Minister of Finance from 1909 to 1910 and again from 1913 to 1920 as a member of the Cabinets of Zahle I and II. and brother-in-law of Mette-Sophie Gad the wife of French artist Paul Gauguin
Don’t just read it —
keep it.
Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.
- E-book
- Audio
- Video
Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free
Important facts
People in Edvard Brandes's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Edvard Brandes's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Edvard Brandes?
Danish politician, critic and author (1847-1931)
When was Edvard Brandes born?
Edvard Brandes was born on 21 October 1847 in Copenhagen.
When did Edvard Brandes die?
Edvard Brandes died on 20 December 1931 in Copenhagen.
What was Edvard Brandes's occupation?
Edvard Brandes was a politician, writer, literary critic, orientalist, journalist and minister.
What nationality was Edvard Brandes?
Edvard Brandes was Danish.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Edvard Brandes. https://biography.guide/edvard-brandes/
MLA: "Edvard Brandes." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/edvard-brandes/.
Chicago: "Edvard Brandes." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/edvard-brandes/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-26 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
Page generated 2026-09-27 05:16 UTC