Knud Sønderby was one of the founding members of Det Danske Akademi (The Danish Academy) in 1960. At that time he had long been a respected man and a recipient of many literary awards, including the seldom-awarded Humoristlegatet (Prize for Humor) in 1934 and the Colleagues Award of Honor in 1958. His production was small, but it was both exclusive and popular; in particular, his essays were highly esteemed. Therefore, it was a shock for almost the whole nation when he died of a heart attack at the age of fifty-seven.

Knud Sønderby was born on 10 July 1909 in Esbjerg, the main port for Danish agricultural export on the western coast of Jutland, and at that time the main harbor for the North Sea fishery. His father, Niels Christian Sønderby, was a successful wholesale merchant in this enterprising town, but he died in 1917 of the Spanish...