Dan Turèll


Dan Turèll, affectionately nicknamed "Onkel Danny", was a popular Danish writer with notable influence on Danish literature. His work crossed a number of genres including autobiography, beat literature and crime fiction.
Turèll was born 19 March 1946 in Vangede on the outskirts of Copenhagen. Much of his works were partially autobiographical and inspired by his hometown, though is portrayal of Vesterbro is often considered romantic rather than realistic. His work often references themes Americanisation, drawing on the beat generation and the teachings of Donald Duck. Turèll published much of his material himself, especially early in his career. He wrote in both Danish and English and has been translated into Dutch, Estonian, French, German, Norwegian, Swedish and Serbian.
He died from esophageal cancer and is buried at Assistens Cemetery. On Sunday March 19, 2006, on what would have been his 60th birthday, part of the town square of Halmtorvet in the Kødbyen area of Copenhagen was named Onkel Dannys Plads in his honour. The square Dan Turèlls Plads in his native Vangede was named for him on 9 March 2007.

Selected bibliography

Dan Turèll was a highly prolific writer, contributing to numerous anthologies within his time and collections of his works continued to be arranged after his death. In addition to his literary work, he wrote a vast number of articles and essays for newspapers and various magazines. As a result, the following bibliography is in no way complete. Danish literary critic and writer, Lars Bukdahl, said that Turèll "only lived to the age of 47, and it is as though he knew he had to hurry".

Cut-up literature

Changes of Light, 1970Occult Confessions, 1970Speed of Light, 1970.Opsvulmede byer i sigtekornet flagrende skud i bevidstheden, 1972.Sidste forestilling bevidstløse trancebilleder af eksploderende spejltricks igennem flyvende tidsmaskine af smeltende elektriske glasfotos, 1972Feuilleton 1: Faraway Signs, 1972Feuilleton 2: Laser Time Switch, 1972Feuilleton 3: Filmen synker igennem Deres øjne, 1972Feuilleton 4: The Edison Kinetogram, 1972Feuilleton 5: It's Just Another Whistle Stop, 1973Feuilleton 6: Not Fade Away..., 1973Feuilleton 7: Deres kodeskrift under Dobbelt Sol, 1973Feuilleton 8: Strangers in the Night, 1978

Novels

Dét døgn, da -, 1992

The Murder Series

The so-called Mord-serie consists of ten novels and two volumes of short stories in the "American" school of crime fiction, known from writers like Raymond Chandler. All twelve volumes follow the same protagonist, a nameless detective / reporter, a freelance writer for a fictitious Copenhagen newspaper, plainly called Bladet. In each novel the protagonist is hurled into a new murder mystery, often along recurring characters, centrally among them Politiinspektør Ehlers. The stories are self contained, but settings, relations, and characters evolve as the series progress.
The series primarily takes place in an alternate version of the borough of Vesterbro in Copenhagen, which serves as a backdrop for considerably more criminal endeavours than real life will probably ever match. Also certain aspects of the city's geography has been altered. Certain streets lie differently, for instance.Mord i mørket, 1981Mord i Rodby, 1981Mord ved Runddelen, 1983Mord på Malta, 1983Mord i marts, 1984Mord i september, 1984Mord i myldretiden, 1985Mord på møntvaskeriet og andre kriminalhistorier, short stories, 1986Mord i rendestenen, 1987Mord i Paradis, 1988Mord på medierne, 1988Mord på markedet, 1989Mord i San Francisco, 1989

Poetry

Vibrationer, 196640 ark, 196940 linier, 1969Manuskripter I: Øjne/Further instructions, 1970Manuskripter II: Af beskrivelsen af det/Hvidt lys, 1970Manuskripter om hvad som helst, 1971.Bevægelser, formålsløst cirklende, 1971Dobbeltskrift, 1973 – with Peter LaugesenOnkel Danny's dadaistiske discjockey djellaba jazzjungle joysticks, 1973Sekvens af Manjana – den endeløse sang flimrende igennem hudens pupiller, 1973Lissom, 1973Digte m. m., 1973 – with Peter Laugesen, Jens Smærup Sørensen, & Henning MortensenOnkel Danny's drivende dansende dirrende dinglende daskende dryppende danske dåse-digte, 1974Onkel Danny's deliristiske jukebox jitterbug, 1974Karma Cowboy, 1974; shortened version released in 1983Drive-in digte: non-stop neon-nat lys-avis, 1976Nytår i Rom, 1976Live-show feed-back: 5 sæt af Bøgernes Bog, 19763-D digte, 1977Storby-Blues, 1977Vesterbrobilleder, 1977 – with photos by Kurt LesserOnkel Danny's små sorte sitrende swingende saxsoli sæbeboble-sange, 1978Onkel Danny's rullende rallende regnvejrs ragtime rhapsodi, 1979Døgn-digte: udvalgte digte fra 70'erne, 1979Ulysses' spejl, 1981 – with Henrik Nordbrandt, illustrated by Barry Lereng WilmontAlhambra blues, 1983Kom forbi: sange & recitationer, 1984Jazz-digte: et udvalg 1966–1986, 1986 – illustrated by Peter HentzeForklædt til genkendelighed: sange, digte & recitationer, 1988Himalaya Hilton, 1991Gud & Gokke, 1992Tja-a Cha-Cha, 1993Udvalgte digte 1: 1969–1974, 2003Udvalgte digte 2: 1973–1993, 2004

Prose

Områder af skiftende tæthed og tomhed, 1970Film, 1973 – with Henrik HaveVangede billeder, memoirs, 1975Ezra Pound/William S. Burroughs/Lou Reed: 3 medie-montager, 1975Rockens rødder. Medie-montager II, 1975SuperShowStjerneStøv. Medie-Montager III, 1976Onkel Danny fortæller, memoirs, 1976Af Livets Laboratorium. Medie-Montager IV, 1977MenneskeMyteMaskinen. Medie-Montager V, 1977Livets karrusel, 1977Onkel Danny fortæller videre, memoirs, 1978Onkel Sams sønner. Medie-Montager VI, 1978Alverdens vampyrer: første forestilling på Grusomhedens Teater eller En idés rejse fra 5000 f. Kristus til i dag, 1978Amerikanske ansigter: udvalgte artikler fra 70'erne, 1979Møde i Garda: en fortælling i forbigående, 1979Dan Turèll i byen: 50 historier af Københavns-krøniken fortalt fra dag til dag, 1979 – illustrated by Peder NymanOnkel Danny fortæller i timevis, 1979Dan Turèll – et udvalg omkring en generation, 1981Onkel Danny fortæller på talløse opfordringer, memoirs, 1982Dan Turèll i byen igen: 50 historier af Københavns-krøniken fortalt fra dag til dag, 1982 – illustrated by Peder NymanOmkring på Brevduebanen, 1982Dansk dragefestival 1964–1984, 1984 – with Bjarne LynnerupSort film: en privat dagbog omkring kriminalgenren, 1984Shu-Bi-Dua – melodierne, teksterne, historien, 1984 – essay by Turèll, note sheets and lyrics by Shu-Bi-DuaDan Turèll i byen så det basker: 50 historier af Københavns-krøniken fortalt fra dag til dag, 1985 – illustrated by Peder NymanDon Dobbeltliv og andre historier fra Stjernecaféen, short stories, 1985Nekrolog – blues for --, 1988 – illustrated by Peter HentzeDan Turèll i byen – i dén grad!: 50 historier af Københavns-krøniken fortalt fra dag til dag, 1988 – illustrated by Peder NymanAs time goes by – :klip fra den fortsatte scrap-bog, 1989Dan Turèll i byen – og i baggårdene: 50 historier af Københavns-krøniken fortalt fra dag til dag, 1991Undervejs med Copenhagen All Stars: et jazzband på turné i Danmark, 1991Dan Turèll i byen – for sidste gang: 37 historier af Københavns-krøniken fortalt fra dag til dag, 1994Just a gigolo: klip fra den store scrap-bog 1989–93, 1995En nat ved højttaleren med sprogets mikrofon: rariteter, 1964–79, 2003Medie-montager: greatest hits, 2003Charlie Parker i Istedgade: tekster om jazz, 2006

Spoken Word Recordings

Dansk tale: to monologer, MC, 1981Dan Turèll & Sølvstjernerne, LP, 1991; CD, 1993 – with music by SølvstjernernePas på pengene!, CD, 1993 – with music by Halfdan EGlad i åbningstiden, CD, 1996 – with music by Halfdan EDan Turèll & Sølvstjernerne vender tilbage, CD, 2004 – with music by Sølvstjernerne

Works in English

The Total-Copy System, poetry, 1971.A Draft of XXX Space Cantos, crossover poetry, 1972Here Comes Your 19th Nervous Breakdown/Stones: Last Words 1972, poem, 1973Another Draft of Space Cantos, crossover poetry, 1974A Third Draft of Space Cantos, crossover poetry, 1974Feuilleton 8: Strangers in the Night, 1978And all that jazz: Copenhagen Jazz Festival, photobook; text in both Danish and English – photos by Gorm Valentin

Adaptations

  • His novels, Mord i mørket and Mord i Paradis both from 1981 were made into film in 1986 and 1988 respectively.
  • In 2006 a musical theatre production, Onkel Danny, was made about his life.