Niels Lyhne

J. P. Jacobsen

⏱ 8 minRealist classic

A gifted dreamer and would-be poet, cursed with a longing for the absolute, has his every illusion and love stripped away, and bravely resolves to live without God, until on his deathbed he faces the supreme test of his hard-won unbelief. Jacobsen's exquisite, melancholy Danish masterpiece of atheist tragedy.

Listen to the whole of Niels Lyhne in about 8 minutes — professionally narrated, with Apple-Music-style synced subtitles. One book free every day; Folio Premium unlocks the entire library.