Gustaf Munch-Petersen

Gustaf Munch-Petersen (1912–1938) was a Danish writer and painter, celebrated for his surreal prose poems that were groundbreaking in his time and inspired later writers. Born into a well-to-do family, he pursued art with the financial support of his parents after finding no interest in academic courses. Munch-Petersen made his debut as a writer with “Det nøgne menneske” in 1932 and showcased his art in various exhibitions the same year. Moving to Bornholm in 1935, he later joined the International Brigades and fought in the Spanish Civil War, where he died in 1938.

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Gustaf's cousin, Arne Munch-Petersen, was a known Communist who died in Moscow during Stalin's purges in the 1940s, adding a poignant historical connection to Gustaf's own life and untimely death in the Spanish Civil War.

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